|
| • Advanced Search • Help |
Pitch Black | Year: 2000 Classification: Action/Adventure Directed: - David Twohy Actors/Actresses: - Vin Diesel - Radha Mitchell - Cole Hauser - Claudia Balck Modern Sci-Fi Epic inspired by, not derivative of, Aliens Science Fiction (and horror, for that matter) films are so numerous that their stories have been copied, remade, expanded upon, narrowed down so much that there is hardly an original idea still floating around in this genre. "Pitch Black" does little to change that fact. The concept of a rogue alien species endangering and eliminating human life is hardly a new one. The Alien Trilogy provides the seminal work for this type of story and several dozen other movies have tried to copy that formula to varying degress (mostly lesser) of success. "Pitch Black" manages to avoid the pitfalls of the path already paved in its approach to re-telling a similar story. A transport ship carrying 40 commercial passengers (and 1 maximum security prisoner) encounter a meteor storm that forces a crash landing on a barren planet seemingly devoid of life, leaving only about a dozen of the passengers still alive. The initial trick is in making the viewer think that the now escaped prisoner, Riddick, (played with remarkable style and depth by Vin Diesel) is the true threat to the survival of the rest of the passengers. The real danger isn't Riddick, but a species of carnivorous, raptor-like animals (seemingly inspired by the species in Aliens) indigenous to this planet. Initially, these animals are not much of a threat as they are deathly afraid of light (which scalds them) and this planet is privy to three (!) suns. However, in an unexpected twist of bad luck, the survivors find out that they are about the experience an event that occurs only once every 22 years on this world... a total solar eclipse of all three suns. Once the eclipse starts, these creatures are free to roam the surface of the planet and devour whatever prey they may find (humans, in this case). The goal of the survivors becomes trying to transport energy cells from the crashed ship to an intact escape ship left behind by the previous set of unlucky souls from 22 years earlier. With the interesting twists in its premise, this movie would still not be much more than sci-fi rehash with a gimmick if it were not for the stellar performances put in by an underrated cast. Diesel is the most noteworthy as convicted murder Riddick. This role practically sets itself up for a mail-it-in performance of detached coolness. Yet, Diesel brings surprising pathos to Riddick that enables the viewer to empathize with his struggle to do whats right for Riddick (because, he is a criminal after all) or do whats right for the survivors (because he is human at the core). One scene early in the movie demonstrates this range perfectly. Johns, the mercenary cop who tracked down and captures Riddick, taunts Riddick while making a deal the ensure his cooperation and assistance in trying to get the survivors off-planet. To drive home the point that Johns is definitely in control, he quickly points and fires his rifle at Riddick, intentionally missing him by a few inches telling him, "Now I want you to remember this moment, as a way things could have gone, but didn't". Johns, gets a little too close to Riddick after this and gets surprised when Riddick, now unrestrained by the cords holding him at bay, grabs the rifle from Johns, quickly flips around in his face and screams at him "Now you remember THIS moment!". While it would be easy to display over the top rage or unnatural coolness during this turn of events, Diesel's facial features betray a sense of frustration and fear in knowing very well that Johns could have killed him and that he does indeed control Riddick. Vin Diesel is a relatively new actor who first came to audiences' attentions playing Private Caparzo in "Saving Private Ryan". He has such a prescence that watching him on-screen is truly compelling, from roles like a shady stock broker in "Boiler Room" to science fiction a**-kicker in "Pitch Black". Diesel's Riddick makes some of the characters played by Schwarzenegger and Stallone look like Little Lord Fauntleroy. Diesel could own Hollywood before it's all said and done. Cole Houser adds strength in the role of the merc cop Johns. Johns is seems focused primarily on greed (Riddick is a large payday to him) and his next drug hit. He is so cold and calculating that by far exceeds Riddick as the most dangerous human. Radha Mitchell as the ships surviving crew member and Keith David as an Arab holy man also turn in effective performances in the struggle to survive this alien world. While certainly not an original story, "Pitch Black" takes familiar plot elements and weaves them together into a re-telling that is refreshing and captivating. leaves room for error Since I don't know