Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully Made
Review: People shouldn't just dismiss this as another Aliens ripoff, it is so much more. First of all, Vin Diesel is great, he definitely is fun to watch, he has a future in action films. He isn't a big bodied numbskull like Dolph or Van Damme. He has definite charisma and talent. Second, the visual style is fantastic. It completely convinced me that they were on another world. The spectactular eclipse sequence is unforgettable. The sequence is completely distinctive, director David Twohy definitely has a future. The only part of this movie that falters is of course, the plot. It is derivative and all the characters are stereotypes, but that doesn't take away from the fun of the picture. I highly recommend this as a highly stylistic piece of sci-fi filmmaking.
Rating: 
Summary: Taut, smart, enjoyable filmmaking
Review: Hell has surely frozen over. That's the only way to explain how David Twohy, writer-director of the so-bad-it's-hilarious Charlie Sheen skydiving epic "Terminal Velocity," has made a movie this good. It's not high art, but "Pitch Black" is a triumph within its genre: a suspenseful, intelligent monster movie with surprisingly deep characters. A damaged spaceship loaded with cargo and cryo-sleeping passengers crash-lands on an alien world where three suns create perpetual daylight. At first, the survivors think their biggest problem is the vicious convict who's escaped from the wreckage. Then they discover the light-fearing predators lurking beneath the planet's surface. And then comes the total eclipse... "Pitch Black" is a Diesel-powered movie-- Vin Diesel, that is. As the menacing convict Richard P. Riddick, Diesel gives a ferociously intelligent and charismatic performance, backed up by Twohy's surprisingly nuanced script. You'll come to root for Riddick as the movie wears on, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll like him. Radha Mitchell is also fine as the novice pilot Fry, battling inner and outer demons as she tries to hold the survivors together; Cole Hauser does a nice turn as Riddick's captor; and the fine supporting cast includes Keith David as a Muslim cleric (a refreshingly positive portrayal of Islam) and "Farscape"'s always-excellent Claudia Black. "Pitch Black" is an embarrassment of riches for sci-fi fans: characters who continually surprise you, creepy creatures left mostly up to your imagination, and a stripped-down story that moves at a breakneck pace. Perfect popcorn entertainment-- just be sure you don't turn _all_ the lights off before you watch it...
Rating: 
Summary: almost...but not quite
Review: One of the great virtues of science fiction movies in general is that they take us to places that are often, at the very least, somewhat visually interesting, which is half the reason to go to the movies no matter what genre you're talking about. If a director can wed that visual element to a good story and strong characters, sometimes you get something really memorable. Pitch Black succeeds with the visual element and two very good characters (given depth by Radha Mitchell and Vin Diesel, the actors who portray them), but the story doesn't possess much tension beyond what exists between those two characters and the usual "who gets eaten next" anxiety that so many horror films play off of. The opening scene is strong and effectively disorienting, and the daylight shots, bled of color, give the first part of the film a great look. The aliens (we mostly just glimpse them) are well done and scary enough, but it's painfully obvious that most of the characters, because of their amazing ineptitude, aren't going to survive (would that more sci fi directors take a cue from "Aliens" and people their films with capable, intelligent *humans* instead of mere ciphers). Most disconcertingly, rather than resolving the conflict between the two main characters in a believeable manner, the film makers chose an unsatisfying ending that feels like a cheat. Pitch Black has some admirable strengths, but its flaws guarantee that only those who want to be swept along for the occasionally enjoyable ride will want to see this film more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Unexpected little sci-fi gem
Review: I must admit, that when I went into the cinema to see this film I wasn't expecting anyhting special. Infact, I thought it would be a rubbish addition to the "stuck on planet full of aliens" formula. But what I got was one of the most enjoyable sci-fi films in recent years. The plot may be thin, but thats besides the piont. The characters are what drive and motivate this film and they are all interesting and involving characters. And the best thing about them is the unfamiliarity of them -you really dont know who is going to make it to the final reel. Also the director, David Twohy, must know what he is doing. From the brilliant opening crash scene (which will make your home cinema system growll for more) Pitch Black is handled with skill and care. Trust me, don't underestimate this film. Turn off the lights, sit back and enjoy one of the most best, underrated sci-fi films of recent years.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Good, I Highly Recommend It
Review: This film was much better than I thought it would be. I really enjoyed watching it and give it four and a half stars for the following reasons: the acting is subtle and believable; the characters play against type and allow for some plot twists and character development beyond racial, ethnic and gender lines; (one mustn't assume anything about these characters, each one has his/her own story, which is usually told gently, through the emergence of each situation); the film is scary without being over-the-top Hollywood; the film, from beginning to end, creates this believable alternate reality, ie: the film doesn't go out of its way to over-explain or over-dramatize the situation the characters find themselves in, it is just portrayed in such a way that the viewer finds this version of the future to be plausible, as opposed to, say, The Fifth Element, which, though a great movie, was kind of fantastical. This film was more like Aliens in that its portrayal of space/the future seemed possible/believable. Finally, the end is "realistic" and doesn't try to tie up every loose end. It is a story with lots of human drama and emotion, and the characters are not all good or evil, nor are they all necessarily redeemed, at least entirely. Although as far as I can tell, these actors were mostly unknowns (with the exception of Radha Mitchell's appearance in High Art and Vin Diesel's in Saving Private Ryan), I really enjoyed their performances and look forward to seeing them in other projects. The