Rating: 
Summary: If Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis had a baby...
Review: ... the result could very well be Vin Diesel. A hunk of a man with a sweet face and the ability to smirk in the camera while acting at the same time. He's the low-life you like in spite of his past or his rude behavior.He is one of a handful of passengers on a space-faring transport vessel. Passengers range from a group of Muslims en route to "New Mecca" on another planet, to a bounty hunter and his prisoner, Riddick (Diesel). When a meteor shower damages the ship, the crew is forced to crash-land on a nearby planet, that fortunately for them has an oxygen atmosphere. The crash landing kills a number of crew and passengers and the crafty Riddick takes advantage of the situation and escapes briefly. To aid in his criminal life, Riddick has had his eyes surgically altered so that he can see at night in near pitch-black conditions without the aid of a flashlight. This makes him vulnerable to normal lighting conditions that force him to wear sun glasses most of the time. It soon becomes apparent that while he is a deadly criminal (although you never really find out what it is he's really done... it's all rumors, mostly), the rest of the crew need his abilities and strength to survive. The planet is totally barren. Remnants of a human campsite are there... trailers, water condensers, a small laboratory and no signs of life. A small kid who was a passenger on their ship is heard screaming and vanishes. Blood and sinew are left behind. Another man is pulled into a hole in the ground and when others go in after him, they discover the awful truth. A swarm of aliens, each about the size of 2 gorillas, is living on the planet and they eat blood (lots of it) for breakfast. A few of the aliens' skeletons are spotted and the hundreds of razor-sharp teeth are about as chilling as their size and their numbers. In addition to a couple of alien skulls, the crash survivors find the skeletal remains of a number of humans and of some very large animals (dinosaur size) that all apparently were wiped out by their alien co-habitants. Fortunately, they are light-sensitive and having a flash-light beam them is enough to raise blisters on their sensitive skin. The planet's relentless 3 suns make daylight a 24-hour-a-day event and the heat very oppressive. They learn that as long as they don't go into any dark caverns, they are safe from these deadly creatures... until one of the crew stumbles upon a planetary model that shows the 3 suns... turning the model shows the revolutions of the planet around the 3 suns and then there is a rude awakening... there is an eclipse on this planet every 22 years and this unlucky crew just happened to crash-land a few days before darkness hits for days. It soon appears that those who died in the crash were the lucky ones. Are there holes in the plot? You bet! I mean... what have these creatures been eating during the past 22 years? Are there some cheesy, over-acted scenes? Yes! But this is a film that keeps you on your toes. The film did fall short in not enabling the viewer to emotionally bond with any of the characters. An emotional connection to Diesel comes close ... but it never comes to fruition... so in the end, you really don't care if anyone survives... you just want to see some sci-fi special effects. If you only want to see aliens or cool special effects, you'll be more than a little disappointed... the alien is only seen in sparse glimpses. While it's true that the unseen is often more scary than what can be seen, there just is simply not enough to appreciate. The movie, "Alien," on the other hand, showed the alien just enough to where you really didn't want to see it ever again. In "Pitch Black," you're just hoping to pause the DVD in just the right spot so you can see what the heck it looks like. In spite numerous flaws, the story had some really good sci-fi concepts. The film could have been much better, but such that it is, it's still an entertaining flick. The R rating is for language and lots of bloody violence and death... not one for the kiddos.
Rating:
Summary: blah...in an ok way...
Review: I say 'blah' in a way that is like shaking your hand and saying, 'so so'. This is becuase although the actors are spirited and strong,we get to know some bits about them, the ending is just...ugh! blah! I personally did not like the ending. I think it was a bad way to end the movie. Besides the ending it was a fantastic movie. I find it ...interesting...
Rating: 
Summary: One Of The Best
Review: I'm not a huge Sci-Fi fan, but this movie blew me away! It has every trick in the book to keep you on the edge of your seat and scare you silly. Great visuals, sound and story make this movie one of my favorites of all times. The Dvd version has a making of featurette and 2 different commentaries. Very interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: We can't leave without saying goodnight...
