The Lowdown: Pitch Black is a solid, stylish sci-fi thriller that is notable for starting Vin Diesel on his path to becoming a scenery-chewing, one-liner-delivering, badass action star. The film is surprisingly good, even over a decade later thanks to stylish visuals, tense moments, and a solid, varied cast. Having Vin Diesel is also a plus.
1. The Plot: A transport ship crashes onto a deserted planet, and the survivors have to find a way to survive and get off the planet. However, they discover that the ship was transporting a dangerous criminal, Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), who escaped after the crash. Soon however, the survivors realize that Riddick isn’t their primary concern. Something is alive on the planet and wants them all dead. Riddick ends up having to join forces with the survivors in order to escape the planet.
2. The Characters: Vin Diesel is Riddick. It is revealed that he is a Furyan, which is a race of hardened warriors. He’s not exactly Mr. Friendly, though you can’t blame the guy since he is one of the last of his kind. Turns out he has the ability to see in the darkness, but his eyes are also incredibly sensitive to light. Vin Diesel is probably ideal for the role since he is capable in action sequences and can deliver the badass one-liners and still come off as sympathetic. Acting skills aren’t really required for this role, but to be fair, Vin Diesel hasn’t really used his acting chops in quite some time. Rounding out the film’s cast is a colorful array of supporting characters. Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill) is Carolyn Fry, the pilot of the ship that went down. Cole Hauser (2 Fast 2 Furious) is William J. Johns, a cop who was transporting Riddick until the ship went down. He is hell-bent on recapturing Riddick, and seems to be a drug addict, making him all the more suspicious. Keith David (The Thing) is Imam, a Muslim who, along with three young companions, is on a religious pilgrimage. There is also an antiques dealer (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), a teenage stowaway (Rhiana Griffith), and two settlers (John Moore and Claudia Black). Naturally, the varied cast is assembled for internal conflict. We all know characters are going to clash, but the drama leads to tension when they all must find a way to survive.
3. The Aesthetics: Pitch Black features a visual palette that stretches to the far ends of both sides of the spectrum. Scenes on the planet surface are over-saturated to the point where colors become washed out, which gives the impression of a sun-bleached, barren wasteland. Some scenes almost made me want to shield my eyes.
Of course, the film is titled “Pitch Black”, so the film eventually becomes steeped in darkness. However, the visuals are still appealing to the eye. Colors and light are used far more sparingly and creatively. For instance, there is a scene where our characters fill a bottle with glowing blue insects in order to create a makeshift lantern. The neon blue light illuminates just enough of the darkness in order to make out what is happening, but it is never bright enough to reveal everything, keeping the scary things obscured and maintaining the high tension of the scene.
The Bottom Line: Pitch Black is kind of like horror with a sci-fi and action twist. Performances from the actors are effective enough for this kind of film; no one watching this will be expecting Oscar-worthy acting. The stylish direction and visuals make for a unique action film; it isn’t one that relies heavily on explosions, gunfights, or gore. Instead, the film limits the violence only where it is needed. The film also bleeds tense moments well; there is a sense of danger throughout the whole film which keeps the viewer on edge. The best part is that a good amount of the action is hidden in the dark. It is true that what you can’t see is scarier than what you can.
Lights out.
You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?Pitch Black is property of Polygram Filmed Entertainment and Interscope Communications. This review was written by me.
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Copyright © Filmaholic Reviews, 2013
