| Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts. A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory. What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon |
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 Excellent Sci-Fi |
| Review Date: September 12, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Eric J. Pray, Upstate New York |
| Pitch Black was arguably one of the most overlooked films of the early year. Although the setting of the film could seem routine to a casual viewer(space travelers stranded and bickering on a hostile planet infested with alien nasties), director David Twohy's wonderful use of color and stylistic flourishes more than makes up for any trivial complaints. For those of you curious about the film's plot, it deals with a group of marooned space "passengers" who spend the majority of their time searching for a way to evacuate a harsh desert planet. Their efforts are unexpectedly forced to quicken however when they discover a particularly vicious type of nocturnal alien ready to emerge to the planet's surface during an eclipse. Viewers can't help but like the film's villainous hero(played by Vin Diesel of Saving Private Ryan and Boiler Room)who brings to memory Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous role as the Terminator. The film looks and sounds great and has more than a few moments of nail-biting tension thrown in for good measure. For Science Fiction fans this is a must-see. And as for the rest of you, try giving this fine movie a chance. You'll thank me when you do. |
Pitch Black is a visual masterpiece with a decent plot
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| Review Date: June 15, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| With a great casting job and the most excellent cinematography of the year to date, Pitch Black is a movie to see. But here's a warning: rent it on DVD and watch it in Dolby Digital Surround Sound or you won't get the theater feel, and it is necessary to enjoy the full effects. Vin Diesel is simply a bad@#* in Pitch Black, but he isn't so invincible that he gets his way at all times. Radha Mitchell plays a headstrong, stubborn navigator thrust into a role of command, and she plays the part well. But the best thing about this movie is director David Twohy's mastery of the camera. For the first half of the movie, the screen was so bright from the three suns that I needed refills on my drink three times to quench my thirst. Twohy's portrayal of a bleak desert world was impressive and worked well. But when the eclipse came, the movie went from bleak heat to dark fear. Just like that. But the great part about it is that the viewer doesn't consciously recognize the transition. It is a subconscious switch that heightens the apprehension level and sets the heart beating. I can't describe it any better than that, but the movie was worth the $6.50 and will be worth my $20 when it comes out on DVD. |
Finally a movie worth a comment!
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| Review Date: May 15, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| Most of the movies I've seen in the past year or so have been from fairly decent to really good (Gladiator and Pitch Black come to mind), but aside from those two, most of even the good movies weren't much to comment on. I've seen a decline in originality and new concepts and approaches to movies lately, and it's quite disquieting. This is one of the first summers where I don't have any major blockbusters to look forward to with anxious anticipation. That said, Pitch Black met and far exceeded my expectations. First of all, I must say how much I enjoyed Vin Diesel's performance, taking a fairly stock character and working it into a character that made you think and examine after the movie was over. Also, and perhaps especially, I enjoyed the cinematography. The filtered, bleached look used for most of the scenes was really captivating, as well as the angles and close ups used to emphasis key moments. The whole visual composition of the movie was stunning, from the special effects, to the use of good of cinematography and also the set and costume design. It all flowed together into a nice blend of something different from the mainstream blah. So, if you're in search of something a little different, and especially if you enjoy sci-fi movies, Pitch Black is a must see. |
You're not afraid of the dark, are you?
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| Review Date: November 16, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Mr. Stuart Chandler, |
| Ludicrously enjoyable - Pitch Black is an engrossing, well-plotted, well-acted, well-paced hell ride of a movie, with solid characters and fantastic visuals. It also happens to be a very well-made film. A group crash-land on a planet with three suns and for the first part of the film, everyone is looking for the psycho killer (Vin Diesel in terrific form) convict who escaped in the crash. Then the film suddenly changes pace and the real problems start - a breed of hideous aliens, comprised of mainly razor-like teeth, eating alive anyone who happens to cross their path. The good news? These aliens hate the light and can only survive in the dark. The bad news? The planet is about to go into a solar eclipse, where the planet will become 'Pitch Black' and all hell breaks loose. But the real essence of this movie is watching it; the effects are incredible; the suspense sometimes unbearable. Fantastic!! Watch on the big screen if you can, if not buy this (unrated) version now. In fact, stop reading this review right now and start watching a brilliant and exciting sci-fi shocker. |
Perfect Pitch
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| Review Date: August 4, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Mark Eremite, Seoul, South Korea |
This movie, when it was released, stared nobody famous (helloooo Vin Diesel), was directed by David Twohy (who is responsible for some pretty major flops, like G. I. Jane, The Arrival, Waterworld, Critters 2 and Terminal Velocity), and was written by the brothers Wheat, Jim and Ken, who have also spent most of their time penning some pretty dreary stuff (Birds II, The Fly II, and Nightmare on Elm Street 4). Aside from the fact that Twohy once directed The Fugitive, this movie has nothing going for it right out of the starting block.
Let's talk plot. Taking place in the distant future, a space ship is carrying some passengers to an unnamed planet. Among the denizens is a dangerous convict, who is our narrator. For no explained reason, the ship's hull is punctured full of holes, causing an understandable and intense crash, depositing the surviving members of the group on a large deserted planet that has three suns. Unfortunately, a major solar eclipse is on the verge of occurring, and the planet just happens to be infested with a horrifying race of aliens that can only live in the dark. Needless to say, the aliens begin feasting on the poor survivors like they're Human McNuggets. Pass the popcorn!
Perhaps the most admirable trait of the movie is its patience. It jumps into the story with just enough exposition to keep it sensible, but it doesn't rush anywhere from there, doesn't make any excuses, and doesn't explain itself any more than it has to. Each element of the story (including the nicely designed and unobtrusive sub-plots) achieves a mythical quality within the confines of the well-measured story. Of course, the cinematography helps. The first half of the movie, establishing the mood and situation, is almost over-exposed, glaring a hot white. The three suns (one of which is a silver blue) shine beautifully on the shimmering and humming planet, and everyone's faces become bleached masks. And then, suddenly, it's dark.
There's nothing devouring about the film. It certainly doesn't swallow the audience whole, the way Aliens did. But it does provide a context and a story that, in its own element, is believable and suspenseful, the way Alien did. Sure, Pitch Black has its cheesy moments, but it's the type of cheese you don't regret, and most of it provides a welcome relief from the constant swarthy forms rushing by in the darkness. Balanced out by moments of intense creepiness, the cheese helps keep the movie from falling into total self-importance.
But what makes the flick (despite nicely underplayed acting all around) is the visually enchanting tricks the director opted to add. The convict narrator spent most of his life in a prison with almost no lighting. Upon his release (i.e. breakout) he got a doctor to give him night vision. (C'mon, it's the future) At many points the movie adopts his point of view, which is simultaneously gorgeous and chilling. Add to that the alien point of view (which is an array of crystalline shards, intended to represent the way they "see" things in a manner similar to bats: via echoes), and you have a flick well worth just watching, if not experiencing.
It's hard to know who'll like it and who won't, but I don't hesitate to say this is a good movie. Playing out like a live action version of Myst plus Doom, this show has its weak points and its strong points, its silly moments and its strong moments, but doesn't disappoint. And although some of it may be gross, some of it disturbing, and some of it a little dopey, it's an engaging story without a predictable resolution, tuned to an almost perfect pitch.
Get it? "Pitch?" Pitch Black? Just go see the movie, for crying out loud. |
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