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Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Pitch Black
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 29 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 25 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Sci-fi
Written by:
David N. Twohy
Ken Wheat (story)
Jim Wheat (story)
Directed by: David N. Twohy
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 18, 2000
DVD: October 10, 2000
Running Time: 108 minutes, Color
Origin: USA / Australia
Summary
RATING: R for sci-fi violence and gore, and for language
Starring Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Claudia Black, Rhiana Griffith, and John Moore
A space transport crashes on an apparently deserted planet, leaving the crew to reckon with the likes of fellow passenger Riddick (Diesel), a serial murderer. The true threat to the crew turns out to be a virtual sky full of flying, flesh-eating creatures who come out to play under the protection of darkness.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Below The Chronicles of Riddick
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
Between the tart dialogue, the compelling lead performances, the vivid violence and the stunning cinematography, it's complete and satisfying all on its own.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
So jaunty, so limber, and so visually self-assured that art peeks through where crap has traditionally made its home.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
Shrewdly taps into the lurking primal terrors of anyone who ever had to sleep with a night light.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
Visually, Pitch Black is sleek and stylish in a post-apocalyptic way, and a scantily clad Radha Mitchell does a nice, more femme variation of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Sara Wildberger
Just may be the most entertainingly derivative movie of the millennium so far.
Read Full Review >New York Post Jonathan Foreman
By far the best thing about Pitch Black is the cool-looking lighting and photography.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Justine Elias
(Diesel's) Riddick, a silver-eyed, musclebound escaped killer, is the most sequel-worthy sci-fi creation since the Terminator.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
This handsomely photographed, briskly directed sci-fi fright picture is enjoyable enough on its own limited terms.
Read Full Review >Variety Emanuel Levy
Mildly scary but not particularly engaging on any other level.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Clever, done with skill, yet lacking in the cerebral imagination of the best science fiction.
Read Full Review >USA Today Susan Wloszczyna
Nothing really fun, scary or exceptionally gross occurs.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
Stylishly realized, but its striking cinematography, nontraditional editing, and consistently reflexive use of genre conceits add up as methodically as a math problem.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky
It's just a familiar bore, offering chills and thrills only to those who have never seen a movie before.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
You are allowed to come up with a monster we haven't seen before.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
A routine sci-fi/horror action-adventure, takes us where we've been countless times before.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Say what you will about the story, but Pitch Black at least looks and sounds stunning.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
It has a distinctive look but a few too many recycled ideas; better luck on the next crash-landing.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Barbara Shulgasser
A rather wan version of "Jurassic Park" - a series of setups featuring humans being picked off by bigger, faster and stronger carnivores.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Examiner Bob Stephens
The sudden cranking of the volume that makes us jump, even if we're just watching a cow chew on its cud.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
This half-baked sci-fi horror film, filled with jerky, washed-out, highlighted, blurred and toned imagery, is a tiresome experience.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Marcus P gave it a10:
Great movie, had a very dark gritty feel to it and, oh yeah Riddick's a Badass.
Levente S gave it a1:
A highly derivative action/horror/sci-fi film which completely fails to deliver on the action, the horror, or the science. Forgettable, interchangeable stock characters make up the bulk of the relatively small cast. The main characters are bland stereotypes, Riddick himself is only memorable because i've heard his name so many times before. None of the action is exciting, all the horror amounts to the occasional startling due to loud noises (but only two or three times in all), and there is no science to speak of. Ten minutes in I found myself looking for excuses to stop watching, I went to the bathroom, I got a drink, I made some food. Boring, repetitive, extremely underburdened with plot and convincing dialogue, and repetitive. Do not watch this film even once, you'll have more doing exactly what you would do while watching the movie, only with all electronics off. The ambiguity of Diesel's character gets one point, but they could have made it a bigger part of the story.
Allen& Laura R. gave it a10:
We loves this movies is great!! We have seen it 10 time. it show more action!! hope in the future there will be Pitchblack Pt.2.
Andy M. gave it a1:
I'm watching this movie right now and I'm not sure I can take much more of it. There just aren't that many... redeeming qualities! The cinematography is unique and thought-out, but the amount of color filters, muddying up EVERY SINGLE FRAME with blue or brown, just pisses me off. Realism absolutely aside ('cause there is almost none), I feel no reason to care for any of the characters. Vin's character I do not pity nor root for, nor do I take any interest in the others. The sets are laughable, making visuals as annoying as the coloring. I like sci-fi, I really do, but this just feels like a bad episode of "Lost" mixed with "The Hills Have Eyes" without the grittiness or the intrigue. Oh, and produced with a budget of about 50 bucks. Really, don't waste as much time as I have on this thing.
Jeff A. gave it an8:
Dunno why the low score, this is a great, different, if slightly cheesy movie. Diesel has a style all his own.
Fred Bob gave it an8:
I must say that I think that the character that Vin Diesel plays is the all-time best fictional character ever. Who's cool? The movie in general is good, better then it's follow up film. But it still has it's dull spots.
Sam gave it an8:
Pitch Black isn't the greatest sci-fi movie of all time, and it isn't trying to be. It is, though, a helluva lot of fun.
