Dynamite

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2000)

"Pitch Black"'s basic premise, while certainly intriguing, doesn't really offer anything new that really advances the science fiction genre to new heights. Movies like this rely on tenser things to make them work: Memorable characters, gripping, terrifying scenes, and stylistic choreography. "Pitch Black" has all three.
I have always believed that an effective science fiction film is one while introduces the viewer into a whole new world of its own and then invites the viewer to suspend their disbelief and go along with it. If the science fiction film is good, then the viewer will be so intrigued by the notion of the film that they will allow the movie to suck them into it, and they become lost in this film's new world. Few films have achieved this style of brilliance. The "Star Wars" saga did. "Dark City," one of the best sleeper-films of 1999, did. "The Matrix" did. The first "Highlander" film did. And now, "Pitch Black" can be added to that list.
The very essence of this film, the plot notwithstanding, is in the execution of making the viewer feel absolute terror in this strange, barren, desert-like planet inhabited by creatures of the night, in which space explorers crashland on after a hull breech. It works, thanks to realistic characters and stunning choreography. The two principal colors in this film are black and white, with most of it taking place only with the lights shining on the faces of the actors and the alien creatures flying overhead. The characters are not the standard "good guy" and "bad guy" cliches either. There are several significant characters here: A super-human serial killer, a morphine-addicted bounty hunter, a captain with a secret, a Muslim priest, an athiest, an antique dealer (who, *spoilers* has one of the best death scenes in film history), and a child. All of them present both evil sides and good sides, and a cast of characters hasn't been so motely in a sc-fi film since "Aliens"
This film, however, cannot be compared to "Aliens." Nor "The Terminator," or "Predator," or other successful sci-fi thrillers. This film is simply "Pitch Black," in a league of its own. And it works.
An early prediction: This film will either become a sleeper and quickly get dumped to video, or else it will achieve the status of "The Matrix." It will probably be either one or the other, with little in between. We shall see.
On a personal note as well, keep an eye on Vin Diesel, who plays the mad serial killer. If any producer reads this, he might be a good choice for the role of Beowulf in the upcoming version that Roland Emmerich's company is working on. He's well built and has a lot of screen presence. Just a thought, boys.
**** out of ****