Stranded on a desert planet in which at least one of three suns is always shining, survivors of a spaceship crash think they are safe from the planet's native inhabitants, vicious, ravenous creatures who can only live in the dark. But what they soon find out--is that a total solar eclipse is coming.
Subgenres: sci-fi, action
Director: David N. Twohy
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Vin Diesel
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One of the things I've tried to figure out in my few years of reviewing movies is just what separates good dumb movies from lousy dumb movies. The wheat from the chaff. Pitch Black from, say, Bats. I'm still not sure, although I'd imagine its some combination of writing that has a sense of itself without being corny, actors that take the material seriously, and a sense of style that brings the whole thing together. Pitch Black is a good example of this confusion. Plotwise, it's merely a permutation of Aliens, in that respect like dozens of boring films you might find on, say, the Sci-Fi Channel. But Pitch Black separates itself from the pack; here's a film that knows it's really just a glorified dumb action flick, but doesn't let that realization get in its way. Yes, the film presents us with a wacky group of charicatures. But it bounces them against each other in ways that give rise to great dialogue. Sure, the film centers around an "evil" character you know is going to eventually be given a shot at redemption. But the character never loses his edge, nor does the movie make any apologies for the guy--he's bad, no doubt about it, but bad in a more complicated way than most characters of his kind. And yes, it features a bunch of CG creatures that want nothing more than to eat our heroes. But they're presented as shadows, as nightmares--the film is at its most effective, interestingly, when you cannot even see the hunters. Tension and psychological terror is Pitch Black's most effective weapon. More than anything else, Pitch Black is a lot of fun, slick, fast, and smart. Even if it is just a dumb action flick. (Oct 20, 2000) | ||||||
Available on DVD in both an unrated and R-rated version. The unrated version has three more minutes of material than the other.
