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Movies / On DVD / Pitch Black
Pitch Black

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Pitch Black (2000)

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Reviews Counted:99

Fresh:56

Rotten:43

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: This sci-fi flick fails to deliver enough spills and chills.

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: A spacecraft carrying an assortment of passengers including Riddick (Vin Diesel), a dangerous, shackled murderer between prisons, is forced to make a crash landing on a barren, triple-sunned planet... A spacecraft carrying an assortment of passengers including Riddick (Vin Diesel), a dangerous, shackled murderer between prisons, is forced to make a crash landing on a barren, triple-sunned planet after the craft suffers severe damage during a meteor shower. The ship is ripped into pieces, killing several crew members and leaving meek officer Fry (Radha Mitchell) in charge of the survivors. After two unfortunate deaths, the survivors discover that the only visible life form on the planet is a species of light-fearing, carnivorous, occasionally cannibalistic aliens dwelling in caverns beneath the desert surface. Using a model of the planet and its suns in an abandoned research station, Fry deduces that she and her fellow travellers have unfortunately descended on the planet on the day of its first total eclipse in 22 years, giving them mere hours before they are bathed in total darkness. Only then is it safe for the hungry subterranean creatures to emerge, seeking to feed on the remaining survivors. However, the dangerous Riddick, through black market injections received in lock-up, is able to see in darkness- causing the surviving crew members to reluctantly remain dependent on the potentially harmful criminal. As the survivors are killed one by one by the hungry creatures, they realize that Riddick may be their only hope. [More]

Starring: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David

Starring: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, John Moore, Claudia Black, Simon Burke

Director: David Twohy

Director: David Twohy
Screenwriter: Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat, David Twohy
Producer: Tom Engelman
Composer: Graeme Revell

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Pitch Black

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

[A] derivative, plot-hole ridden sci-fi flick, redeemed only by the blazing star-in-the-making quality of Vin Diesel.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Against all odds, Pitch Black hit me in the right places, and I believe that those who are lucky enough to give it a chance won't forget it either for at least one reason...VIN DIESEL.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

[It] may be another Alien rip-off, but it's a rip-off with class, style and a lot of heart.

Full Review Source: Flipside Movie Emporium | comment Comment
08/12/02
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

It may not be original, but it is smart. More importantly, it's scary.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
06/21/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

The script is a compendium of science-fiction clichés, familiar in Hollywood movies since the early fifties.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/22/02
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

With a witty script and a cool sense of building dread, Pitch Black is a surprisingly entertaining sci-fi thriller.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Pitch Black is relentless in its integrity; it's lean and mean and it doesn't waste time.

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
09/20/01
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

It is an entertainment and quite a good one too.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Anwar Brett
Anwar Brett
BBC
N/R

A cut-above the B-movie fare which pollutes the genre.

Full Review Source: Film Written Magazine | comment Comment
04/02/01
Andrew Howe
Andrew Howe
Film Written Magazine

An enjoyably tense sci-fi horror show from David Twohy...

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

Despite the scientific and logical lapses, it is a pretty good adventure yarn with some interesting twists and turns.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
01/01/01
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Although this script never met a cliché that didn't fit like a glove, there are potent moments to send your popcorn flying.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

Pitch Black is the movie of the season for sci-fi and horror fans!

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com

A flashy, moderately creepy sci-fi monster flick.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
01/01/00
Arthur Salm
Arthur Salm
San Diego Union-Tribune

Director and co-writer David Twohy has stolen from so many other movies in order to cobble together the paltry Pitch Black.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
Chicago Tribune

A tiresome experience.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle

Sadly, Pitch Black was directed by the man who made the best science fiction movie of 1996, The Arrival.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Stephens
Bob Stephens
San Francisco Examiner

You won't waste your time watching Pitch Black. But there are better things to do.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Don't take Pitch Black too seriously, and it will scare you silly.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson
Jam! Movies
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for Pitch Black

August 03, 2009: David Twohy Talks Riddick Sequels Opens in new window
They're still at the idea stage, but David Twohy and Vin Diesel are committed to continuing "The Chronicles of Riddick" -- and in a new interview with Shock Till You Drop, Twohy... More...

March 10, 2009: Vin Diesel Talks Next Riddick Game, Sequel Opens in new window
Vin Diesel is out promoting his next "Chronicles of Riddick" videogame, "Assault on Dark Athena," so now seems like a pretty ideal time for a chat with GameSpot about the future... More...

August 26, 2008: Diesel Promises a Double Shot of Riddick Opens in new window
His latest movie, "Babylon A.D.," might be running at a woeful 0 percent on the Tomatometer, but Vin Diesel has bigger fish to fry; according to a recent interview with MTV, the... More...

November 20, 2007: A Third Installment for The Chronicles of Riddick?
Despite the underwhelming reviews and receipts that greeted 2004's Pitch Black sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, writer/director David Twohy still hopes to film a third... More...

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