Pitch Black

  • Theatrical - Wide 2000-02-18
Genres:

JoBlo's Rating

7/10

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 after the craft suffers severe damage during a meteor shower. The ship... See more 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.

Top Stories

See All Articles

Reviews

Pitch Black

Review Date: Director: David N. Twohy Writer: David N. Twohy, Ken Wheat and Jim Wheat Producers: Tom Engelman Actors: Vin Diesel as Riddick, Radha Mitchell as Fry, Cole Hauser as Johns Plot: A bunch of good folks, along with one...
JoBlo

The F*cking Black Sheep: Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

THE BLACK SHEEP is an ongoing column featuring different takes on films that either the writer HATED, but that the majority of film fans LOVED, or that the writer LOVED, but that most others LOATH. We're hoping this column will...

All Articles

JoBloJoBlo

Face-Off: Pitch Black vs. The Chronicles of Riddick

Last week’s Face-Off featured two cool movie characters battling it out: Frank Bullitt from BULLITT vs. The Driver from DRIVE . Frank won the battle but very few votes were counted as many responded with outrage at the fact that...
JoBloJoBlo

The Test of Time: Pitch Black (2000)

We all have movies we love. Movies we respect without question because of either tradition, childhood love, or because they’ve always been classics. However, as time keeps ticking, do those classics still hold up? So…the point of this here column...
JoBloJoBlo

Face-Off: Pitch Black Vs. The Descent

The few folks who commented on our last Face-Off were in agreement with me that Invasion of the Body Snatchers does indeed easily take over The Stepford Wives in terms of body-switching classic horror. For today’s Face-Off, we decided to...
JoBloJoBlo

Dissecting Writer/Director David Twohy!

Writer/Director David Twohy Buy PITCH BLACK here Over the last 20 years, writer/director David Twohy has embraced the dark side like few other filmmakers. Of the 15 or so projects he's worked on during that span, only G.I. JANE stands...

Pitch Black

Review Date: Director: David N. Twohy Writer: David N. Twohy, Ken Wheat and Jim Wheat Producers: Tom Engelman Actors: Vin Diesel as Riddick, Radha Mitchell as Fry, Cole Hauser as Johns Plot: A bunch of good folks, along with one...