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Radha Mitchell, Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald ... see more see more... , Claudia Black , Rhiana Griffith , John Moore , Simon Burke , Les Chantery , Sam Sari , Firass Dirani , Ric Anderson , Vic Wilson , Angela Makin

In this science fiction thriller, a spaceship is transporting a disparate group of people to a far-away galactic outpost called New Mecca. Mechanical failures cause the craft to crash-land on an aband... read more read more...oned planet that has three suns and no night. The only member of the crew to survive is junior pilot Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), while the passengers who climb from the wreckage include a police officer (Cole Hauser) and the prisoner he's transporting, Riddick (Vin Diesel). As Fry and the other survivors survey the abandoned dwellings of the desert world while trying to decide what to do next, one of them is killed by a mutant creature living in an abandoned mining site. The vicious and bloodthirsty mutants, who live underground, have killed all previous inhabitants of the planet; they cannot stand sunlight, but research reveals that the planet has a total eclipse every 22 years, and the latest one is due any moment. Pitch Black was directed by David N. Twohy, who also made the sci-fi cult item, The Arrival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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101 critics

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: David Twohy, David N. Twohy, Claudia Black, Cole Hauser, John Moore, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Radha Mitchell, Rhiana Griffith, Simon Burke, Vin Diesel

Release Date: February 18, 2000

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DVD Release Date: October 24, 2000

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Stats: 12,247 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (12,247)

  • moonrivers
    May 7, 2012
    moonrivers
    Low budget sci-fi with lotsa CGI about surviving the threat of bloodthirsty creatures that only live in the dark ... and the planet we just crashlanded on is due for a four day eclipse. Luckily Vin Diesel (thief, brigand, murderer, guy w/o a shirt) crashlanded in the same spaces... read morehip, known far and wide for his acts of brotherly love and itchin' to be helpful. This ain't so bad, a cold steal from Alien and Aliens, but still not so bad.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    March 20, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "All you people are so scared of me. Most days I'd take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now."

    A group of marooned space travelers struggle for survival on a seemingly lifeless sun-scorched world.

    ... read more">REVIEW
    A space ship carrying a cargo of commercial passengers is forced to crash land on an unidentified planet, which, although there doesn't seem to be a shred of animal life anywhere to be found, still manages to be somehow inhabited by swarms of carnivorous birdlike creatures that only come out at night. Ask not what these animals must feed on when there isn't a crew of fleshy earthlings conveniently placed there for them to nibble on. Such rigorous application of logic is not one of `Pitch Black's strongest selling points. Neither, in fact, is the cast of characters it has managed to assemble for the occasion. Here we have the typical `cross section of humanity' routinely called upon to make its appearance in films of this type. The ship's crew and passengers include two feisty young women, a hardnosed law enforcer (is he really a hero or a man with something to hide?), an effete wine-guzzling coward, an androgynous teenager (the `revelation' involving this character comes as a surprise only to the dimwitted characters in the film), a family of Muslims and a truth-seeing, muscle-bound serial killer who becomes the group's physical and intellectual mainstay.

    The story, though simpleminded and derivative of any number of other better films, nevertheless, manages to border on the murky and incoherent quite often. We often aren't sure who is doing what or why (though, in all honesty, we don't particularly care either). The special effects are generally sub par for a film of this genre and the only real attempt to create an otherworldly atmosphere consists in applying various types of light filters to the camera lens. Completely lacking in suspense, excitement or originality (although the ending has a slightly unexpected twist), `Pitch Black' is strictly one for the video graveyard.
  • paulsandberg
    February 9, 2012
    paulsandberg
    Here lies the film that brought the Diesel to the public consciousness. Pitch Black is all about him and the character of Riddick that he so aptly breathes life into. The rest... a typical sci-fi film with nocturnal monsters (looking like something from the Zergs in Star Craft)... read more creating a backdrop for the usual tomfoolery showing that the human survival instinct isn't pretty to watch.

