Solid Sci-Fi, with a weak ending

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2000)

Pitch Black is a healthy dose of Aliens with a twist of Mad Max thrown in to boot. The plot was solid - a ship crashlands on the surface of a forbidding planet where darkness means death from the creatures who live underground (or aboveground during total eclipses). The characters were simply developed, yet interesting enough to provide surprise for some of the movie's character development twists. Vin Diesel as Riddick is a true movie tough guy who saves the day, and Radha Mitchell plays the softer side of Lt. Ripley from the Alien series as Cpt. Fry. A solid supporting cast is assembled as well, but this all gets lost in an ending which becomes formulaic and anti-climatic. Special effects were also well done, which makes this a good Sci-Fi/Horror movie, but not a great one.