Pitch Black is the first movie in the Chronicles Of Riddick movie series. It's made in the year 2000 and I am only watching and reviewing it 22 years later, but by god does it hold up well. In fact it's a lot better then half the trash Hollywood is releasing nowadays.
Pitch Black has a very simple storyline, there is nothing unique to it and odds are you've probably seen a similar story in another movie. However the story which is basically: 1) group of people crash onto hostile planet, 2) have to work together to escape, and 3) Are unable to trust everyone in their group, works really well for Pitch Black. What makes such a simple storyline work so well is the characters along with the actors and actresses picked to portray them on screen.
Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Keith David, Rhiana Griffith and Cole Hauser really stand out. Cole Hauser plays the Bounty Hunter William Johns, who we at first pin the hopes for the survivors on until we slowly grow to dislike and hate him throughout the movie. As Riddick tells his father in the 2013 Riddick film, William Johns really has no spine. Rhiana Griffith plays a girl who goes by the name Jack and pretends to be a boy until Riddick eventually outs her. She does a really good job at playing Jack and I was as surprised as the rest of the characters when Riddick announced that Jack was in fact a girl and not a guy. Keith Davids plays the holy man Abu Al-Walid and is just an all round interesting character, with his perception of god and amazing portrayal of his character. Radha Mitchell is absolutely stunning in the film as a bad ass, strong pilot who takes over the role of captain and tries to ensure the survival of everyone. Vin Diesel plays Riddick and he absolutely nails the character from the way Riddick moves and speaks to the way he fights, just a brilliant job by Vin Diesel.
The movie also makes use of different colours and shades to portray the day and night times. It's not the usual shades used in every movie but it works well and masterfully portrays the fact that the planet has 3 suns on it. That combined with good CGI and special effects for the monsters gives you a very enjoyable film indeed.
All in all Pitch Black is a really good movie, it has a simple storyline, well developed characters and good CGI, SFX and VFX. Together it all comes together to create a lovely first movie in the Riddick movie series. A well deserved 8/10 from me.
Pitch Black has a very simple storyline, there is nothing unique to it and odds are you've probably seen a similar story in another movie. However the story which is basically: 1) group of people crash onto hostile planet, 2) have to work together to escape, and 3) Are unable to trust everyone in their group, works really well for Pitch Black. What makes such a simple storyline work so well is the characters along with the actors and actresses picked to portray them on screen.
Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Keith David, Rhiana Griffith and Cole Hauser really stand out. Cole Hauser plays the Bounty Hunter William Johns, who we at first pin the hopes for the survivors on until we slowly grow to dislike and hate him throughout the movie. As Riddick tells his father in the 2013 Riddick film, William Johns really has no spine. Rhiana Griffith plays a girl who goes by the name Jack and pretends to be a boy until Riddick eventually outs her. She does a really good job at playing Jack and I was as surprised as the rest of the characters when Riddick announced that Jack was in fact a girl and not a guy. Keith Davids plays the holy man Abu Al-Walid and is just an all round interesting character, with his perception of god and amazing portrayal of his character. Radha Mitchell is absolutely stunning in the film as a bad ass, strong pilot who takes over the role of captain and tries to ensure the survival of everyone. Vin Diesel plays Riddick and he absolutely nails the character from the way Riddick moves and speaks to the way he fights, just a brilliant job by Vin Diesel.
The movie also makes use of different colours and shades to portray the day and night times. It's not the usual shades used in every movie but it works well and masterfully portrays the fact that the planet has 3 suns on it. That combined with good CGI and special effects for the monsters gives you a very enjoyable film indeed.
All in all Pitch Black is a really good movie, it has a simple storyline, well developed characters and good CGI, SFX and VFX. Together it all comes together to create a lovely first movie in the Riddick movie series. A well deserved 8/10 from me.