Pitch Black

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

I've loved this film since I first saw it at the cinema. It appeals to my sensibilities. It came at a time where doing CG effects was starting to become more commonplace and therefore, affordable for smaller more independent productions. A Scifi Action Horror film with art house sensibilities was practically unheard of before then but that's exactly what this feels like to me. And the blend is pretty seamless.

It also put Radha Mitchell and Vin Diesel on the road to where they are today and spawned animated and live action spin-offs for his character of Riddick. That Riddick movie is a different beast altogether, I have to say I think I prefer the modest intentions and the tone of this film.

The story is pretty straight forward but there's just enough good character beats and acting to create the drama, suspense and emotional payoffs that is often lacking in other films cut from the Alien mould.

Speaking of aliens, the creatures in this film are pretty awesome. And keeping them in the dark works great for a number of reasons too. Add to that some beautiful cinematography (of the boring old South Australian desert) effected with some bold digital and chemical colouring, a really great score from Graeme Revell and some awesome sound design, especially for those creatures and you have a film that I believe is just a few steps up from most films of the genre.