Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8751 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations, even though it owes a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalises 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 straight-to-video 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 film works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Synopsis
A spacecraft carrying an assortment of passengers including Riddick (Vin Diesel), a dangerous, shackled murderer between prisons, is forced to make a crash landing on a barren, triple-sunned planet after the craft suffers severe damage during a meteor shower. The ship is ripped into pieces, killing several crew members and leaving meek officer Fry (Radha Mitchell) in charge of the survivors. After two unfortunate deaths, the survivors discover that the only visible life form on the planet is a species of light-fearing, carnivorous, occasionally cannibalistic aliens dwelling in caverns beneath the desert surface. Using a model of the planet and its suns in an abandoned research station, Fry deduces that she and her fellow travellers have unfortunately descended on the planet on the day of its first total eclipse in 22 years, giving them mere hours before they are bathed in total darkness. Only then is it safe for the hungry subterranean creatures to emerge, seeking to feed on the remaining survivors. However, the dangerous Riddick, through black market injections received in lock-up, is able to see in darkness- causing the surviving crew members to reluctantly remain dependent on the potentially harmful criminal. As the survivors are killed one by one by the hungry creatures, they realise that Riddick may be their only hope.

Customer Reviews

One of the Great Classics of Science Fiction
This is truly a masterpiece of Science Fiction and an interesting study in human nature with profound messages similar to those in films such as Fahrenheit 451, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Metropolis, Logan's Run, and Blade Runner.

The internal struggles of the characters (spirituality, self-sacrifice, temptation, suspicions, addiction, guilt, mastery of fear, human kindness, self-interest, resourcefulness, etc.) add a tremendous amount of depth to the story. The guilt of the captain over her early impulsive actions and the penance she ultimately pays for her mistake are deeply touching and almost made me cry. The stark landscape setting really allows us to focus on the characters - their personalities, motives, relationships, actions, etc. The emulation of Jack for Riddick is beautifully done, very quickly and easily charming us to both characters.

The story is very well written, with the acting equally well done, showcasing the relationships between the characters. The Riddick/Johns relationship is interesting, particularly their respect for one another: Some kind of "code of ethics" between bounty hunters and the convicts they pursue? Also of note is the hero worship of Jack for Riddick, and the hero's subsequent defense/protection of her several times, in various ways, against multiple threats. Additionally, the interplay between the captain and Johns (his manipulation of her, and her judgment mixed with empathy of him) really adds dimension to these characters and the overall story.

This is one of the few films I have seen that seems absolutely perfectly cast, particularly Jack who is difficult to distinguish between boy and tomboy - she is very believable. The creatures/monsters are extremely well done, both their appearances and movements. I think this is a much better story than the Alien and Predator movies, though I enjoy those as well.

The humor in this story is exquisite; the "looks clear" scene is one of my favorite bits of this movie. Given the intensity behind Mr. Diesel's acting, it is amazing that he is capable of adding this type of "lightness" to his work. And the tension present throughout the film is tremendous. We are literally "on pins and needles" as we watch the action from our observer position and instantly recognize the mistakes of the characters (delay, poor choices, etc.) leading toward their doom with no way to warn them or urge them to hurry.

I don't understand the term "cult" applied to this film because that seems to imply a select viewership; and I believe this movie has the power to please a variety of peoples, though especially fans of Science Fiction and human-interest stories.

I call this one of my "treadmill movies" (to watch while exercising) because the miles pass in a non-painful flash. A special thanks to the many people involved in making this movie for the wonderful quality of distraction and thoroughly engrossing entertainment.

I am unable to choose a favorite between Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. I am pleased they are remarkably different from one another. I believe they are both equally significant in their contribution to great classics of Science Fiction.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles

Riddickulously Entertaining
All I had to go on regarding the quality of this film prior to buying the DVD was word of mouth. The opinions I'd been party to were mixed to say the least.
So, imagine my delght when I bought this item, partly to catch up on the story and nature of Vin Diesel's main character, before going to watch the follow up, 'The Chronicles of Riddick'.
Not only is 'Pitch Black' incredibly stylish and aesthetically pleasing - just watch the incredible range of lighting effects - but the characters are charmingly intruiging, if largely archetypal for this type of movie. Yes, it relies heavily on its predecessors, but try making a 'humans stranded on an unknown planet and encountering carnivorous aliens' film that doesn't. The plot roles along nicely, and although it was never going to win any Academy Awards, is juxtaposed nicely with just the right amount of tension and action. Add into that mix a well above average muscle-bound anti-hero portayal from Diesel and you've got a very good movie, especially for the price.
There aren't many extras on this early DVD release - but if you want those you can splash a few extra quid on the Special Edition - but if you're looking for a B Movie type sci-fi horror that breaks the mould in terms of sophistication and performances you need look no further.

Riddick's enjoyable first outing
Set in the future, David Twohy's 'Pitch Black' tells the story of a handful of space travellers struggling to survive when their ship is forced to crash land on a distant planet. The group all have different reasons for being on the space craft, the main character being the supposedly ruthless murderer Riddick (Vin Diesel - Saving Private Ryan, The Fast and the Furious).

When Riddick goes missing the other survivors become nervous due his reputation, but it becomes apparent there is much more to fear when one of the party is eaten alive by a mysterious creature. The creatures weakness appears to be any form of light - which makes the pending eclipse extremely bad news.

This dvd contains special features which will no doubt increase its appeal to fans of the film. It proved to be successful enough to warrant a sequel, 2004's 'The Chronicles of Riddick', however there are certainly better films in the genre (either Alien or Aliens for example). The special effects are ok and this is one of Diesels better performances but the story lacks the necessary depth to be considered a classic. I found it hard to really warm to any of the characters with the exception of Radha Mitchell's (Fry).

I found the film to be entertaining enough but would advise that you watch the film before buying.