Pandora's Clock

The passengers and the crew are in danger when they find out that a dangerous virus is in the airplane.They can't land because the virus must stay inside of the airplane.Some people are ready to shoot the plane down.Richard "MacGyver"Dean Anderson plays the captain James Holland in this thrilling TV movie.He does a great job in his part.There are also Daphne Zuniga you may remember from Melrose Place and Jane Leeves from Frasier.They all do a good job.Pandora's Clock keeps the suspense on all the time.Sure it's not a masterpiece, you should avoid this if you're expecting it to be one.But it is worth seeing if you like these kind of things.If you do I'm sure you won't get disappointed.

On a recent trip to Hong Kong,i was able to purchase a DVD copy of this good film. The DVD region code was for all regions. So i have no problem playing this DVD in Canada. This film has an excellent cast and plenty of action to keep the viewer glued to the television set. Filmed in Germany,it starts out with a laboratory experimenting with illegal virus from Russia. One of the laboratory employee's gets infected,leaves the laboratory,attempts to steal a car,causing the driver,after a fight,to get infected. He boards the plane,possibly infecting other passengers. Britain,Canada,all other European countries refuse to let the plane land in their countries. Now the C.I.A. gets involved,a cover-up is in the plans,it is suggested the plane be blown up,killing everyone on it. A doctor,working with the C.I.A. discovers the plot,which keeps this film going till the end. I am quite surprise this film in not available on DVD here in Canada or the U.S.A. People who have the internet could probably purchase the DVD from one of the Hong Kong DVD online shops.On 12/feb/2008,this DVD was supposed to be released on DVD in Canada and the U.S.A. Well,it never happened,no explanation was given,all web sites I tried to order it from,stated,out of release,on order. Two of the web-sites I ordered it from,cancel the order,as for Amazon,I canceled the order.

"Pandora's Clock" is a gripping suspense/thriller that's a cross between a virus movie and a disaster film. This movie, which aired in two parts on NBC in its debut showing in 1996, is about an airplane flight that becomes infected with a virus when one of the passengers just happens to be carrying this disease. The U.S. Government debates on whether the plane should be destroyed or not, while the pilot (Richard Dean Anderson) and a virus expert (Daphne Zuniga) try to figure something out to avoid disaster. I'm not really a big fan of TV movies and miniseries, but I liked "Pandora's Clock". It's one heck of a thrill ride. Jane Leeves (TV's "Frasier"), Robert Loggia, and Edward Herrmann (as the President) also star.

*** (out of four)

I began watching a replay of this TV movie on a Sunday afternoon, thinking it was just another dumb airplane disaster flick. I was wrong.

"Pandora's Clock" is an intelligent political thriller that is far beyond the quality of most TV movies. It could just as easily have made its debut on the big screen.

The cast is excellent, including veteran actors Richard Dean Anderson, Edward Herrmann, Robert Guillaume, and Robert Loggia. Daphne Zuniga turns in one of her best performances as a medical specialist working for the CIA, and Frasier's Jane Leeves is also very good.

The dialogue is well-written and the story is compelling throughout. In fact, the final hour is so filled with plot twists and suspense that you can't leave your seat for a second. If you get a chance to see this movie, invest the time -- nearly four hours. You will be richly rewarded!

Based on the book, this movie comes up short because it changes some important things from the book. It doesn't make sense why they made the changes, the events in the book were more interesting.

I have to say that the casting was pretty good though. Having Richard Dean Anderson play James Holland was a great choice. Its been awhile since i saw Daphne Zuniga and so it was nice seeing her again. I would have preferred another actress other than Jane Leeves to play Rachel, but I guess she did a decent job.

Overall, the movie is quite entertaining. If you've never read the book, I think you'll enjoy it. For those of us who have read the book, the ending is disappointing.