Before I begin my review of Pitch Black let me give you a definition of what I call a popcorn movie. A popcorn movie is a film that makes no attempt to change your world view, no attempt to make you laugh uproariously for two hours, no attempt to re-tell history or really engage your mind in any particularly meaningful way.
Bond films are popcorn movies.
Jurassic Park is a popcorn movie. In my opinion, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the ultimate popcorn movie. But they are really their own genre. Such movies are meant to be little more than a roller coaster. You spend two hours on a comparatively safe but wild ride that leaves you breathless and excited, despite being hard pressed to explain why you keep having that reaction after riding the roller coaster fifteen times.