how to start this review, I guess I'll start with the plot. When a space ship carrying 40 civilians (including a convict) crashes on a planet that's very hot and has three suns, the survivors of the crash have to find a way to survive without food or water. But then they encounter strange creatures that have a hungry appetite for flesh and only come out at night. And then there is an eclipse Vin Disel stars in the suspense/horror/science fiction blockbuster (in my book, anyway) along with Radah Mitchell and Keith David. First, the good things: The special effects are great as well as the acting. The movie isn't exactly scary but it's very entertaining. There are some good one-liners, and the ending is great. Bad things: It takes a while to get in to the meat of the movie. Although it starts with a huge crash, the movie doesn't pick up the pace until more than an hour in to the film. (and the film in 1 hr. and 48 minutes long) Intead, the first half is about character development and the second half picks up on the creatures. DVD: I expected more special features. The 4 minute featurette isn't very good, but the commentary with the director, Vin Disel, and Cole Hauser is the meat of the special features. The other commentary is OK. The 3 minutes of restored footage add to the 1st half of the movie (character development) and the production notes are an intersting but quick read. All in all: Good movie but was a little slow on pacing. I recommend you rent it before buying it. 1999; 112 minutes; Contains strong language, some scenes with intense violence, sensuality, and drug use. A Surprisingly Good Sci-Fi Thriller Pitch Black somehow managed to slip past me in it's original theatrical release, but the good word-of-mouth convinced me to buy the DVD. My original impression of the film turned out to be pretty much true: John Carpenter's "The Thing" meets "Alien". A diverse group of people are marooned on a desolate planet with three suns. One of the survivors, Riddick, (Played by Vin Diesel) is a mass-murderer/serial killer. The planet is inhabited by nocturnal, light-sensitive creatures who feed on human flesh....Luckily, the three suns force the Aliens to avoid the surface. Unfortunately for our hapless survivors, they've arrived just in time for a once-every-22-Years Total Eclipse....Is that the dinner bell I hear ringing....? And what's the bigger threat: The carnivorous Aliens or Riddick...? What sets Pitch Black apart is it's smart script. There are quite a few twists and turns here. Heroes who aren't so heroic, villains who might not be all that bad, a couple of unexpected deaths.....The effects are good, but don't overshadow the generally fine acting. Diesel did a good job as Riddick, but I did have to rewind and use the subtitles a LOT to catch some of Riddick's lines due to Diesel's mumbly delivery... The DVD has footage not seen in theaters, 2 seperate commentary tracks, theatrical trailers, production notes, cast & crew bios, a totally dopey "Pitch Black Raveworld Event" (20 minutes of people dancing while clips from the film play in the background), and a teeny-weeny little making-of featurette that clocks in at less than five minutes. Even though I'm not generally a fan of Vin Diesel's, if they do make a Riddick-based sequel, I'll be first on line.... Pitch Black (2000) Director: David Twohy Obviously, "Pitch Black" is a major rip-off of "Alien" or any other monster/alien/ghost film ever made. With that criticism set aside, this film, directed by David Twohy, is highly entertaining and devilishly dark at the same time. The film revolves around a group of space vessel inhabitants who stumble upon an unknown planet that has three suns. The amount of suns; however, is not the most unusual spectacle on the planet, for they are stalked by ravenous flying creatures that thrive on darkness. With the help from Vin Diesel as the creepy, blinded warrior, Riddick, the crew must figure out how to not only survive on this horrific planet, but somehow leave before a solar eclipse wipes out all light from the planet and allows the flesh-eating monsters to have more exposure. Excellent special effects and some interesting cinematography, but this action-packed science-fiction romp is hampered by sub-par acting peformances and a mediocre script. Certainly not the worst of its kind, but because they are so many of its kind, "Pitch Black" seems overdone, less original, and only moderately satisfying. The Unrated Version has a few minutes of extra footage that are very entertaining and add to the only mediocre story. It is a fine addition to the film and it would have been beneficial to have it in the theatrical release. Buy Pitch Black at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Pitch Black Search with the Priority Search Engine on Pitch Black This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
|
