Event Horizon is never going to be considered one of the greats and yet whenever I see it playing on TV, I always end up watching it. It’s pretty cheesy and the CGI isn’t really up to par, but it’s weirdly compelling and “where we’re going, you won’t need eyes to see” is a truly excellent line. One reason Event Horizon works so well, though, is the performance of Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill as crazed villain Billy Weir, who delivers the aforementioned line.
Now, 23 years on from the movie’s release, fans have spotted a tiny detail on Neill’s costume in the pic that’s getting him a lot of praise online. Set in 2047, the characters in the film are an international crew who each sport their country’s flag on their uniform. Neill’s character is Australian, but the flag on his uniform isn’t the traditional Australian flag, replacing the inset Union Jack with the Aboriginal flag instead.
Apparently, Neill personally requested the change, believing that by the mid 21st century the Aboriginal rights to Australia would be recognized above the British colonization. The tweet pointing this out went viral, causing Neill himself to respond, as you can see below:
This is indeed so. And I wouldn't do it any differently today . https://t.co/sz1guYVlM1
— Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) September 2, 2020
Neill is already very popular online due to his entertaining social media presence. He runs a farm in New Zealand and regularly posts videos of himself looking after his animals, all named after his movie’s co-stars. If you’re having a miserable day, then watching the actor feeding a happy pig is a great pick-me-up.
Of course, the animals he’ll next be tangling with are considerably more ferocious than a pig, as Neill is returning to the Jurassic Park franchise as Alan Grant in Jurassic World: Dominion, which has resumed shooting after COVID-19 shut down production. He’ll be joined by Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern as Ian Malcolm and Ellie Sattler, and I suspect none of them will be particularly happy about having to deal with a planet now infested with dinosaurs.
If you want to check out Event Horizon, it’s currently on Amazon Prime. There are rumors it’s getting remade, too, so watch this space for further updates.