Pitch Black Reviews

Low budget sci-fi with lotsa CGI about surviving the threat of bloodthirsty creatures that only live in the dark ... and the planet we just crashlanded on is due for a four day eclipse. Luckily Vin Diesel (thief, brigand, murderer, guy w/o a shirt) crashlanded in the same spaceship, known far and wide for his acts of brotherly love and itchin' to be helpful. This ain't so bad, a cold steal from Alien and Aliens, but still not so bad.

"All you people are so scared of me. Most days I'd take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now."

A group of marooned space travelers struggle for survival on a seemingly lifeless sun-scorched world.

REVIEW
A space ship carrying a cargo of commercial passengers is forced to crash land on an unidentified planet, which, although there doesn't seem to be a shred of animal life anywhere to be found, still manages to be somehow inhabited by swarms of carnivorous birdlike creatures that only come out at night. Ask not what these animals must feed on when there isn't a crew of fleshy earthlings conveniently placed there for them to nibble on. Such rigorous application of logic is not one of `Pitch Black's strongest selling points. Neither, in fact, is the cast of characters it has managed to assemble for the occasion. Here we have the typical `cross section of humanity' routinely called upon to make its appearance in films of this type. The ship's crew and passengers include two feisty young women, a hardnosed law enforcer (is he really a hero or a man with something to hide?), an effete wine-guzzling coward, an androgynous teenager (the `revelation' involving this character comes as a surprise only to the dimwitted characters in the film), a family of Muslims and a truth-seeing, muscle-bound serial killer who becomes the group's physical and intellectual mainstay.

The story, though simpleminded and derivative of any number of other better films, nevertheless, manages to border on the murky and incoherent quite often. We often aren't sure who is doing what or why (though, in all honesty, we don't particularly care either). The special effects are generally sub par for a film of this genre and the only real attempt to create an otherworldly atmosphere consists in applying various types of light filters to the camera lens. Completely lacking in suspense, excitement or originality (although the ending has a slightly unexpected twist), `Pitch Black' is strictly one for the video graveyard.

Here lies the film that brought the Diesel to the public consciousness. Pitch Black is all about him and the character of Riddick that he so aptly breathes life into. The rest... a typical sci-fi film with nocturnal monsters (looking like something from the Zergs in Star Craft) creating a backdrop for the usual tomfoolery showing that the human survival instinct isn't pretty to watch.

There's many a plot hole and some curious impulses by various characters, but at least some of the characters besides Riddick were somewhat well developed (although corny in the case of Radha Mitchell as the junior pilot and only survivor from the crew when their craft is forced to crash onto an unknown planet. Said planet has 3 suns - meaning, like the British Empire, the sun never sets... except every 22 years when there's an eclipse. The 400 lb gorilla in the room is that the "monsters" are nocturnal - uh huh, so they live underground and live off..... oh never mind.

Really, the film does use some nice sepia tones to show the harshness of a planet in total sunlight 24/7, and the cgi of the creatures is a cut above your usual "b film", but, while there is a bit of tension built up, the final outcome never seemed in question. I kept thinking of the Agatha Christie novel "Ten Little Indians" where the cast of characters are bumped off one by one. Same here, and really it was a shame to see Claudia Black (she of the great Farscape) bumped off so early.

However, all kidding aside, you could do much worse in viewing an action sci-fi type film, and the Diesel carries the goods here - his machismo is apropos to the character as is his particular brand of fatalism. Riddick has been called an "anti-hero" by many, but I continue to find him a man true to his own convictions, and while maybe those convictions aren't all warm and cuddly, they are honest and he's true to them - compare that to the bozos running for political office.

The passengers on a space transport turn to a ruthless prisoner for help when their ship crash lands on a deserted planet inhabited by a swarm of flesh eating nocturnal creatures. Pitch Black is the film that was the stepping stone to stardom for Vin Diesel and here he perfected his laconic, amoral tough guy persona. His charismatic presence lifts the film above the crowd of low budget cult sci-fis out there and thanks to some creative and economical direction from David Twohy it cracks along with the appropriate tension and atmosphere required for this kind of thing to work. It clearly lifts a lot of ideas from the first two Alien films but it does it with a modicom of style despite some slightly dated looking SFX. The only serious flaw is that Radha Mitchell is a little lacking for a central character, especially in the scenes she shares with the dominating presence of Diesel. Not bad at all though, and a lot better than most sci-fi horror B-movies out there.

