Rating: 
Summary: What if it had, had a real budget?
Review: I went into Pitch Black as a sci-fi fan; wich usually means b rate all the way. So when i was complemented with so many fresh takes on a basic story line i had to ask my self, "wow what if this movies had gotten a real budget?" However the film made due with what it had and the end result is very good. Lets make a list of positives. 1. Good intro narative from a bad guy who is only the good guy becasue he is a little bit more human then some onthers. 2. Not since Alien (wich was for sure a grandfather) has there been an alien designed in shape and skill that will actually make the viewer open there eyes a little wider. 3. Good angles and camera work. 4. Language was creative. For example instead of bounty there was "Spike" So what was a low? By todays standards some of the specail effects were not to specail but then again not all of us can afford Industrail Light and MAgic, so i'm willing to look over it. Something else that bugged me was the obvious attemp to bring a "Silence of the Lamb" Feel to the convict. Remember the "closer sceen" So why the perfect score? Well in the end it's not perfect but no body really makes theese kind of movies and any attempt is better then nothing and this is more then just an attempt. This is something i will gladly add to my collection.P.S. sorry about grammer and spelling
Rating: 
Summary: A PERFECT PITCH
Review: I seen the previews for this movie, like most movies now days, 2-3 months before the movie was scheduled to be released. With all the long term previews I had to see the movie. I love these types of movies and thought it rocked. The main Character, Riddick played by Vin Diesel(which is a cool name on it's on) was what made this movie for me(he fit the character perfectly). I would have liked to seen more battles with the aliens, but never the less I thouroughly enjoyed this movie. I could not think of a better movie to see on a saturday afternoon with some friends. A pitch right down the middle.
Rating:
Summary: Richard B. Riddick, Escaped Convict, Murderer.
Review: Oh, the joy that is Pitch Black. It starts out in space, with a voice-over by Vin Diesel. All you know about him is that he's a criminal being transported. Suddenly, the confusion starts...the ship is being hit by something, and a crash landing is necessary. The first huge moral dilema is presented within the first four or five minutes of the film. It is brilliant because it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Cole Hauser plays Johns, the man in charge of transporting Riddick...he's concerned only about his payday. There's Jack, the young boy running away from something, and Imam and his students/proteges, on a trip to New Mecca. The fun really begins when they finally find some water...and realize they're not alone on the planet. The planet goes dark for the first time in 22 years, and the creatures come out for some feeding. Survivors start getting picked off one by one, internal debates heat up, and you really wonder what Riddick will do...or even Johns, for that matter. I love movies where there's no clear-cut "hero" character. We all have our flaws, and they are all on display in this movie. The DVD presentation is fantastic. The picture and sound quality are top-notch. There's not as much behind-the-scenes stuff as you might want, but this movie was made years ago on a small, $20 million budget. The best special feature is the commentary by Twohy, Cole Hauser, and Vin Diesel. They give a lot of cool insights into the film, discuss what they think worked and didn't work, and what they tried to add to the film. I highly recommend this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: muddled and dark.........
Review: When I saw the previews recently of The Chronicles of Riddick,
I thought it might be interesting to see Pitch Black. Wrong.
From the first part of it, it looked cheap. That was my first
clue and from there it goes downhill. I frankly think Diesel
was much better in Fast and Furious than he was in this.
But I must say that he alone was the incentive to last as long
as I did. As far as the monsters, that go bump in the night,
anybody who compares them to those in Alien must be blind and
deaf......I found them interesting but definitely not scary, or maybe you needed to be there to see them in person? They reminded me in a way of the raptors from Jarassic Park particularly when they are congregating on the launch pad at the end of the film.
Total waste of time.
Perhaps 'Chronicles' will be different?
It definitely looks a bit more polished.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific thriller not big diff between previous DVD version
Review: Watching "Pitch Black" for the first time was like trying a new ice cream flavor; you're not sure until the second or third bite what you really think. The original film got zero publicity and a limited release but served to introduce Vin Diesel to an audience in his first true starring role. A passenger spacecraft ends up crashing on a desolate planet. The only survivor from the crew co-pilot Carylon Fry (Radha Mitchell) takes command and directs her surviving passengers (including Claudia Black from "Farscape") to find food and water. While there appears to be no indigeous life forms, a human survey team did briefly occupy the planet. Curiously, there's no indication as to where they went or why they left much of their material behind. Also on the flight is a what appears to be an interstellar police officer (Cole Hauser) escorting a convicted criminal by the name of Riddick (Diesel). Riddick has the unique ability to see better in the dark than the light. While he's no hero, he does make suggestions to the survivors to help their chances for survival. Unfortunately, they're soon to discover that some life form forced the survey team to consider leaving once night arrives. A suspenseful "B" movie premise that works primarily due to Twohy's sharp, taunt direction and crisp dialogue, "Pitch Black" immediately graps your attention with its inventive visuals and intense performances from the superb Mitchell, Deisel, Hauser and Black. Actally, the entire cast gives strong performances throughout the film and Twohy throws in plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep the audience on the edge of its seat. This "new" unrated director's edition was available previously on DVD a couple of years ago. It appears that the transfer here is the same one as before and all the extras are the same with the exception of those created for the sequel "The Chronicles of Riddick". We get a brief introduction by director/screenwriter Twohy that focuses on the sequel and a glimpse at the making of the video game. If you're fan of the original film, be aware that a couple of extra bells and whistles were added to this two disc edition to entice fans of the new Riddick movie and the original audience for "Pitch Black". Unless you want the meager extras about the sequel (some of which will probably be available when the sequel hits DVD anyway), I'd suggest holding on to your money. The packaging has been revamped to capitalize on the sequel as well with an emphasis more on Riddick than before. "Pitch Black" is a terrific thriller (as is the unexpected minor classic "Below" and "The Arrival" also by Twohy). If you don't have this on DVD yet, by all means purchase it. If you have it already, don't feel the need to upgrade and become a victim of the LOTR double-dip (despite what one reviewer said, New Line has always released the expanded edition six months after the original LOTR films on DVD thus suckering fans into purchasing product twice).
