Not bad for a little cheapie matinée

Rating: 6/10 (16 January 2005)

I got into this movie ass-backwards  basically, I went to see the sequel and then had someone lend it to me to watch on DVD. Pitch Black is the first movie in the 'Chronicles of Riddick' series, and while it has nowhere near the scope or vision of its follower, is nonetheless an enjoyable film, for what it is.
Part bughunt movie and part low budget sci-fi matinée, Pitch Black follows the story of a group of people stranded on a hot desert planet with three suns and only intermittent periods of darkness. Adding to the threat level is that one of the characters, Richard Riddick (Vin Diesel) is a prisoner, apparently a killer of some sort who cannot be trusted. One of the younger characters, Jack (Rhiana Griffith), takes a shine to him and begins imitating his every move, much to the dismay of his would-be jailer, William Johns (Cole Hauser). The group stumbles on a deserted mining colony and soon discovers there are evil nasties that only come out  you got it  after dark. When they need to make a run to an equally deserted outpost to obtain supplies to fix their damaged ship, however, that's when things get interesting.
Pitch Black isn't great film-making  it's a cheaper version of an Aliens flick, let's be honest  but the rough and gritty universe is fun, and the ambivalence of Riddick is fun to watch. As darkness sets in and his special ability to see in almost total blackness comes into play, people become more reliant on his uncaring character, which adds a nice twist to an otherwise average if serviceable script and story. Much of the meat of the story revolves around Riddick, which was a smart decision.
Diesel will never be considered a great thespian but he's fine here as Riddick, his basso voice and rough edges fitting into the harsh landscape and story perfectly. Keith David plays an Imam with an appropriately reverent air, and the rest of the cast all does a fine job.
Pitch Black's worth a rental, if for no other reason than to cast a little more back story on Riddick so you can enjoy the top-notch sequel a but better. It's a decent enough movie in its own right, though a little cheap and a little predictable. But as cheap sci-fi goes, it's pretty good.