Pitch Black (2000) Review

I wear my sunglasses at night

Pitch Black (2000): 8 out of 10: is a sci-fi survival thriller where, while no one can hear you scream in space, alas, they are marooned on a planet. So good luck with that.

The story kicks off when a transport ship carrying a mix of passengers crashes on a barren, sun-scorched planet. Among the survivors are pilot Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), who suddenly finds herself in charge, and a dangerous fugitive named Riddick (Vin Diesel), a convict with a knack for survival and murder. The crash itself is bad enough, but with limited supplies and no way to call for help, the group quickly realizes that staying alive will take more than just rationing water. (Which they don’t actually have.)

The planet itself is an eerie, desolate wasteland, seemingly devoid of life—at least at first. As the survivors explore, they stumble upon the remains of an abandoned settlement, raising questions about what happened to the previous inhabitants.

Tensions rise as they uncover unsettling clues, and trust within the group breaks down. Adding to their problems, Riddick’s presence keeps everyone on edge. He may be their best chance at survival, but can they really trust a man known for escaping from the toughest prisons in the galaxy and slicing throats?

Just when things seem bad, they get worse—much worse. The planet has a strange celestial cycle that keeps it bathed in constant sunlight, but an impending astronomical event is about to change that. As darkness falls, the real inhabitants of the planet make themselves known, and they are very, very hungry. With time running out, the survivors must figure out how to escape before they’re picked off one by one.

The Good

The Good: You know, for a movie called Pitch Black, the scenes are surprisingly well lit. This is not really a complaint. Apparently director David Twohy wanted to film the entire second half of the film with only the characters’ light sources, but after a couple of days he realised it looked like crap and lit that bad boy up.

I constantly harp on movies for bad lighting. (Most recently Blood Beach). So a kudo to a film where such bad lighting actually makes sense, figuring it would rather entertain the audience than stick to its guns.

I gave the bloated out of control The Chronicles of Riddick a lot of stick for making Riddick into a pussy. And while this rewatch of Pitch Black did not hit as well as my first viewing twenty-five years ago, Riddick really is wonderfully a complete bastard in this. Gloriously so.

David Twohy knows how to set up a fantastic shot and he, along with fellow screenwriters Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, really knows how to put in a memorable one-liner. The highs are very high in Pitch Black.

Radha Mitchell is one of those actresses I just love in everything they do. Pitch Black is one of her best roles and performances. Vin Diesel is also excellent in this. Plus, I noticed he looked naturally muscular. Not some roided out freak so many “action” stars emulate these days.

The sets were extremely well done (especially considering the budget) and the lack of CGI in the set dressing is a huge win for me. I felt like I was watching a Mass Effect movie with the shuttle and the abandoned colonies.

One last Kudos. Pitch Black takes a page from Stephen King and loves to kill the children. I am not in favor or killing those muppets normally, but in a horror movie, if a child dies ripped in half early on, it is a good sign that everyone is on the menu.

The Bad

The Bad: This is a low budget affair. The desert lighting in the first half reminded me of Bleak Future of all things. The CGI… well, it is a low-budget movie from 2000, so we need to grade on a curve here. For the time it was pretty good?

The creature designs are excellent and when they are practical effects, they work very well. But sometimes the screenplay writes checks, and the movie’s CGI has trouble cashing them.

One thing I noticed from my recent rewatch is I wished they had waited an act or a couple of story beats to introduce the creatures. Having the castaways think it was Riddick for the first two kills would have been fun. He gets off the hook a little too quick. (Well, he dislocates both shoulders to get off the hook, do it is so it is deserved but still)

The Ugly

The Ugly: I know Riddick stabbed her to save himself… You know he did as well.

In Conclusion

In Conclusion: There is no shortage of B movies like Pitch Black. There is an extreme shortage of those that reach these heights of creativity and style. The direction, set design, acting, and script are excellent.

Pitch Black is an entertaining and skillfully made movie that helped make Vin Diesel a star. I just wish it had done the same for Radha Mitchell. She is so good in this. Sorry I am going all fanboy. Great movie if you like Sci-fi horror you are in for a treat.