    There's many a plot hole and some curious impulses by various characters, but at least some of the characters besides Riddick were somewhat well developed (although corny in the case of Radha Mitchell as the junior pilot and only survivor from the crew when their craft is forced to crash onto an unknown planet. Said planet has 3 suns - meaning, like the British Empire, the sun never sets... except every 22 years when there's an eclipse. The 400 lb gorilla in the room is that the "monsters" are nocturnal - uh huh, so they live underground and live off..... oh never mind.

    Really, the film does use some nice sepia tones to show the harshness of a planet in total sunlight 24/7, and the cgi of the creatures is a cut above your usual "b film", but, while there is a bit of tension built up, the final outcome never seemed in question. I kept thinking of the Agatha Christie novel "Ten Little Indians" where the cast of characters are bumped off one by one. Same here, and really it was a shame to see Claudia Black (she of the great Farscape) bumped off so early.

    However, all kidding aside, you could do much worse in viewing an action sci-fi type film, and the Diesel carries the goods here - his machismo is apropos to the character as is his particular brand of fatalism. Riddick has been called an "anti-hero" by many, but I continue to find him a man true to his own convictions, and while maybe those convictions aren't all warm and cuddly, they are honest and he's true to them - compare that to the bozos running for political office.
  • garyX
    October 17, 2011
    garyX
    The passengers on a space transport turn to a ruthless prisoner for help when their ship crash lands on a deserted planet inhabited by a swarm of flesh eating nocturnal creatures. Pitch Black is the film that was the stepping stone to stardom for Vin Diesel and here he perfected ... read morehis laconic, amoral tough guy persona. His charismatic presence lifts the film above the crowd of low budget cult sci-fis out there and thanks to some creative and economical direction from David Twohy it cracks along with the appropriate tension and atmosphere required for this kind of thing to work. It clearly lifts a lot of ideas from the first two Alien films but it does it with a modicom of style despite some slightly dated looking SFX. The only serious flaw is that Radha Mitchell is a little lacking for a central character, especially in the scenes she shares with the dominating presence of Diesel. Not bad at all though, and a lot better than most sci-fi horror B-movies out there.
  • 3niR
    April 16, 2011
    3niR
    No, this was not perfect. I could go on and on about its flaws but come on, what else can you expect from a low budget movie, ha? I only liked the end bit, but the rest was boring. And by the way, Rhiana Griffith <--- your part was really shocking!
  • ythelastman89
    October 4, 2010
    ythelastman89
    The magic of Vin Diesel and the movie that catapulted him into an action star. This is incredibly corny and typical of late 90s-early 00s, very stylized and outrageous by today's standards. The CGI is utterly terrible, but that doesn't matter one bit when you have Riddick annihil... read moreating aliens barehanded and churning out hilarious one-liners. He manages to bamboozle everyone and become the victor, escaping punishment. He has the strength of a shaved ape and the intelligence of a scientist.
  • lewiskendell
    September 24, 2010
    lewiskendell
    "Finally found something worse than me, huh?."

    I'm somewhat of a rabid Radha Mitchell fan (the woman is gorgeous and talented; she should be a much bigger star), so seeing her in a solid, gritty sci-fi/horror flick like this is a pretty good use of two hours for me.

    The basic s... read moretory is about a transport ship (piloted by Mitchell's character) that is forced to crash land on an unknown planet. A planet that happens to be inhabited by deadly, light- sensitive predators that come out to feast every twenty-two years when a cosmic event shields the planet from its three suns for a time. One of the passengers of the ship also happens to be a deadly, light-sensitive predator (Vin Diesel) on his way back to the maximum-security prison world that he escaped from. The rest of the crash survivors are forced to rely on Riddick because of his ability to see in the dark and his natural survival instincts, but will he ultimately help them escape, or leave them to their dark fates?

    Pitch Black isn't perfect. There are a few rather large plot holes (What do the beasts do for the rest of the twenty-two years, just hang out? And what do they live off of on such a barren planet?), but nothing that really took me out of the story. Some of the characters are overly dumb, annoying, or inexplicably antagonistic, but such story devices and character archetypes come along with the genre, more often than not. The special effects and monster designs do look their age, but that can be forgiven in a movie that's more than eleven years old, and they're really not any worse than what you'd see today on the average made-for-TV sci-fi flick. On the other hand, the filmmakers did do a good job of using visual trickery to make the outback of Australia where the movie was filmed look a lot like a harsh, alien world, and on a small budget I'm assuming. So they get props for that.

