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.
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.
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.
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.
Looks and feels like a cheap b movie with the dialogue to match.
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.
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.
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
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!
“Strong survival instinct. I admire that in a woman.”
- Richard B. Riddick
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.
Shipwrecked on a desert planet, the survivors of a doomed commercial spacecraft explore the sharp sand dunes and bleached alien skeletons of a foreign landscape, seeking water and, with luck, the means to escape or send an intergalactic SOS. They aren't many in number, and even that sum soon begins to dwindle as untimely seasons shift and the sky falls into a months-long eclipse, instantly unleashing flocks of wild, hungry native night-hunters from their subterranean lairs.
Fortunately, one of the survivors is well-equipped for precisely this situation. Riddick, a violent prisoner headed for the high-security slammer, boasts extensive combat experience and a set of augmented eyes that work best in the dark. Vin Diesel is effortlessly cool in that part, one which clearly evolved during the writing process to grow from a simple, gimmicky tough guy stereotype into a well-rounded, wonderfully unpredictable instigator who throws the plot over one shoulder and almost single-handedly hikes it down the home stretch. We don't always like him, but we're constantly intrigued by him, and Diesel (in his breakthrough role) really makes the most of that duality. He's not just grunting and grinding; he's assessing and scheming, too, with the physical performance just as essential as the strong, fluid character writing.
The rest of the show is a little more mixed. It's an obviously over-performing low-budget science fiction / horror film, so some slips can be expected. Much of the egregious stuff is masked with low-grade film techniques or by abusing quick jump cuts and extreme close-ups. What serious special effects there are vary from shockingly effective (Riddick's tense, quiet staredown with one of the monsters) to downright bad (all exterior shots of the ship). It's efficient, though, visually ambitious and thematically novel. Those virtues, plus one star-grade acting performance, add up to a bit better than average in my book.
"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.
It doesn't hold up great and feels cheap. Vin Diesel is pretty good as Riddick.
This movie is sort of cheap. The cinematography is not that good, also. The visual effects are bad. I really expected way more since it's a Vin Diesel movie but everything turned up to be a waste of time for me.
The storyline of the movie is really great and I was so excited to watch it that I did.
If you like a movie with a slow development and a story based on scientifical fiction about other planets on the universe, I strongly recommend it. Although, if you don't like that much and even want to give it a try, don't.
In the beginning of the movie, when I heard the first monologue, I found myself so excited about watching the film but then everything cracked upon.
You can try it on and see for yourself but I don't recommend it. It's kind of a week spot, to be honest. There are so many good movies, even about this subject, that there's no point to waste time watching a bad movie like this. Of course, I take in consideration the fact that it was a 2000's movie but still, there were many more before who did way better than this one did.
Have fun and good day.
Science fiction chronicles for a delinquent.
Shout by Nancy L DraperVIP 8BlockedParent2018-07-01T18:22:06Z
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]