The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black DVD Review:

When a transport carrier crashes onto a barren planet, the survivors think they only have the elements to contend with. Along with the ordinary passengers, an extremely dangerous fugitive called Riddick (Diesel) was being transported back to prison by Officer Johns (Hauser). The group, reluctantly led by the only surviving officer Carolyn Fry (Mitchell), discover an old abandoned research station, which reveals that the planet is to go into darkness for the first time in 22 years. As the planet becomes shrouded in darkness the group has to contend with the Riddick escape and the awakening, hungry planetary inhabitants.

Once in a while a Sci-Fi movie comes along that takes all what is good in the genre and adds its own unique twist. Pitch Black is one of those movies.

By making the villain the hero, you turn the rules of storytelling on its head and produce a real tension for the other characters in the story and for you the viewer. With Riddick you have a protagonist who you simply can’t trust, thus meaning you never know what he is going to do next. He could just as easily slit your throat as save your life because the situation warrants it. The success of the character is this fact however, as you just can’t help but be enthralled by him.

Riddick would be nothing without the stella performance by Vin Diesel. This is the movie that gave him his leading man status and is arguably his best role. His performance instils a real sense of menace into the character, as his deep voice and dominating physique combine to create a look that produces one of the best antiheroes to hit the big screen. You just can’t help but be drawn to the character as there is something intriguingly interesting about evil and with Riddick you just never know what he is going to do next and if he could ever be trusted.

As well as Riddick, Pitch Black succeeds in creating more watchable characters that you really do start to care about. Radha Mitchell plays the reluctant leader of the group Carolyn Fry, a docking-pilot thrown into the captain’s role after the rest of the crew are killed. This is breakthrough role for the Australian actress who shows a real gift for drama as her character rises to the occasion even though she is harbouring a terrible secret. Cole Hauser is a talented actor whose potential has not yet been realised. As officer William J. Johns, Hauser creates a foil for Riddick and a slight element of mistrust within the group of survivors. This is to Hauser credit, as it becomes apparent that Johns is just as complicated a character as Riddick. When you add in good supporting performances from the always-excellent Keith David as holy man Iman and a good Hollywood debut from young Australian actor Rhiana Griffith as Jack, you have an excellent ensemble cast.

The cast would be nothing with a tension filled story and this sci-fi horror at its best. A variant on the Alien mythos, the plot sees the survivor’s not just face the peril of the escaped murder amongst them but they have to contend with the planet’s only surviving inhabitants and they are very hungry. As the planet plunges into darkness, the air is filled with the terrifying cries of these almost demonic creatures, as they awaken from their twenty-two year slumber. For a lower budget movie, the special effects and creature designs are up there with some of the best in resent years. This is helped by the darkness of the piece but there is no denying that the scene in which one of the survivor finds themselves alone in the dark is one of the scariest sci-fi horror scenes in a very long time.

Pitch Black is good old-fashioned scary Sci-Fi horror. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from the exhilarating opening to its dark and eerie conclusion. Vin Diesel’s performance creates an anti-hero for the new millennium and the rest of the cast draw you into their situation superbly. Watch it only if you are not afraid of the dark.

Star Rating = * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, the picture and sound quality are extremely good. The picture is extremely sharp throughout with no pixelation in the slightest, even during the more energetic night sequences. The sound is also first rate with clear dialogue and a surround track that comes into its own when the creatures appear.

BONUS FEATURES

Feature commentary with Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser and director David Twohy

This chatty and funny commentary takes you behind the scenes of the acting elements of Pitch Black. Vin Diesel and Cole Hauser discuss their characters and how they changed from the original script and the inevitable final confrontation. Director David Twohy talks about the structure of the movie and the scenes he deleted or couldn’t afford to do to create his final print. All three of them reminisce about the arduous Australian Outback shoot.

Feature commentary with director David Twohy, producer Tom Engelman and visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang

This track covers the technical side bringing Pitch Black to the silver screen. Both informative and chatty, the three discuss the various special effects house that were used to create spaceships, planet backdrops, sets and the creatures. They also talk about the different shooting style used to give the film its distinctive look including the different colours to represent the suns and the use of focusing to show the illusiveness of Riddick after his escape.

The Chronicles of Riddick Preview (9.22 mins)

Watch the first nine minutes of the big budget sequel to Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick.

An Introduction by David Twohy (2.26 mins)

The director introduces Pitch Black and reveals how the film influenced the making of the sequel. He also talks about how The Chronicles of Riddick will be completely different to the first film but the core message is still the same. These films are about Bad vs. Evil.

The Game is on (1.47 mins)

A trailer for the Vivendi computer game “The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay”

The John’s Chase Log (7.11 mins)

Star Cole Hauser narrates William J. Johns’ 76 day pursuit log of Riddick after his escape from Butcher Bay prison. A computer-generated map shows Johns’ pursuit of Riddick across the system.

The Making of Pitch Black (4.45 mins)

The original 2000 featurette with interviews with director David Twohy and star Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser and Radha Mitchell. Taking you behind the scenes of the Australian Outback shoot, you see how the film was put together and how the terrifying creatures were designed and brought to life.

Dark Fury: Advancing the arc (1.31 mins)

A mini featurette previewing the animated sequel to Pitch Black that bridges the gap between the end of that story and the beginning of The Chronicles of Riddick.

The Chronicles of Riddick Visual Encyclopaedia (2.18 mins)

Cole Hauser narrates visual information on Orrey, Mercs, Slams and The Chronicles of Riddick.

A View into the Dark (4.07 mins)

Director David Twohy and Vin Diesel take you behind the scenes of The Chronicles of Riddick and explain the connection between the sequel and Pitch Black.

Trailers

Previews of Thunderbirds, Van Helsing and The Chronicles of Riddick

OVERALL

This is more of a promotional DVD for The Chronicles of Riddick than a special edition of Pitch Black. Most of the bonus material has something to do with the big budget sequel and only an extremely short making of featurette and Johns’ Chase Log have anything to do with original movie. The commentary tracks are very good however but this doesn’t make up for the shortcomings of the rest of the bonus material. If you can find the original DVD release or are lucky enough to already own it don’t buy this DVD, but if you are not that luck this Special Edition is too bad if you just want to watch the movie, listen to the entertaining commentaries and find out about the sequel.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.