Watch Pitch Black
- R
- 2000
- 1 hr 49 min
-
7.0 (256,536)
The 2000 sci-fi thriller "Pitch Black" follows a group of passengers aboard a spaceship who crash-land on a desert-like planet. Among the survivors is Johns (Cole Hauser), a mercenary transporting a dangerous criminal, Riddick (Vin Diesel), who has unique night-vision abilities. When the planet's three suns simultaneously set, the crew discovers that a horde of vicious creatures, who only come out in the dark, begin to hunt them down.
The cast is led by Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), the ship's docking pilot, who becomes the reluctant leader of the group after the captainâs death. The diverse group of characters includes a Muslim cleric (Keith David), an antiques dealer (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), a runaway teenager (Rhiana Griffith), a police officer (Claudia Black), a geologist (John Moore), and an orphaned boy (Simon Burke).
As the group fights for survival and attempts to find a way off the planet, tensions rise, and secrets are revealed, including that one of the survivors is not who they claim to be. Meanwhile, Riddick, who was initially chained and locked up, begins to play a significant role in aiding the group with his unique abilities.
The film is notable for its cinematography, featuring stunning desert landscapes and striking visual effects. It also leans heavily on tension and action sequences to drive the plot forward. The creature design, led by Patrick Tatopoulos, is particularly noteworthy, with the creatures being dubbed "bioraptors," a kind of lanky, spindly-limbed alien that would become known as one of the franchise's staples.
"Pitch Black" is a seminal entry in the sci-fi genre, with its unique blend of horror, action, and suspenseful storytelling. The film's unexpected success led to a franchise that continues to this day, including two direct sequels, an animated film, and a video game. Vin Diesel's performance as Riddick made him an action star overnight, and the film has remained a cult classic for its memorable characters, thrilling set pieces, and masterful direction by David Twohy.
Pitch Black is a 2000 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0 and a MetaScore of 49.
