IMDB Rating: 6.70, 21713 votes |
Taglines
Set in the distant future, a spaceship carrying some 40 people, mostly ones wanting to settle on other planets from their own, hits a meteor shower and crash lands on a distant planet killing all but about a dozen of them. The survivors, led by the second-in-command Carolyn Fry ('Rahda Mitchell' (qv)), find themselves on a hot and humid landscape with constant sunlight from three orbiting suns. Fry not only must help the survivors find food and water, but contend with a deadly criminal, named Riddick ('Vin Diesel' (qv)), who was being transported to a prison cell on their destination. But every 22 years, the planet's three suns go into a total eclipse for a month where darkness brings out the planet's real inhabitants; large, reptilian, vampire-like creatures that come out and dominate the surface in total darkness, killing and eating all life. The Fry and her people then must cooperate with Riddick, who has surgically enhanced eyes to see in darkness, to lead them to safety and off the planet before they all become dinner for the creatures.Actors
|
-
Genres
- Action (714)
- Adventure (419)
- Animation (112)
- Biography (62)
- Comedy (930)
- Crime (477)
- Documentary (17)
- Drama (1231)
- Family (208)
- Fantasy (264)
- Film-Noir (1)
- History (41)
- Horror (414)
- Music (52)
- Musical (45)
- Mystery (210)
- Romance (396)
- Sci-Fi (276)
- Short (11)
- Sport (72)
- Thriller (940)
- War (84)
- Western (56)
-
Year
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1946 1945 1944 1942 1941 1939 1936
23 Comments
I was shocked by how good this was compared to my expectations. Fun ride.
Awesome to look at and Vin Diesel kicks butt
Very much loved this
Actually pretty good
Plot: 7
Originality: 5
Visuals: 6
Acting: 6
Overall: 6
very good ‘monsters are gonna get us’ movie
good b-movie fare
Better than expected.
Even though the movie is crap, it was so bad that you had to like it. It was action packed, it made you laugh, and the acting was very bad, but that is the reason why is sucked so bad that it was so good. Go see this film.
Good.. for a crappy movie.. what?
Low expectations make this movie better than it would have been if I had gone into the theater expecting The Matrix — however, they don’t raise it’s score on the rating scale.
Thrilling, visually stunning, and very entertaining.
Before I see a movie, I always check around for the latest reviews whether I plan on seeing the movie or not. Normally I don’t follow them to much, but instead just get a better feeling for what they are like.
I’m sure glad I didn’t follow the reviews for Pitch Black. I found this movie to be the most exciting Sci-Fi flick I’ve seen in a long time. I whole heartedly recommend this movie to anyone who seems like they would be interested in this movie.
The movie may move a bit slow at times, but it doesn’t resort to cheap gimicks to add suspense (most of the time anyway). For some reason, even the slowest parts of the movie had spine-tingling suspense.
I guess movie reviews are always based on opinions, so if you think you would like this, give it a try.
This is quality B-grade sci fi.
The best thing about Pitch Black is its characters — the ensemble is funky and juicy, and they stick and move through the reasonable script, serving up passable one-liners and stereotype-defying twists all the way through.
The movie’s a stylish rehash of about 6 different totally typical sci-fi horror concepts, but it will definitely entertain you for a couple of hours.
I went in with low expectations, and this movie greatly exceeded them…..
Like I said, I had mostly heard negative about "Pitch Black" but I still had the desire to see it for myself, so I did, and it was, and still is, a really good movie. The effects were great, the acting was very well done, the plot was interesting, and quite suspenceful. It was easy to follow, but still cleaver enough to keep you interested. Definitely worth seeing!
ALIEN and PREDATOR meet MAD MAX in this hodgepodge but harrowing thriller
Writers Jim and Ken Wheat (EWOKS: THE BATTLE FOR ENDOR and THE EWOK ADVENTURE) and writer/director David Twohy (WARLOCK) knew that they couldn’t possibly hope to top the movies that PITCH BLACK borrows heavily from, so the best they could manage was workmanlike execution of the premise, and one of the best and nastiest little spins on tried-and-true sci-fi chestnuts in a while.
