Pitch Black is such a big surprise

Rating: Null/10 (9 July 2013)

Pitch Black is a sci-fi adventure with strong horror elements.
We initially see a spaceship crashing on a remote planet due to a malfunction. The survivors include the notorious (but wrongly accused) convict Richard B. Riddick (played extremely well by Vin Diesel) his guards and several other travelers, entrepreneurs, a father and his sons in search of a better life. The planet appears at first uninhabited but soon the survivors discover human-made installations but no sign of life. Eventually they come to the conclusion that the previous occupants had to abandon the planet for some unexplained reason.
Pitch Black is clearly a film that takes certain elements from the 'Alien' trilogy, especially the presence of extraterrestrial specie(s) that attack humans. There is also a considerable drama and tension here between the actors. Richard B. Riddick is a multi-faceted character whose ability to see in darkness and survival skills prepare him better and help him to assess the dangerous situations much sooner than anybody else. The other survivors have to work together with Riddick in order to make it through and escape. The exploration of the planet (at least near the crash site) was also very nicely shown.
This film was a big positive surprise for me. It was also a very good introduction of the Richard B. Riddick character that we saw again in the more ambitious but less satisfying 'The Chronicles of Riddick' in 2004.