Science fiction drama is a hard genre to pull off...

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2001)

But this movie does so seamlessly. The acting is believable. The characters evolve with the drama, and more importantly, the storyline is not predictable. I was carried along, and found myself caring whether or not the characters lived or died. So often, the people involved in making movies forget that what can make or break a flick lies in the details. As much as I might try to suspend my disbelief for a film that I really want to like, I will find fault with careless details, and lose interest in the story. This did not happen with "Pitch Black." The focus was more on the characters and their relationships with one another, than about the technical details, so the little indiscrepancies in the story didn't detract from its deliverance. Watch "Mission to Mars" and you will understand what I mean about too many gadgets and not enough character developement. And while we're on the subject - they probably paid the entire cast of "Pitch Black" what was paid to one actor in the movie "Mission to Mars," which I thought was an awful movie. The acting in "Pitch Black" was right on target. It wasn't overdone or half-baked. It was good. Especially Vin Diesel's performance. I am not a huge science fiction fan, but I will definitely add this movie to my collection, for the simple fact that it surprised me and had me rooting for the villain. See it if you get the chance.