See Chronicles of Riddick First (Maybe)

Rating: Null/10 (28 September 2004)

First off, if you are a Sci-Fi fan (or loved Star Wars) then you should definitely see Chronicles of Riddick before you see this movie. Chronicles of Riddick creates a universe and series of friendships which do not entirely align with Pitch Black, unless you see Pitch Black second.
Judging from his recent works, David Twohy might have done well as a pastor. By that, I mean that he seems to enjoy the marriage of genres to create new situations. Pitch Black is a slasher/horror film for sci-fi/alien fans in the same way that Below is a ghost/horror film for Submarine/War fans. I would hypothesize that if you do not like Science Fiction, you will not like Pitch Black. If you like Slasher/Horror movies, you *might* like this.
David Twohy is one of my favorite big budget writers because he puts you in a world unlike your own. The problem with Pitch Black is that it does not reveal the full world - there is much mystery. This would not be such a bad thing if its sequel hadn't changed/defined the universe.
Ultimately, Pitch Black is probably a better movie than Chronicles of Riddick in the respect that it appeals to (possibly) a larger audience and accomplishes a more with less.