Stars: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitzgerald, Claudia Black, John Moore, Simon Burke

Director: David N. Twohy

Summary: When a spacecraft carrying an assortment of passengers is forced to make a crash landing on a barren, triple-sunned planet, the ship is ripped into pieces. The disaster kills several crewmembers and leaves meek officer Fry (Radha Mitchell) in charge of the survivors - one of whom is Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), a dangerous, shackled murderer who was being transported between prisons and who has acquired the superhuman ability to see in total darkness.

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 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 realise that Riddick may be their only hope.

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Pitch Blackis a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations, even though it owes a major debt to Alienand its cinematic spawn. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalises a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts. A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser) and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Blacksettles into familiar sci-fi territory.

What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of straight-to-video schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Blackgets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this film works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Introduction To The Film By Director David Twohy, The Chronicles Of Riddick Visual Encyclopaedia, Johns Chase Log, Making Of, Interactive Game Preview, Preview Of Dark Fury Animation, Director Commentary, Actors Commentary, A View Into The Dark Featurette
Year:	2000
Release Date:	August 16, 2004
Runtime:	104 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	820 504 2
Keywords:	Special, Black, Action, General, Edition, Wide, Screen, Pitch, Fiction, Science, Horror, Adventure, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Science Fiction