Review of Pitch Black (2000) by Forrest K — 15 Aug 2011
Wobbles precariously between low budget B-movie charm and being just plain unwatchable, at times. It's easy to dogpile on Pitch Black for its flaws, but I do admire some key things it really gets right. The desolate setting works well to its advantage, both in raising the stakes and staying on budget. A good amount of thought was clearly put into the monster's biology and ecosystem, and this information is given to us implicitly via small visual clues and logical discoveries, not some unbelievable exposition dump.
The monster is unique and actually scary, and like all great horror movies, revealed in doses. There is a central metaphor about desperate times turning men into monsters and vice versa, and they carry it through the whole movie! The irony of a convict being perfectly suited to save his captors because of a sight impediment is also clever. Not least, Vin Diesel is lots of fun as Riddick, improving every scene he's in tenfold.
This review of Pitch Black (2000) was written by Forrest K on 15 Aug 2011.
Pitch Black has generally received positive reviews.
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