Film Review: Pitch Black (The Chronicles of Riddick)

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" - Vin Diesel

When a starship crash-lands on an arid, desert planet with three suns, the survivors are left in quite a predicament: should they fear the serial killer who's been let loose among them, or fear the monsters systematically stalking them from the dark? Pitch Black is a pretty unique thriller, and a lot of it is in its visual storytelling: it's a brutal universe with oppressive planetscapes, freaky alien monsters, and a whole cast of cut-throat characters.

However, the film has always felt like a mixed bag to me. A lot of it is simply because it's split evenly down the middle. The first half of this film is a survivalist story, with the characters moping around, getting their bearings, and trying to figure out what to do with themselves. With some hushed dialogue and so many character beats to run through, these acts can be rather dry. When the solar eclipse finally hits and all the nocturnal beasties come out, things pick up quite a bit, with frequent chases, fights, and thrills. The experience is marred by the film's style though: a lot of the more exciting parts have some of the most erratic editing and flashing images ever put together, and it can be unnerving.

The film does tell an inherently interesting story though. Most of the characters are pretty dry and flat alien fodder, but one character stands out: Richard B. Riddick, the strong-bodied low-voiced serial killer who doubles as both the story's nemesis and hero. His progression as the anti-hero provides the best dynamics to the story, and it is ultimately interesting how this dark character is pitted against such dark monsters (in essence, using a monster to fight monsters). The film overall is pretty decent and original sci-fi material, but aside from Riddick, it doesn't really have many characters to like or root for.

This film does its best to be stylish and hip. It boasts some pretty decent photography, but it gets really erratic with the editing at spots, using a few too many flashing images and fast cuts for my tastes. Weird color schemes are also dispensed liberally throughout the film's first half. Acting is okay: everybody plays it tough in this picture, especially Vin Diesel, whose performance matches up pretty well with the character. Writing is not bad. This production has okay-looking sets, props, costumes, and locals. Some of the special effects haven't aged well, despite being well-conceived. Music is pretty standard.

This film has an unrated director's cut available on DVD and Blu-Ray, which offers a few extra minutes of dialogue and character-building scenes.  To me, the differences between the director's cut and theatrical cut is very slight, and I find it hard to really tell them apart.

There is a lot to like about Pitch Black, except for the supporting characters, some of the long drama, and the gaudy editing. Horror and sci-fi fans should enjoy it the best, but for most, I'd recommend it as a rental.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Pretty Good)