No, this was not perfect. I could go on and on about its flaws but come on, what else can you expect from a low budget movie, ha? I only liked the end bit, but the rest was boring. And by the way, Rhiana Griffith <--- your part was really shocking!

The magic of Vin Diesel and the movie that catapulted him into an action star. This is incredibly corny and typical of late 90s-early 00s, very stylized and outrageous by today's standards. The CGI is utterly terrible, but that doesn't matter one bit when you have Riddick annihilating aliens barehanded and churning out hilarious one-liners. He manages to bamboozle everyone and become the victor, escaping punishment. He has the strength of a shaved ape and the intelligence of a scientist.

"Finally found something worse than me, huh?."

I'm somewhat of a rabid Radha Mitchell fan (the woman is gorgeous and talented; she should be a much bigger star), so seeing her in a solid, gritty sci-fi/horror flick like this is a pretty good use of two hours for me.

The basic story is about a transport ship (piloted by Mitchell's character) that is forced to crash land on an unknown planet. A planet that happens to be inhabited by deadly, light- sensitive predators that come out to feast every twenty-two years when a cosmic event shields the planet from its three suns for a time. One of the passengers of the ship also happens to be a deadly, light-sensitive predator (Vin Diesel) on his way back to the maximum-security prison world that he escaped from. The rest of the crash survivors are forced to rely on Riddick because of his ability to see in the dark and his natural survival instincts, but will he ultimately help them escape, or leave them to their dark fates?

Pitch Black isn't perfect. There are a few rather large plot holes (What do the beasts do for the rest of the twenty-two years, just hang out? And what do they live off of on such a barren planet?), but nothing that really took me out of the story. Some of the characters are overly dumb, annoying, or inexplicably antagonistic, but such story devices and character archetypes come along with the genre, more often than not. The special effects and monster designs do look their age, but that can be forgiven in a movie that's more than eleven years old, and they're really not any worse than what you'd see today on the average made-for-TV sci-fi flick. On the other hand, the filmmakers did do a good job of using visual trickery to make the outback of Australia where the movie was filmed look a lot like a harsh, alien world, and on a small budget I'm assuming. So they get props for that.

As for what I liked about Pitch Black, it was a pretty entertaining ride. Mitchell was great as the flawed, conflicted pilot unceremoniously promoted to leader, and Diesel was well- suited for Riddick, who's really the main character of the movie. There are likable characters to get attached to and fear for, several tense situations (though calling the movie scary would be a stretch), and a solid amount of action.

All in all, Pitch Black was a pleasant surprise. I was more impressed with Diesel than I've been at any other movie of his that I've seen, and none of the lesser elements of the movie are significant enough to stand out much. Recommended.

Another 3 star movie, a lot of holes in the pitch blackness, how you gonna try and make a franchise out of a Vin Diesel played character.

This a pretty good film!

A seemingly lower budget science fiction film that turns out as not too bad.The story plays out like a typical survival horror type film, but it is geared more toward science fiction rather than horror. Compared with many other movies similar to this, Pitch Black is one of the more memorable ones. The weakest point of this film is the beginning. For the most part, nothing really seems to happen for the first 30 minutes. It's not that the film moves too slow, but more that it skips forward too quickly. This really makes it a little difficult to get a grasp of the characters. If you are patient enough, the next 80 minutes is a smooth science fiction film. The characters become more developed and the story takes off. Another thing that this film lacks is action. A little more gun-play would have been nice.The acting isn't too bad. Riddick is actually a role that Vin Diesel matches and performs nicely. Radha Mitchell does a good job as the co-star of the film behind Diesel, actually making it seem as if she is the star of the film. I it also nice to see Keith David and Claudia Black in here.The CG isn't the best I've seen, but it is still good. The creatures have an interesting design to them. It is sort of reminiscent to a hammerhead shark. The sounds that they make are also unique.There is nothing really spectacular about this film, but science fiction fans should find this mildly entertaining at the least.

"One rule. Stay in the light"

Wow. This is the 10th anniversary of "Pitch Black", a low-budget scifi thriller. Directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel, the film will guarantee one hell of a thrill ride.