cinematography of this film is really interesting, especially in the first half or so. It set the mood and tone for the film really well, and also lent a quiet "otherness" to its reality. I also love that the film doesn't initially fit neatly into a cookie-cutter fit with its title. It makes you wonder what will happen next, and how things fit together. This is one of many 'ambiguities' in the film, and I think that all of its ambiguities, taken together, make it a richer, more complex film. Because I think knowing too much about the plot could ruin some of the film's suspense/mystery, I won't give anything away here. Suffice to say that I highly recommend this film to intelligent movie buffs who appreciate a good sci-fi flick. This is a sleeper of a film which is deserving of more publicity than it has gotten. The film was just as interesting to the girls I watched it with as to the guys. In fact, there seemed to be some feminist elements in the film. I was happily surprised to find that in a sci-fi drama. The pace is a bit slow, but I don't think the film would be the same without it. Such a pace can go a long way in creating, and preserving, true suspense.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Film
Review: Ok, I know I'm supposed to specifically talk about the DVD, but I saw this movie in the theater and I loved it. The special effects were so artfully done, they cast the perfect mood for the film. The feeling of dread and suspense hardly ever leave you throughout the movie. The scripting and fine cast coupled with the special effects really worked well for me. So many Sci-Fi movies suffer from painfully cheesy and cliche'd dialogue and "Pitch Black" says only what it has to. Great Film!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good SF, ok DVD
Review: Pitch Black starts out with a pretty standard SF plot - space ship is pulled off course by a meteor shower, crashes on a seemingly deserted planet and the survivors discover that they are not alone. Familar territory to many SF/horror movies. However, Pitch Black is original enough it's telling of the story to stay interesting. First of all, the bleach process used to process the actual film gives the movie and interesting "look"; transforming the stale, lifeless desert and low budget sets into much more visually appealing scenes. Secondly, because the film does not appear to be large budget, it capitalizes on the few effects it does have to build a sense of tension and expectation with the viewer. This is far more involving and entertaining than straight out computer generated gore. Finally, the performance of Vin Diesel as the tough anti hero is fantastic. Credit should go to the producers for casting him in this role and to him for making it work so well. The DVD extras are not particularly interesting. The commentaries are good, but generally more interesting if you are a film student. The "underground" videos of the rave/launch party for the video are poorly produced are not particularly exciting. And to be honest, I couldn't spot the three extra minutes in the unrated version. Overall, the DVD makes a good rental. I am not sure that I would buy it to watch it more than once or for the DVD extras.
Rating:
Summary: What restored footage does the Director's Cut have?
Review: I think there may be confusion regarding the footage in the Unrated Director's Cut of this film. I was confused when I first saw this particular DVD. Watching it straight through again at home, I didn't notice anything different about the unrated version and the version I had seen in the theaters a while back. So, I watched it with the commentary track (Vin Diesel, David Twohy). Supposedly, a few scenes had not made it into the theatrical release, but I could have sworn that everything on the unrated version DVD was in the theatrical version as well. My recommendation is that if anyone is trying to decide which version to buy on DVD, get the unrated version. I say this because on the commentary track, director David Twohy mentions which scenes were supposedly not in the theatrical release. My feeling is that without those scenes, the character development would suffer a bit, as well as the overall pace of the film. Besides that, the quality of the DVD is very good. Picture and sound are nearly perfect, and there are plenty of special features. Many people didn't like this movie, but I am not one of them. If you liked it, I would definitely recommend getting the DVD. And get the unrated version.
Rating:
Summary: THE BOMB!
Review: Pitch Black TOTALLY rocks. These people who made it know what they're doing. I love the graphics, and it's amazing how the characters change thoughout the movie. Instead of the one-dimensioal-stay-the-same-though-the-whole-movie characters, these characters grow and change, unexpectedly. This movie is defenitely a 5.
Rating:
Summary: Misses more often than it hits
Review: The best part of this movie is the opening sequence when the spaceship makes an emergency landing on the alien planet. It is an exceptionally well done sequence, the best in the movie by far. Unfortunately, the remainder fails to live up to the beginning. I knew the moment I heard the prisoner talking that he would live, that he would be the know-it-all, that everything hinged upon what he did, or didnt do, and that ruined a lot for me. Part of the fun of these types of movies is NOT knowing who dies and who lives, morbid as that sounds. In the movie ALIEN, it was anybody's guess who would die next. While Im on the subject, this movie is a far cry from that movie. The acting, direction, production and, yes, special effects in Alien are all superior. The fact that the special effects from a movie over 20 years ago are better than this one says a lot. Pitch Black could have been a very good movie, but it bogs down under poorly defined characters, cliched-riddled ones that nobody really cares about. The planet amounts to nothing more than a trip out to the desert. Now in Star Wars, I can overlook that, but in today's CGI world, the least they could do is create a truly ALIEN world. The actors go through their lines dutifully, they do an adequate job. The creatures look exactly like they are. Computer created in every detail. Not for a moment did the suspension of disbelief ever overcome the reality of watching the movie. The very good movies do that. The exceptional movies overwhelm that. Pitch Black has some scary moments, I agree on that. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. It really is too bad. The main idea was there, but the subplots to fill a feature film as well as the pure execution ultimately are found lacking. Its an okay rental film. Nothing more.
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