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Pitch Black (2000) Cert 18. Director - David Twohy. Writer - Jim & Ken Wheat. Starring - Vin Diesel, Rhada Mitchell & Cole Hauser. |
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Premise - A ship carrying a cargo of human passengers in cryo sleep is hit by a meteor storm. Crash-landing on a planet scorched by twin suns, the survivors of the crash find that the only inhabitants of the planet are deadly alien creatures, which are vulnerable to sunlight. When the suns line up for an eclipse the survivors turn to a murderous convict for help. Pitch Black is a welcome addition to the sci-fi horror genre. It takes the old storyline, ship crashes on planet, planet inhabited by scary creatures, creatures kill survivors one by one. But adds some new twists and elements to keep it fresh and interesting. First up is the inclusion of Riddick (Vin Diesel). Riddick is a convict who is being transported on the cargo ship. His immoral skills come in very handy against the creatures, as does his ability to see in the dark. Riddick was held in a prison without lights, so he had a "skin job". A skin job is a surgical process involving removing a layer of the retina to let in more light. This makes for some very nice set pieces involving Riddick and the creatures. Riddick's point of view is like a nigh vision scope, but a bit blurry. Another nice twist is Rhada Mitchell's character. She plays the navigator of the cargo ship. In an effort to land the ship safely she tries to ditch the cargo (passengers) to level the ships decent. She is however stopped by her co-pilot, but has to fight alongside the survivors she herself tried to kill. Performance wise everyone does an admirable job. Stand out is Vin Diesel; this young man has a bright future ahead of him in the movie business. He is effortlessly cool as Riddick. X-Files veteran David Twohy directs the film. The work on that show has obviously put him in good stead for this film. The scenes set after nightfall are handled well and have a foreboding feel. The SFX are okay, but nothing spectacular or that we haven't seen before. Given the probable low budget though, hey have done quite well. Pitch Black is an excellent movie, hampered only by it's similarity to other films. It does however address this by adding some unique touches to the genre. Definitely worth a look. |
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4/5. Poster quote - You will be afraid of the dark. |