Pitch Black is a completely watchable action/adventure sci-fi/fantasy with more than a little similarity to Sigourney Weaver's Alien and Aliens. Although never the least bit credible, it's never boring either. The film has a poor start, but eventually finds its focus. It improves slightly as it moves along. In the end, it is competent but mediocre. It's been done before, and much better.
Pitch Black takes place in the future. The cast are crew and passengers on a spaceship. A meteor shower (or something like that) damages the ship, killing most of the crew including the captain. Junior officer Fry (Radha Mitchell) manages to land the ship on a nearby planet. There are a dozen or so survivors.
In addition to attractive tomboy Fry, there's Johns (Cole Hauser). He's a bounty hunter who has somehow managed to capture Riddick (Vin Diesel), Riddick is a burly, dangerous mass murderer. There's also a deeply religious muslim (Keith David) and a teenaged stowaway. There's a largely useless antique dealer (Lewis Fitz-Gerald). And a bunch of others who don't have many lines.
During a search for water, the survivors encounter the planet's life forms. These are big, carnivorous, flying aliens, who are afraid of light. The nasty bird-lizards begin to pick off the humans one by one.
The implausible story is the film's biggest problem. It's okay for a meteor shower (or whatever) to damage the ship, killing most of the crew. Sounds like The Poseidon Adventure (1972), but it does give you a story.
But it is a remarkable coincidence that the ship and its slumbering passengers are next to a planet that supports human life. They have a forced landing on the planet, right next to a spaceship from twenty years ago! What are the odds that on a planet without any people, they would land next to the remains of an expedition? This planet has three suns, making it eternally daytime. Except for a total eclipse (of all three suns at once?) which just happens to occur the same day that they land? And this eclipse lasts for days at a time? How fortunate that Riddick has had past eye surgery enabling him to see in the dark. Whatever, just bring on the flying flesh-eating lizards.
There's also a problem with the character development. Riddick is a vicious mass murderer. Or is he a cool, likable anti-hero? Johns starts out as a good guy, a leader, saving the crew. But soon his character is a mess, perhaps to make rising star Vin Deisel and highly photogenic Radha Mitchell more heroic.
Still, Pitch Black is partly redeemed by its tense action scenes. (40/100)
When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick (Vin Diesel) isn t the only thing they...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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