not dark enough..

Rating: 5/10 (6 March 2001)

I was very excited to see this movie, which had all the makings of being a winner. Unfortunately, despite an intriguing story line, I have to say it came up short in my estimation.
I guess I expected more suspense, more white-knuckled moments, but they were few and far between.
The visuals and graphics were good. The monsters were quite believable and realistic. I didn't think the characters were especially well-developed, however. I didn't find Radha Mitchell's character, Fry, especially captivating. Keith David was wasted in his role, and I felt nothing for most of the rest of the characters; in fact, we knew their fates.. Vin Diesel was certainly the best of the lot and he portrayed the criminal Riddick fairly well.
My biggest complaint was all the ambient light during the eclipse. I was expecting virtual darkness and there was far too much light in certain sequences toward the end of the film. Obviously, from a visual standpoint, you can't have total darkness, but give me a little bit more -- it would heighten the apprehension and terror. But it was to the extent where if their lights went out, they could still see.. If that's the case, at least show a moon or something to indicate that's what's happening.
In all, some parts of the movie were good, but with the expectations I had for this film, I was left feeling a bit disappointed at the end..