pitch black (2000) Review
Pitch Black, starring Vin Diesel at his Vin Diesel-y peak is a science-fiction/horror/action genre mash-up that tells a small story with a large impact. There’s nothing novel about light averse, toothy creatures that attack when it’s dark, but Pitch Black leaves an impression on the strength of atmosphere, pacing, sound/creature/set design, and Diesel’s comic book character come to life portrayal of anti-hero Riddick. While subsequent sequels The Chronicles of Riddick and the simply titled Riddick each have merit, neither approach the white-knuckle energy and tension of the original offering. Both Diesel’s Riddick and Radha Mitchell’s Carolyn Fry experience surprisingly nuanced and satisfying character arcs but the most memorable aspect of this film is the creatures. Colloquially known as “bioraptors” (they are never formally named in the film), the creatures can only be described as lovecraftian nightmare fuel with no discernible connection to earth-bound predators outside of their translucent, dagger-like teeth. If you asked Pablo Picasso to draw a bloodthirsty demon, this is what he might come back with. Similarly to the classic xenomorph, the bioraptors are beautiful in their own right and fully adapted to aggressively ending the life of anyone or anything in the blink of an eye. While Pitch Black utilizes practical creatures from John Cox’s Creature Workshop for some shots, the bioraptors represent the somewhat rare case of a mostly computer generated creature still coming off as extremely menacing and dangerous. The film is over 20 years old and the bioraptor’s uniquely terrifying design holds up. Pitch Black spawned the two aforementioned sequels, two critically acclaimed video games and an animated movie (The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury). None place the spotlight back on the bioraptors. Seems like a missed opportunity.
Pitch Black receives a 7/10 for general audiences and an 8.5/10 for genre fans. It is a turn of the millennium cult classic that is always worth a return visit.