Magnificant, awe-inspiring, but by no means scary

Rating: 7/10 (15 August 2002)

*Spoiler Alert*
The main review on the front of the DVD says "...scary As Hell!" Nothing could be farther from the truth. This movie has some excellent special effect, and the cinematography is supberb, but if you have seen Event Horizon, Sleepy Hollow, What Lies Beneath, etc. than this will be all about a great movie and no suspense. There are several rather disturbing scenes of a human being eaten alive by vicious bat-like creatures, and very computer-generated beings following them in the shadows, but it will scare only the weakest hearts. There is no more gore than the Mummy series.
The story is magnificant, though not totally original. Several people taking a trip on a spaceship to some distant planet crash-land into a mysterious world where it only gets dark every once in a great while. It just happens to chance that they arrive just in time for the solar eclipse that provides the only darkness to the planet. Only then do they realize they are going to be eaten alive by an unknown yet terrifying (to them) breed of creatures that only comes out in the dark. This is where the movie gets good. Vin Deisel plays a very believable Richard B. Riddick, a convict being transported to another prison. Very similar to John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars. But the Similarities end there. Deisel, his eyes having been modified by an underground "doctor" in his previous prison, is the only one who is able to see the monsters. Everyone is forced to rely upon him to lead them to safety.
The movie's script is a little wanting, but overall did a fair job of conveying the point. The humor is decent, with a few funny quips coming from a British passenger. This movie shows that sci-fi films can still be made without being overly geeky (Battlefield Earth, Wing Commander) and poorly acted. It shows that sci-fi films aren't all show and no story. It shows that films can give the effect of claustrophobia and intensity without being overly gory and grotesque. If you like a good, intense fantasy film that isn't super-geeky and super-techie, check out Pitch Black.