Review: Pitch Black, director David Twohy's visually stimulating film, is a solid science fiction adventure, with an interesting cast, nasty aliens, and a pretty intelligent plot that holds together well for the most part. A crisis in space, as a meteor shower damages the hull of the merchant vessel "Hunter Gratzner". Awakening from a sleep state, the occupants of the spacecraft find themselves sliding down into the atmosphere of a planet. Quick actions by the Docking Pilot Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), saves the ship from burning up, but much of the ship's hull is torn away in a thrilling and violent crash landing on the planet's sandy surface. A handful of survivors are left on the desertlike planet, which bathed by the light of three suns, shows few signs of active life. Among the group are Johns (Cole Hauser), a bounty hunter, and his prisoner Riddick (Vin Diesel). The group explores the planet, which shows traces of past habitation, but no human life is found. Finding an abandoned camp, the survivors encounter a hoard of strange flying creatures hiding in one of the buildings. After the creatures kill a young boy, a further search reveals a cavern full of old human bones. The survivors discover that an eclipse will soon plunge the planet into "pitch black" darkness. The darkness will trigger the appearance of the flying aliens, who repelled by the light of the planetary system's three suns, remain hidden underground. Thus begins a race for survival, as the group must salvage supplies, repair an existing ship, and escape from the planet. The special effects are very good. The scene where a multitude of flying creatures fill the sky is impressive, as is the scene where one of the survivors is dismembered and ripped to pieces. The aliens themselves are unusual looking and quite fierce. Unlike "Aliens", Pitch Black is not a straightforward shoot em up battle between the creatures and man. Instead other subplots are explored. The basic conflict between Riddick and Johns finally reaches a head during the desert trek. There are issues of blame and responsibility, concerning Fry. And also with Riddick, who balks at helping his fellow man. Pitch Black is recommended to science fiction and action film audiences. Riddick is a mysterious anti-hero, and Vin Diesel is absolutely riveting on screen. His voice slow and errie. A sequel based on the character Riddick, is in pre-production phase. Radha Mitchell is outstanding as Fry, a woman attempting to rise to the situation, seeking redemption. A talented and busy actress, who will hopefully be seen more in mainstream films. Pitch Black's two commentary tracks with director David Twohy are interesting and informative. Shot in Australia, the creative techniques used to simulate a desert planet with three suns is just one of the topics discussed.
Rating:
Summary: A lot better than you might think
Review: It seems like whenever I hear or read a reference to Pitch Black, there is a comparison to 'Alien' (this seems to please/displease people to varying degrees), and I guess I can see where that comes from; the movie is gritty, there's a lot of tension, it's what you'd bill as a 'sci-fi horror' film, and of course, there's the creatures themselves which don't really look all that much like the 'Aliens' if you were to put them together in a line-up, yet, they somehow remind you of them (maybe it's the choppers and the lack of eyes)...however, I think Pitch Black worked on two levels; as a sci-fi horror/suspense movie, which Alien/Aliens definately did, but also on another level which frankly none of the Alien pictures did, in my opinion - the cast of characters get stuck in a similar predicament as the Marines in Aliens did, cut off from everyone with limited resources in the middle of a nest of horrifying killer aliens, but rather than being compltely action or suspense-driven Pitch Black takes the time to wonder how people stuck in this situation might actually react, and how they might end up interacting with each other. Every character really kind of looks inside themselves and they (and we along with them) find out what they're really made of. It's this aspect that I think makes the film a cut above; it's easy to look at the plot, the aliens, the genre, and write it off as another Alien clone, but I think it's what you DO with the material that makes the difference, and that's true in this case. If you don't care about that stuff, it's still a great sci-fi horror picture - if you're more interested in seeing people get eaten by aliens, you'll get to see that in this movie, and it's great on that level. If you care about the struggle of the characters; the struggle with the aliens, with each other, and with themselves, then you'll get something there, as well, which really you don't often get in a movie like this (seems like no one ever bothers to throw that stuff in). I really liked the characters of Riddick and Fry, I thought it was a great juxtaposition; Fry started out as one kind of person, and found that under extreme circumstances she was a different, better kind of person, and Riddick, who starts off as one kind of person, finds inspiration in Fry I think, and finds maybe he's not so far gone as he and everyone else thought. You're not going to get that in most movies like this, which is why I say 'better than you might think'. It didn't take off like Alien, either, so who knows, you might not ever get it again, so if you're a sci-fi fan, check out Pitch Black.
