Voices in my Head: Pitch Black (2000)

Friday, February 15, 2019

Pitch Black (2000)

Pitch Black (2000)

An interesting entry into the science fiction movies back in 2000. Especially with some of the promotional material that came along with it. Before we had a chance to see the movie there was a SciFi channel special to promote it's release. Shot in the movie timeline and included such things as interviewing the prison doctor who gave Riddicks eyes their shine job. Even more odd were Pitch Black themed raves that occurred where the music would suddenly stop and all the lights would go out and the screams of the aliens creatures were cranked out over the speakers. It all certainly sparked some interest back in the day.

What we were delivered was a decent not-so-standard scifi flick with a little bit of horror mixed in for taste. Opening up with the cast in cryochambers and a voice over from the character of Riddick giving us a voice over that did two things; told us a little bit about the world and made damn sure we knew he was the main character. Then catastrophe happens as the hull is penetrated by small objects, the Captain is killed in cryosleep and the last two crew members are left to attempt to land the ship as it burns though a planets atmosphere. We also learn that in the far future there are no alarms for random shit getting close to a spacecraft until it's already tearing everything apart.

We get drama followed by a nicely done big crash, the ship being torn apart, people scrambling and dying. You know, all the good times. Afterwards everyone is digging themselves out and trying to figure out what the hell happened. We also get a bit more of the most dangerous person on the ship, Riddick.

For those who may not know the character of Riddick is played by Vin Diesel. This is his break-out roll as a main star of a movie and he goes all out. Even actually doing an arms over the head escape trick that will make your shoulders hurt just watching. His character is an escaped con with eyes that have been 'shined' allowing him to see in almost complete darkness. While not actually mentioned by anyone we also get that his sense of smell and hearing are also enhanced beyond that of a normal person.

We start to discover there is something else very dangerous on the desert planet with them. Something even more dangerous than the convict in their midst. Working together they have to find shelter and hopefully a way to be rescued or getting off of the planet. Some neat scenes of vast boneyards, an abandoned geologist camp come along they are given a glimmer of hope.

That doesn't last long. In the camp the remains of the previous occupants are discovered after the death of one of their own. Then they figure out that the planet will fall under darkness from it's three suns at any time by a eclipse that only comes once very twenty two year. Talk about some crap timing to crash on a planet.

A desperate struggle for survival against light fearing aliens ensues. But, like any good mindless hordes are killing us movie, the survivors start to turn on each other as well. Their numbers are rapidly reduced and often quite abruptly. Leaving us wondering just who will actually survive. I do remember when I first saw this movie back in 2000 only one of my 'oh they will live' picks made it through to the end.

The visuals they put into this film are well done. Some of them are easy tricks like color saturation while others are full blown scifi coolness of very nearby planets aligning in the skies around them as the eclipse begins to occur. There was also a very obvious push to make some of the tech concurrent throughout. A great example of this is in the solar collectors. Most everything in the camp has them, from a small toy, to vehicles and larger equipment. While they may vary in size in complexity there is a uniform look between them all, a domed top with a spinning engine inside.

Now while Vin Diesel stands out as the best performance in the movie it's not all due to just his acting ability but in the way he is shot or place in scenes. Once again they put a lot of thought into something and that was how they portrayed their center character in every shot he is in. But we also have Keith David pulling off a great job, Claudia Black pre-Farscape is in there as well. The rest of cast does well enough and there is nobody pulling a Mannequin Skywalker.

What I really enjoy about this is how they used a lot of practical effects when they could. Saving most of the CGI for the alien creatures or the background sky shots during the lead up to the eclipse. Hell we even had a model of the doomed ship at the beginning of the movie. If this were done today you would have Riddick doing triple back flips off an aliens head while spinning and slicing open four more on the way through before landing on the back of another. But we get some down and dirty action shots that improvise as best they can using darkness and the limited light to leave some of it to our imagination.

One thing I want to point out. This is not, by any means at all, an EPIC science fiction film. This is a gritty down in the dirty science fiction film. Focusing on a small cast and a harsh reality that is closing in around them. The bits and pieces of what the rest of the universe is supposedly like are just tidbits usually having something to do with what is going on.

I have to recommend this movie to others who enjoy scifi stuff. Not so much to the horror crowd though. Interesting characters, some believable tech and some nasty aliens to deal with. Oh let's not forget a few great lines to quote such as; “I'd rather piss glass”, “You're not afraid of the dark... are you?” and “Looks clear.”.

If you like what you see here please think about hitting the 'support this blog' button at the top or the 'Ko-Fi' link at the side for ways to help me keep this blog going.

If you want to pick my the next movie that gets reviewed I run a poll every week over on MeWe now. Click here to add me to your contact list.

So is it a shine job or are you just another replicant?