As the story develops, good or bad starts to lose its meaning. At the start of the film, Riddick (Vin Diesel) is portrayed as the villain but as the tension develops between the main characters, everything changes. This is one of the best elements of "Pitch Black"

Mr Twohy had a "small" budget (approx 20 mil) and 60 days to shoot. Boy, did he do a good job! Ok, the CGI is a bit out dated but still the creatures are very effective. They remind me a bit of the better known aliens made by HR Ciger. But the one thing that is surely perfect in "Pitch Black" is the cinematography. The daylight scenes are very good looking with an orange tone. The visuals are harsh and it serves the film very well. I'm always looking for something new and different and when I saw this for the first time, the visuals of "Pitch Black" had me.

Now, I still consider "Pitch Black" to be one of the best scifi horror movies. It's full of suspense and character twists that will surely give you an element of surprise. Vin Diesel is perfect for the role of Richard B. Riddick. Still, his most memorable character...

"Did not know who he was fuckin' with..."

Pretty good scary science fiction. You can just tell at the beginning of the movie that not everyone was going to make it off the planet. The people that survive the crash don't know each other, and they learn lots about each other.

Not too bad, Vin Diesel really seems to shine in films like these. An extra half-star for the underrated awesomeness that is Keith David, he's just a damn fine actor. Not my favorite movie, but kept me interested enough to watch the rest of the series.

The biggest surprise here is that Vin Diesel isn't annoying, probably because his dialogue is kept to a minimum. It's a fun scifi thriller in the vein of the Alien series, Universal Soldier, and Ghost of Mars. For the time period, this CGI is more than adequate. I like the lighting choices regarding the suns, and for a movie half set in darkness, the DP does a good job and never leaves us with an indecipherable shot, unlike most other movies that rely on the dark for scare value. Production value for the ships and celestial bodies is far higher than expected, and this is a decent watch with terrific pacing.

Brilliant, atmospheric, well-acted, scary film.

This is one of those movies that I end up watching every time I come across it on TV. I forget how much I enjoy it until I see it the next time.

Director David Twohy has an excellent visual flair and performances are strong in this exciting sci-fi movie alike Aliens in the dark.

Riddick: Your not afraid of the dark, are you?

A standard sci-fi story, owing a lot to Alien and other past sci-fi/horror flicks, but it has a lot of things going for it to make it stand out.

It has Vin Diesel's best character, a murderer with a cold heart, but smart and mysterious as well. This was back when Diesel was a promising action star, and things could have gotten better for him if he kept choosing roles like this one.

Johns: He just escaped from a maximum security prison.
Fry: Should he just stay locked up forever?
Johns: That would be my choice.
Fry: Is he really that dangerous?
Johns: Only around humans.

The story involves a spaceship crash landing on a distant planet. The people arbored the ship include a the co-pilot with a few dark qualities established at the beginning, a preacher and his sons, some more standard characters, and a prisoner who is supposed to be kept away from everyone.

Soon after landing, the people encounter the planets quirks including its three suns and creatures that only live in the darkness. Too bad for them however, that there happens to be an eclipse soon after they crash, meaning they have to find a way off the planet before they are eaten. Oh, and Riddick has escaped from his chains, so the crew have to worry about his antics as well.

Johns: Hey, I thought I said no shivs!
Riddick: You mean this? This is just a personal grooming appliance.

Whether Riddick decides to help these people or not becomes a large part of this movie, along with if he is devoted to helping or just using them to help himself. One thing is for certain, the fact that he special eyes to help him see in the dark is very cool.

The movie looks really cool, based on the some of the neat ideas the movie has with its planets.

Aside from Riddick, The character of Carolyn, the co-pilot, played by Radha Mitchell is also interesting, because she becomes a very conflicted person that grows throughout the story.

You also have Keith David, cool as always, even under pressure, as a preacher dealing with the evil on this planet.

The movie is also very well paced, with a good number of moments and some neat effects that make it very enjoyable. Still, this movie is commanded by Vin Diesel as Riddick.

Johns: How's it look?
Riddick: Looks clear.
[Johns steps forward, and a creature flies out towards them. They duck and it flies into the night]
Johns: You said it was clear!
Riddick: I said it *looked* clear.
Johns: Well, how does it look now?
Riddick: Looks clear.

Way better than it has any right to be

Okay.