Rating:
Summary: don't look behind you..JUST RUN!
Review: This movie is a blast. Story is a space crew crash lands on a
planet that has been scorched and has 3 suns blaring down on it
in the daytime.
Only problem is there are vicious, nocturnal creatures that seemingly attack anything that moves. So the story goes a simple
yet sophisticated tale of survival and "lets get the hell outta
here fast!".
The SFX are fine, acting is credible with toughguy Vin Diesel as the anti-hero battling for survival against these nocturnal nasties whi ch look like a cross between vampire bats & pre-historic pterodactyls
check it out..watch it in Pitch Black
Rating:
Summary: Wow. Fasten your seatbelt!!!
Review: I'm not usually a big fan of the sci/horror genre, but I'll make a huge exception for this excellent film. Action packed from the opening scene to closing credits, loaded with excellent sound and camera work, and well produced; it provides an excellent canvas for it's young actors who deliver just the right edge. Remminisent of the best of Ridley Scotts Aliens, but unique. It avoids the common mistakes of the genre, never being too bloody or cheesy. One of my favorite DVD's.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic movie no one saw
Review: When this movie first hit theaters, I passed on it, thinking it was one more blood, guts and CGI waste of two hours. However, when I finally rented it, it blew me away. While there's definately suspense and horror, Pitch Black also shows both fantastic character arcs and excellent worldbuilding, both SF musts that are often sadly lacking in SF movies. Examples: There are multiple races and multiple cultures at work here, from a large contingent of Muslims on pilgrimage (whose language and beliefs are wonderfully in evidence) to an extinct race of landwalkers. The technology that survived an earlier colonization is all solar powered, because why use other energy on a planet where the sun is almost always shining? (major power problems ensue when the sun goes down, obviously.) Instead of just creating random aliens, the writers and artists thought about how the aliens' construction would give them natural advantages and disadvantages. And best of all, all the characters are well-developed, and many have fantastic personality changes and crises of faith, as well as cute quirks and great one-liners. You have to see this movie!
Rating:
Summary: A worthy Sci-Fi film
Review: My comments on the young actor Vin Diesel are nothing but positive. He is great in this film (I also liked his character in Fast And The Furious). The movie starts off on a ship with a bunch of people including some oo da boo da guy and his kids. A stuck up rich dude, and a whole buncha other people. But the ship is also carrying a psycotic killing madman named Riddick (Vin Diesel). Then... just as you thought everything was going to go alright(sarcasm) the ship runs into a meteor field, or what ever you call those little space rocks and then everything goes wrong. A whole bunch of passengers die, the ship crashes on a desert planet with three suns, Riddick escapes, and when you thought it couldent get anyworse, they find out the only guy able to protect them from Riddick (untill he decides to help them) uses the drug morphene, and he's not realy an officer. Sounds like their [out of luck] huh? Well, no, not untill the alien thingers come out and start eating them one by one. But, luckily for them Riddick decides to help them survive thus, starting their thrilling journey. Realy, I thought the aliens (I call them Spike Drivers) were well done. It's to bad that everytime it shows them they are almost 100% computerised. The gore factor is alright I guess. As for thrills and chills it has alot of that as well as alot of action to. I'm pretty sure any si-fi thriller fan will like this, along with Vin Diesel fans.
Rating:
Summary: What sci-fi should be...
Review: Say good-bye to space operas, Pitch Black inserts the viewer into a scenario that's all too human. The fine special effects are just a back drop for this gritty thriller -- as it should be. You'll be on the edge of your seat, and you'll never guess what happens next. A must see for any sci-fi buff.
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