    As for what I liked about Pitch Black, it was a pretty entertaining ride. Mitchell was great as the flawed, conflicted pilot unceremoniously promoted to leader, and Diesel was well- suited for Riddick, who's really the main character of the movie. There are likable characters to get attached to and fear for, several tense situations (though calling the movie scary would be a stretch), and a solid amount of action.

    All in all, Pitch Black was a pleasant surprise. I was more impressed with Diesel than I've been at any other movie of his that I've seen, and none of the lesser elements of the movie are significant enough to stand out much. Recommended.
  • Chiefilms
    May 5, 2010
    Chiefilms
    Another 3 star movie, a lot of holes in the pitch blackness, how you gonna try and make a franchise out of a Vin Diesel played character.
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    This a pretty good film!
  • skactopus
    April 19, 2009
    skactopus
    A seemingly lower budget science fiction film that turns out as not too bad.

    The story plays out like a typical survival horror type film, but it is geared more toward science fiction rather than horror. Compared with many other movies similar to this, Pitch Black is on

    ... read moree of the more memorable ones. The weakest point of this film is the beginning. For the most part, nothing really seems to happen for the first 30 minutes. It's not that the film moves too slow, but more that it skips forward too quickly. This really makes it a little difficult to get a grasp of the characters. If you are patient enough, the next 80 minutes is a smooth science fiction film. The characters become more developed and the story takes off. Another thing that this film lacks is action. A little more gun-play would have been nice.

    The acting isn't too bad. Riddick is actually a role that Vin Diesel matches and performs nicely. Radha Mitchell does a good job as the co-star of the film behind Diesel, actually making it seem as if she is the star of the film. I it also nice to see Keith David and Claudia Black in here.

    The CG isn't the best I've seen, but it is still good. The creatures have an interesting design to them. It is sort of reminiscent to a hammerhead shark. The sounds that they make are also unique.

    There is nothing really spectacular about this film, but science fiction fans should find this mildly entertaining at the least.

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Critic Reviews

Liam Lacey
March 22, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The script is a compendium of science-fiction clichés, familiar in Hollywood movies since the early fifties. Full Review

Tom Keogh
January 1, 2000
Tom Keogh, Film.com

The film works because it's strong on fundamentals: fear of the dark, fear of helplessness, fear of the unknown, and fear of unpredictable human behavior.

Steve Murray
January 1, 2000
Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In the movie's last hour, writer-director David Twohy pretends to explore his stick figures' moral choices, and he forgets to deliver the thrills. Full Review

Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

Pitch Black is one of those annoyingly noisy outer-space thrillers where you can't figure out the characters' names at first, and when you finally do, they are either dead or you hate them.

Andrew O'Hehir
January 1, 2000
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Pitch Black is the movie of the season for sci-fi and horror fans! Full Review

Jonathan Foreman
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

A mediocre but nonetheless entertaining copy of the Alien films.

Barbara Shulgasser
January 1, 2000
Barbara Shulgasser, Chicago Tribune

Director and co-writer David Twohy has stolen from so many other movies in order to cobble together the paltry Pitch Black.

Geoff Pevere
January 1, 2000
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Dumb, direct and derivative.

Jay Carr
January 1, 2000
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

Barely intermittent, reminding us that the B-movie is still very much with us.

Kevin Thomas
January 1, 2000
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

A routine sci-fi/horror action-adventure, takes us where we've been countless times before. Full Review

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    • Johns: Hey, I thought I said no shivs!
    • Richard B. Riddick: You mean this? This is just a personal grooming appliance.
    • Richard B. Riddick: You got it all wrong, holy man. I do believe in God, and I personally hate the fucker.
    • Richard B. Riddick: Didn't know who you was fucking with!
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