Rating: Summary: Pure Science Fiction - this baby has plot! Review: Science fiction explores the human condition within a futuristic world...this time a planet with three suns. The humans are the aliens here and they are flawed individuals. Despite their desperate situation, there are characters in this film who cannot rise above their shortcomings. They work together, but remain distinct and dishonest. The acting is strong, with major kudos to a buffed, engaging, totally alpha-male Riddick (Vin Diesel). He simply steals every scene he's in. The creatures are never clearly seen...because they live in total darkness, and in fact have no eyes. People die in this film, but it's not hugely dramatized. There are plausible plot twists and in the end it is those with the strongest, unselfish, survival instincts who prevail. Watch the DVD more than once and listen to the dialogue. The effects are wonderful and serve the story...nothing superfluous in this film. I fully endorse this as one of the best written and performed SciFi films of the millenium.
Rating: Summary: Just a rehash Review: With all the hype I guess I was expecting something more. When the movie was over I simply felt that I had seen it all before. Wish I had rented it first. Just my own opinion but this movie falls into an ever growing list of movies which rely on special effects alone. The story line is used simply to wrap the special effects in. Don't get me wrong, I love special effects but I think the days when they can carry the movie is over. We need some brains along with our effects.
Rating: Summary: Absolutely Fabulous Review: While Pitch Black certainly borrowed elements from other sci-fi critter flicks, it's delivery of those elements definitely sets it apart. The acting was outstanding and incredibly believable, and certain little twists (pleasantly unexpected, I might add) in the plot kept everything fresh. The character of Riddick (played superbly by Vin Diesel) defintely stole the show, but not so much as to overshadow the rest of the cast. I've watched it several times, and everytime I like it just a little bit more. I highly recommend this movie, which isn't something I usually do with critter flicks. Check it out. I think you'll be surprised.
Rating: Summary: Grab your popcorn and get ready for a very good SCI-FI Review: The first 10-15 min. of the movie you don't have too much of an idea of what's going on accept a classic start, with a spaceship and its passangers all sleeping until the ship reaches the destination but something goes wrong. You are not sure who the nice guy is and who is the bad guy. The movie does a good job of taking its time to develop the plot. Beautiful cinematography, very interesting landscapes and some really cool, special effects. And the pace and terror gets better and better as the movie progresses. This is definitely a movie which will keep you glued to your couch and chew on that popcorn as hard as you can. Great Sci-fi , not many of those come around.
Rating: Summary: Pitch Black Review: I thought Pitch Black was an excellent scifi thriller that kept you on the edge of your seats. I would've given it 5 stars but they added a little twist at the end which i didn't care for too much. If you liked Starship Troopers then you'll love this movie. Overall it was entertaining and suspensful. Totally recomend it.
Rating: Summary: In the booth, in the back, in the dark! Review: The question you ask yourself while watching this thriller is would you want to fight off the aliens from Aliens, or would you want to fight off these new canavorous predators in this movie? I still can't make up my mind..scary. You could call this movie Aliens 2000. The aliens on this barren planet do not play hide and seek...as long it is dark, they are going to eat cha...its that simple. The trick is how to maintain a light source during a total eclipse when your resources for light are very limited or how to get off the planet without getting picked off by these long tooth monsters. They fly around in droves and are noise polluters to boot. They let you know when they're on your tail. If you are looking for a sexy newcomer, Vin Diesel is your man..he's sexy, has a cunning smile, with a great voice and some interesting one liners. Radha Mitchell acts as if she has self-doubts about her ability of being a captain of a spaceship, but she gets her act together in the end...The view of the eclipse is wonderful, but looking at it on a 32 inch TV does not do it justice..you do not see the full effect. Get this movie...just the thing to see on long winter evenings.
Rating: Summary: It'll Make You Jump Review: I usually don't get too into Sci-Fi movies, but this one was an exception. Always something around the corner to grab your attention. It is hard to pinpoint what makes the film so good, but I think it has to do with several things that the director did to let the viewer use his or her own imagination. For instance, it is never known what planet they are on. Only a vague idea is giving as to why each person is the trip. During different times in the movie, the color goes to a pale look. The combonation of the scenery and the color paints a very descriptive picutre of what kind of harsh weather conditions they are experiencing. The "alien" they encounter lives in the dark and they also show signs of being very intelligent, so it is sure to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.
Rating: Summary: Easily one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever. Review: Let's start by saying Vin Diesel steals the show. He was one of the best bad guys(?) in movie history. The alien effects are top notch as is the acting. This movie is funny,suspenseful and very interesting.If you are a fan of good sci-fi, ignore the bad reviews of this movie and give it a try. I promise,you will be entertained.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding effects and decent acting make this a winner Review: The first thing that struck me about this movie was the cinematography. Treating the movie as his canvas, the director use of a variety of colors made this a visually-pleasing movie to watch.The movie borrows heavily from Aliens, which really set a high standard for the action sci-fi genre. This movie falls short due to a lack of strong characters. With the exception of Riddick (Vin Diesel), the characters are pretty forgetful. Although your appreciation for their performances may increase with repeated viewings, your appreciation for the movie will probably drop. But I look forward to more work from Diesel, who plays a convincing tough guy. In fact, I didn't really appreciate the movie until watching the featurette with commentary from Hauser, Diesel and the director. One of the most enjoyable DVD commentaries I've heard. The real treat of the movie is the special effects. Without a doubt, the crash in the opening scene is best I've seen. Kinda reminded me of the plane crash scene in Fight Club. The aliens move with frightening realism, and some of their attack scense will make you wince. All in all, Pitch Black is not the best of its genre, but it's noteworthy and deserving of a rental, if not a purchase.
Rating: Summary: Another sleeper hit not unlike Starship Troopers... Review: This movie reminded me of Starship Troopers as I never heard of it drawing a large box office audience, but once it came out on vhs and dvd, a buzz starts up about it from the few who did watch it in theaters. I must say, like Starship Troopers, Pitch Black was a refreshing surprise. The story starts slow but has a quicker pace throughout the rest of the move. The special effects use cgi but not overwhelmingly unlike other recent movie releases like Mission to Mars that it just seems fake. And this movie was way, way better than Mission to Mars. The dvd images are pretty clear though you might notice some artifacts during the darkest scenes. The aliens don't really look too special. They kinda reminded me of Aliens with Hammerhead shark heads. But they do act pretty creepy as they stay within the dark, fight and kill amongst themselves, and persistently stalk their prey just withing the fringes of the prey's light source. I really recommend this movie to sci-fi/thriller fans.
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