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Pitch Black 2000

I'm having a Riddick Marathon Day. When this first of the franchise came out (2000) the billing of it as a horror film made me a little tentative (I'm a whimp when it comes to horror movies) but I'm so glad I took a chance. The writing is creative, the acting should make Australia (and California) proud, the monsters are convincing, the look at humanity is insightful, the anti-hero extraordinary and the tension is well played. This is one of my favourite cult films (with two of my favourite actors - Vin Diesel and Claudia Black). I give it a 10 (the total package) out of 10. And for those worried about the horror - today it would only classify as a thriller. [Thrilling SciFi Action]

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With no aspirations to be a franchise, this is a very effective low budget sci-fi thriller. Twohy makes very clever use of his budget, through cinematography that helps to sell the otherworldly environment and a concept that allows him to hide the primitive CGI used for the creature effects. After a great opening crash landing, Twohy gradually builds up the tension to the inevitable eclipse and whilst most of the cast are essentially there to be picked off one by one, the three core central characters are interesting and developed well and unpredictable with a very effective moment of redemption and closure at the end. It is easy to see why more films were made as Riddick is the standout character, but both Radha Mitchell and Cole Hauser make an impact too. There are some great tense moments in the darkness and clever use of limited Iighting.

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Why does science fiction benefit so wholly from the horror treatment? Because science fiction's greatest risk is sensory overload, and the "less is more" philosophy that so mathematically defines horror also tends to make science fiction great.

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This movie started out decent. Some people crash-landed on a strange planet and have to discover both the mysteries of the planet and the mysteries of their partners. This leads to some exciting moments, either by unexpected characters or unexpected alien behaviour.

Unfortunately, halfway through the movie, everything gets explained. Now you know who the bad guys are, and what's wrong with the alien planet. Because of this, the tension is gone and the movie ends in a very slow pace, where you can already predict most of what's going to happen. Too bad..

Can't really recommend this, because it's nothing special. The build-up of the story is nice, Riddick is an interesting character (although you don't learn too much about him), the acting is okay, unfortunately it turns into a very generic movie halfway. It did make me curious about the sequel though, so it must have done something right.

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It looks cheap and quickly put together, but it works in service of its zany universe. I enjoyed the unlikeliest bunch of characters coming together, no one truly good or bad, but just there to survive and sling out some great lines.

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Looks and feels like a cheap b movie with the dialogue to match.

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Nice movie! Although not as good as the "Alien" trilogy (well, actually it is a quadrology, but the 4th movie is no good!), it has it's moments and Vin Diesel is a good cast for "Riddick" I think.

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An intense sci-fi/horror film, Pitch Black delivers plenty of action. When a freighter crash-lands on an isolated planet a dangerous convict that was being transported is release, and the survivors begin to fear for their lives; but soon they discover that he’s the only one that can protect them from the vicious nocturnal creatures that populate the planet. Radha Mitchell, Vin Diesel, and Cole Hauser lead the cast and give solid performances; especially Diesel, who shows a lot of charisma. Additionally, the creature designs are quite interesting and are rather frightening. The cinematography and set designs are also impressive, particularly at giving the planet an alien look and feel. Pitch Black is an exciting thriller that’s full of suspense and terror.

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I waited 23 years since release to watch this movie.

I wish I hate waited longer.

I obviously wasn't excited for the chance to watch it, so expectations were low.

But this a bad B-grade sci fi

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Riddick is an interesting anti-hero. There's not a lot of background about him. He's strong, skilled and especially unpredictable. He has an effective way of gauging the true motivations and moralities of the rest of the survivors. Those survivors are not nearly as interesting as Riddick is, but none of them, other than Captain Carolyn, have the screen time to be.

The planet they crash land on and its location within its solar system looks very cool and is critical to the story. The survivors do a lot of wandering around and it's a bit frustrating because it's hard to understand the layout of the area which becomes quite important in the final act. By the way, that final act and the quest that the survivors embark upon goes on way too long. The CGI is hit or miss, but this film has been around a while so it's understandable. An extra point for the presence of Keith David!

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8

Shout by Ro
VIP
4

“Strong survival instinct. I admire that in a woman.”
- Richard B. Riddick

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Decent sci-fi action horror with good creature design.

My major complaint is the overuse of quick camera cuts and way too many camera angles. However, the dark scenes were enjoyable when not accompanied with strobing lights.

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"Richard B. Riddick. Escaped convict. Murderer."

Riddick is my favorite Vin Diesel character because of this film and the games Escape from Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena. I wish he would produce a third one with his game developing company.

Anyway Pitch Black still holds up, I love the pace, enjoy the characters, love the creature design, I enjoy the world its in, Vin Diesel rocks those glasses and shivs, the gender twist, Radha Mitchell is a great leading lady, Claudia Black is always a delight and Riddick sitting under the umbrella is still such a great sight!

David Twohy did an amazing job here and made sure Pitch Black is a film you can't miss.

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It doesn't hold up great and feels cheap. Vin Diesel is pretty good as Riddick.

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Science fiction chronicles for a delinquent.

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Loved it.

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