Fry (Radha Mitchell doing her best Sigourney Weaver) Is piloting her first mission on the commercial freighter Hunter-Gratzner, when they run into the path of a rogue comet. The resulting chaos crash lands the ship on an arid, Arrakis-like planet nearby, leaving the majority of passengers and crew dead save for the pilot, an effete antiques dealer, (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), a Muslim holy man (Keith David) and his two followers, a deep space homesteader (FARSCAPE’S Claudia Black) and her man, a "merc" or bounty hunter, (Cole Hauser) and last but definitely not least, the subhuman serial killer Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), the merc’s latest charge.
Diesel is the main focus of the film without a doubt. A scary combination of brawn, brains, bemusement and amoral animal instincts, he’s like one of the creatures from ALIEN reborn in a tank top, complete with night vision. He brings to mind the less endearing qualities of another anti-hero, Mad Max (to which this picture owes more than a few debts; several of the creative team members worked on that film as well, and much of PITCH BLACK was shot Down Under in Coober Pedy, where MAX was also filmed.)
He also becomes the ragtag group’s last if not best chance for survival, when they discover that not only were they hardly the first ship to land on this rock, but they’re not alone. The natives are restless, hungry, and they only come out at night or in very dark places.
And wouldn’t you just know it? It so happens that Our Heroes have landed just in time to witness a planetary eclipse that occurs every 22 years. It may be awesome to watch, but you know that before it’s all over, there won’t be many survivors left to tell about it…
Unlike many other sci-fi thrillers that get mired in the muck of cliches (try SUPERNOVA as a prime example), PITCH BLACK sallies bravely onward with some great visuals, a few nerve-rattling set pieces, and good if not great performances from the supporting cast, (which not coincidentally describes the script as well).
But together with his appearance in the ensemble cast of BOILER ROOM, Diesel distinguishes himself as one of the ‘Actors To Watch’ in the coming year, and may have just unseated every other wanna-be as a leading action hero–or anti-hero, as the case may be.
WOW, This movie was really good.
I went in thinking it would suck. But i was really surprised when it started and turned out to be a well done, fun, Sci-fi movie.
The direction and cinematography were outstanding. Towards the end of the movie things got a little chessey but it was still good. There were plenty of twists and turns though-out the movie to keep you guessing.
Dont pay a high price, but do see it
Good special effects, good sound, good acting, not scary, above average sci-fi
This movie could have easily been just another "Aliens" rip. It saves itself with some pretty good acting from the lead characters, especially from the creepy Riddick (Vin Diesel). The alien critters infesting the planet were well done but, really didn’t break any new ground considering the level of SFX technology available. I was never really scared/thrilled through out the entire movie. My wife sat through the whole movie without a twitch, which also proves my point(she was nervous for days after watching "The Ghost and the Darkness). As a huge Sci-Fi fan I found the movie to be above average. Adding to the enjoyment was watching the movie in a theatre with Sony Dynamic Sound. I’ll definitly add this movie to my collection at home when it comes out.
A vivid and wickedly immersive movie!
Pitch Black is one of those psuedo-dramatic things lurk in the dark kind of movies. That is, horribly mutated alien creatures that use the darkness to their advantage and hunt captive humans on a desolated planet.
The movie uses strange filters and lighting effects to convey the fears of each of it’s characters (mainly through the use of their eyes) and this creates an interesting tone. A tone and format that somewhat doesn’t follow the usual movie ‘format’ as we all are associated with. Specifically, the good versus evil and how good always prevails in the end. ‘Pitch Black’ on the other hand uses it’s own immersive format.
The main focus of the movie is in fact the gruesome creatures that are hunting each of the characters. However, the other aspect of the plot is the convict who joins the group in hopes of saving their lives by use of his special ability. Which is this neat skill that allows him to see things in the dark without any restrictions except his eyes are weak against light.
To prevent blindness, he wears google style sunglasses. This is a life savior to the other members of the group who use Rennick (the convict) as a tool to survive the darkness.
All of these elements combined create an experience you’re sure to remember. See ‘Pitch Black’ in the darkness … it will only heighten the effect.
Entertaining sci-fi. A little cheesy at times, but definitely worth seeing.
corny at times, but entertaining
it was interesting to watch a film with a cast that i do not recognize at all.
i don’t like the usual scary flicks but if you call it sci fi thriller, i’ll go watch it.
this film has its twists and turns and funny moments. it does keep you guessing, and if you are a fan of sci fi thriller, you should catch it–at least
in a maitnee.
