Outside of summer, true big screen spectacles are rare creatures, movies that demand to be seen in all their cinematic glory, well away from the confines of home entertainment. Pitch Black is one such film. At first sight, given its credentials and basic overly familiar plot, it would be perfectly reasonable to mistake this sci-fi gem for a glorified b-movie, fully deserving of a home on video shop shelves. David Twohy is not exactly a name in the league of say … James Cameron, specialising as he does in mid-budget sci-fi, such as the cheesy Charlie Sheen alien invasion flick The Arrival. There is no big star, which is actually a very good thing, but for mainstream audiences will, in all likelihood prove a deterrent. And as for the plot, well on the surface, it seems like yet another Aliens clone. All of this may seem like overwhelming evidence in the case against the idea of seeing Pitch Black, however there is a clear, precise argument for seeing Pitch Black and it is simple: the movie is one of the most thrilling, visually stunning sci-fi experiences in the last decade.
Set in the distant future where space flight is the norm, Pitch Black opens with a transport ship cruising peacefully in space. Its occupants include a fairly standard mix of crew, travellers, holy men, a law officer and a vicious murderer. Suddenly, everything is thrown into chaos when a meteor storm disrupts the voyage, destroying the ship’s engine, forcing it to crash-land on a seemingly uninhabited planet. Upon landing, more than three quarters of the passengers are dead, leaving nine alive amongst one escaped felon. Initially Riddick, the killer is their main threat but soon enough, the other survivors learn that he is the least of their problems. Every twenty-two years, an eclipse occurs, a relief from the otherwise permanent sun, something the planet’s true inhabitants take advantage of, emerging to feed. Unfortunately, Riddick and co. couldn’t have had worse timing for there is an eclipse due very soon …
From the very beginning, David Twohy’s film moves. The meteors attack the space cruiser and you can feel every one of them hit home as people die and the ship hurtles toward its doom. The first ten minutes are a perfect example of what to expect for the next hundred or so sheer momentum full of intensity and stunning intimacy. Between all the thrills, a group of characters are introduced, the script never skimping on human interest, their interaction as thrilling as the action going on around them.
Unlike the good majority of sci-fi/horror movies out there right now, Pitch Black attempts and succeeds to bring its cast to life. The majority of them are not simply monster fodder, they actually live and breathe, people with morals and shading. Fry the co-pilot with a lot on her conscience, Johns the law officer whose intensity is somewhat alarming and Riddick, a man who has killed and will very likely kill again. Each of these people are affected in different ways by the disaster, each grows and develops within the movie's timeframe.
As David O’Russel did with Three Kings, David Twohy has employed the bleaching process to good effect within his movie. The daytime scenes are alive with the ferocious heat of the planet’s three suns, the desert world fully illustrated by the faded celluloid, stripped bare and desolate. When the night falls it is almost a relief … until the monsters come out. Initially, they are kept – with the exception of some quick brutal flashes - off-screen, only their eerie sonar screams to be heard. When the creatures do finally make an appearance, David Twohy brings them fully to life with some intense camerawork and choreography. Riddick has light implants in his eyes, giving him a strange night vision, something that takes the film onto another impressive visual level with some nifty Predator-like heat sensitive views.
Although Radha Mitchell and Cole Hauser do some excellent work throughout – especially the former with her gritty Ripley-like heroine – Vin Diesel is very much the star. He may look like another muscle-bound lunk a la Van-damme or Schwarzenegger but he is also an extremely charismatic actor whose very presence fills the screen amazingly. He has also proved his worth as a dramatic actor in Boiler Room and despite being lumbered with a rather clunky role, Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan.
At the end of the day, Pitch Black is one hundred times more thrilling than any of the junk released last summer. If you want a real cinematic experience it is a must, eclipsing the turgid likes of The Perfect Storm and The Patriot with ease. It was originally set for release last March, only to be put back a grand number of four times, at one point even scheduled for a summer release. For a time, I was truly worried that it would get thrown down into video hell but it is here at last and – sorry for repeating this – MUST be seen on the big screen. If you are a fan of sci-fi/monster flicks then this is the perfect film for you, yet Pitch Black has a wider appeal, slotting nicely among the potential late night date fodder, its science fiction aspects stream-lined enough to keep the female population happy. And if that isn’t enough, just show her a picture of Vin Diesel, I’m sure she will come around. |
