Not for sufferers of Nyctophobia

Rating: 7/10 (5 September 2006)

It's interesting to read that Universal Studios had the ending of the movie changed so that the Riddick character survived. In my opinion, it's pretty rare that the Men In Suits make a positive contribution to any motion picture. If you don't believe me, just ask Alan Smithee.
Anyway, after "Pitch Black" Universal chucked a shedload of money at a sort-of sequel called "The Chronicles of Riddick". Unfortunately it wasn't anything like the original.
Well, 'Original' is probably the wrong word to use if you're describing the plot of "Pitch Black". It's your standard horror movie premise where a bunch of people who don't really get along get trapped with a load of scary monsters. What elevates it above the mediocre is the way in which the story is told.
A lot of what scares us is glimpsed on the periphery of our vision. Director David Twohy exploits this well, with many threats to the characters more suggested than actually shown. Once the movie goes into its eclipse phase, we get to see the action through Riddick's "Shine Job" vision and also through the sonar of the creatures hunting him and his fellow survivors.
There is a creditable amount of restraint in the CGI department and the special effects work well. Any shots of the night creatures are only a few seconds long each time, so that we never get a clear image of what's eating its way through the cast.
Twohy's screenplay, written with Jim and Ken Wheat, manages to create some believable characters and make the audience care about what happens to them. Well, some of them anyway. There is a good balance of humour and pathos mixed in with the bloodletting and there is very little excess anything as the story bowls along.
The script is fleshed out well by a good cast. No one stands out, although Vin Diesel and Lewis Fitz-Gerald seem to get more than their fair share of the best one-liners.
Universal clearly saw "Pitch Black" as a launch vehicle for Vin Diesel, previously a solid supporting player in films like "Boiler Room" and "Saving Private Ryan". Diesel went on to star in some big ole' blockbusters after this film, but "Pitch Black" is where he proves that he has genuine screen presence. At least Universal Studios can claim the credit for noticing him.