Better than i had anticipated, Riddick (Vin Diesel) was good.
it was a fairly good movie, because of the special effects
It is February, which is a month well known for disappointing movies, particularly cheesy sci-fi /action movies, trying to copy Aliens, but not having quite the right touch. That is a brief summery of “Pitch Black”, which is not a horrible film, but far from good. The interesting plot gave the film a decent amount of potential, and if the producers would have set it up just right, it could have led to many sequels, like “Alien” did. But, they did not do this at all. They should have thought it over more before sending it to the screening rooms…<p>
With that said, let us move on to the premise… We are now in the distant future, and a futuristic plane (also known as a spaceship) is carrying 40 passengers, a convicted murderer, and three pilots. A sudden problem, unexpectedly kills the captain, and the assistant is forced to make an attempt at an emergency landing, which is successful in the fact that roughly ten people survive. They find themselves on a strange planet, which seems to have no aquatic sources, and seems to be low on air supply. But this is just the beginning of their long line of problems. Another one to add to the list, is that the convicted murderer is now an escape convict, because he was released during the crash, and is loose in the wilderness of this unknown planet.<p>
Strange things begin happening from here out, and people start disappearing, leaving only trails of blood, and sometimes a few body parts to go along with it. The remaining crew begins investigating these problems, to find that living only in darkness, are strange creatures that are quick as lightning, as aggressive as strong lions, and they are like falcons…in the sky. But, they only get you, if you venture into the darkness, and this planet has three suns, so there is not a sunset…so there is not a problem…for now.<p>
The other mysterious and chilling item is that it seems this planet was once populated, but some sudden force must have destroyed the people. Considering that all of their belongings are left exactly how they would be in a normal home at a normal time. Then, they find something with a date going back 22 years, on the same day that they are currently living in. What happened on that day, was an eclipse…causing complete darkness…which causes complete destruction. Now they must desperately find water before they become famished and start to die, they must keep an eye on a convicted murderer, and they must stay away from the deadly creatures of the night, all while in pitch black. All heck is about to break loose…<p>
I was not expecting a whole lot from this movie, judging by the poor reviews I have witnessed. But, it was an average film. The storyline and special effects were both great, but the acting, directing, and screenplay all completely failed. And the film was not particularly frightening, but it did have a bit of an eerie feeling throughout. But, it did not make up for their poor attempts at humor. Some moments after a joke would be cracked, you would be waiting for the punchline, although you actually just heard it, it was a very irritating element, that should have been cut when the editors went through the movie. But, “Pitch Black” did have its moments. And I will give it my praise in the fact that it had some spectacular special effects, and that the producers made the creatures very realistic, unlike recent films, such as “Deep Blue Sea” and “Bats”. <P>
All in all, “Pitch Black is an average to decent movie, that has it’s strong points and it’s downfalls. If you are looking for a movie to see this weekend, I cannot make this a suggestion, but if you are looking for a movie to rent in three months, that is the time to view this. “Pitch Black” earns my C+ grade.
Caparzo saves the day. Or does he? (Cue dramatic music)
It was a fun movie. Wait, fun isn’t quite the right word. I thought this movie was going to start like that piece of crap Supernova but I was pleasantly surprised. The last half of the movie had me pretty tensed, but not quite "edge of my seat." Still, it was worth the FREE MOVIE TICKETS FOR FOUR. Thanks http://www.moviecomments.com, it was your treat!
There are more things to be afraid of than the bogeyman
Whenever I go to a movie billed as a thriller, I expect to have experience suspense through the whole thing. Even when the suspense lets up, I should be held in suspense just by the promise that the suspense will return in a shattering way. Pitch Black comes through more than once.
The suspense has two levels, which at first concerned me. Knowing that *something* is out there is the first level. The problem is that you can see for miles and not see "out there". Once the darkness comes, though, the second level of suspense starts, when "out there" is a mere few feet away. You know somebody has to die, but myriad intertwining conflicts keep you guessing as to who will go. Taboo on such things is also thrown out the window, leaving even more guesswork.
A so-so cast — with the exception of Vin Diesel (Saving Private Ryan’s Kaparzo) as escaped convict and convicted murderer Riddick and relative unknown Radha Mitchell as ship’s pilot Fry — mix surprisingly well within each other to turn what could have been a B-movie yawner into a fairly good movie. Alone or against the non-human conflicts, however, they begin to suffer, again with the exclusion of Diesel and Mitchell, who both portray the necessary egos required to make their characters believable.
Sixth Sense it is not, nor much of a date film, but a thoroughly enjoyable strip of celluloid, nonetheless.