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

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.

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.
After two gruesome deaths, the survivors discover that the only visible life form on the planet is a species of carnivorous, occasionally cannibalistic aliens dwelling in caverns beneath the desert surface who can only come out to feed at night. Using a model of the planet and it's suns in an abandoned research station, Fry deduces that they have descended on the planet on the day of its first total eclipse in 22 years - only giving them a few short hours before a period of total darkness. So when the hungry subterranean creatures begin to emerge the last crewmembers must put all their hopes of survival in the most unlikely of heroes.

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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

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
Release Date:	August 16, 2004
Runtime:	104 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	820 503 1
Keywords:	Special, Black, General, Edition, Pitch, Fiction, Science, Horror, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Science Fiction