First class sci-fi to rank with the best!

Rating: Null/10 (18 February 2000)

Just got back from seeing this film, and I have absolutely no qualms about stating that this is thinking person's sci-fi on the order of the first two "Alien" movies and the original "The Thing." Anyone expecting escapist stuff in the manner of the "Star Wars" and later "Star Trek" films would do well to stay away. This is not for the faint of either heart or stomach!
All of the performances stand out, but the two leads are what really hold this film together. Male lead Vin Diesel is alternately terrifying and sympathetic as the not-as-bad-as-he- seems ex-con who becomes a hero in spite of himself. Radha Mitchell is the gutsy lady pilot who is initially repelled by Diesel yet comes to eventually rely on him. While there's never even a hint of romance between the two, you can see the chemistry between them almost from the beginning. And Cole Hauser is Johns, the suitably smarmy villain of the piece, who eventually gets his cumuppance at the hands of the space aliens. These aliens, by the way, are almost always seen in shadow, being nocturnal creatures. One wonders what they'd look like in broad daylight. Chances are, one wouldn't want to know.
I won't give away the double surprise of an ending. I'll just say that this is the best edge-of-your-seat sci-fi to come along in many a year. And even if you're not a sci-fi buff, you owe it to yourself to see this film for some first-rate suspense.