Rating: 
Summary: Will not Buy this one.
Review: I watched the chronicles of riddick and enjoyed it. I rented pitch black which was the first in the series. I was not impressed. the cussing did nothing to enhance it' it made me wonder if the writer and directr did not have a dictionary to consult. also there was no tie in between pitch black and the chronicles of riddick. in fact pich black made no sence. the chronicles of riddick stands on its own.
Rating:
Summary: Watch this in the dark
Review: Pitch Black was a movie I didn't see until after it came out on DVD. I had no idea what I was missing.
I'm a firm believer that there's not much new under the sun, and I will admit it's true of this movie as well. It owes a lot to movies like Aliens and Predator - movies that gave us scary creatures that inhabit the shadows and, while not evil, are the enemy simply because they are higher on their personal food chain than we are.
I found the use of color important in this movie - much of it looks washed out and monochromatic, but on a planet with three suns blazing overhead, what wouldn't be sun-bleached and sand-blasted into nothingness?
And Riddick... I was so pleased with this character. Generally, when Hollywood writes the "anti-hero", he's a one-note character. The outsider who does things by his own rules but is generally good-hearted. He's not bad, he's misunderstood. By the end of the film, he's redeemed because everyone suddenly realizes that life doesn't follow rules and gee, maybe he was right all along.
Not so with Riddick. Riddick is a convict and a murderer. He has no compunction against letting other people do the work or in leaving them behind if they can't pull their own weight. If he has to choose between saving your neck and his own, you best have your will written because you aren't getting out alive. He loves mind-games and he loves using his reputation to his advantage. He's not dumb and lucky, but neither is he some "evil genius" who manages to know how to do everything.
Does he get redeemed? Oh come on, this is Hollywood. Of course he does, but thankfully, his "redemption" is not complete. He wouldn't be Riddick otherwise.
This is one to watch in the dark, especially with friends. Once things in the movie get dark, they stay that way.
Rating:
Summary: Not too Bad, but not Great either!
Review: Pitch Black brings to the screen the story of a spaceship carrying a wide variety of passengers that experiences technical problems while en route and is forced to crash land on a planet dominated by flying pterodactylus type monsters.
The acting is very poor to the point that acting lessons are needed ASAP for everyone involved.
The "bad guy" is much more like the usual pompous high school jock/"pretty boy" seen over and over again in those types of movies. Apart from his weak appearance he fails to convince in his role as a mean and greedy drug addicted mercenary.
Furthermore, he somehow manages to kick Vin Diesel's butt repeatedly!!!
Moreover, what was that with the Muslim cleric with his four acolytes???
Or the Australian woman and the arrogant Englishman for that matter?
Not to mention the obnoxious, spoiled kid who for some reason is not scared at being stuck on "hell planet" and who has a "surprise" for us later on in the movie.
Unless of course the whole point of having these annoying characters in the film was for the audience to enjoy seeing them picked off one by one in true B-movie fashion (as I've seen other reviewers characterize the movie).
In a nutshell, it's an average plot, the acting and the actors are very weak, the dialogues are poor and the special effects are very good.
The potential for a great movie was definitely there, but the surprisingly poor acting/casting and the full of holes plot prevented it from becoming anything more than average. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a B-movie so one should not expect too much.
Overall, both Vin Diesel as well as the rest of the "cast" do a rather poor job of trying to cover up for the mediocre plot; wait `til Pitch Black is shown on TV.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Low Budget Sci-Fi thriller
Review: Crash landing on a dry planet, a motley crew of space travellers have to band together and find a way of getting a convicted criminal (Diesel) to use his amazing speed and fighting skills to get them off planet.
A very enjoyable prequel to The Chronicles of Riddick.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new to see here!
Review: I bought the Unrated Director's Cut of this film with great anticipation. I loved the theatrical release of Pitch Black. It is one of my favorite science fiction films, hands down.
But the Unrated Director's Cut? Is a waste of money. The additions to the film were so few and so subtle, I barely noticed them. The Unrated part? More violence? Not noticeably. More cussing? More bare skin? No, neither of those. And the extras? Are almost non-existent. There's nothing on this DVD that I didn't get on the first one, except some hype about the sequel, and not even that was very convincing. Seriously, if you already own this film on DVD, don't waste your money on this reissue.
If you don't own this film on DVD, see if you can find the original release. At least it has the theatrical trailers.
|
