Can't see much in "Pitch Black" (2000)

If you haven’t figured out yet, I am a bit of a fan of the Fast and Furious series. And before Vin Diesel was laying down wads of cash before races and streaks of rubber, there was “Pitch Black”. And I stand by saying that Diesel is a good actor, it’s just a shame that he gets not a lot of roles that aren’t part of the FnF series. And the roles he does get aren’t that amazing, for example “The Pacifier”. And a good friend of mine told me to check out “Pitch Black” because it is just Toretto in space with a gun and night vision. That sounds like something I might like.

During a simple travel mission, a space transporter crashes on a desert island, out of the 40 passengers only 10 survive. One of the survivors is a murder and criminal, Riddick (Diesel). As the ten roam the planet looking for a way to escape, they stumble on the fact that this lifeless planet is heading into a time of, what feels like, forever darkness. Problem is, when the planet goes dark the creatures come out and play. The crew now needs to worry about the murderous Riddick and the blood sucking aliens that roam the planet.

How do I get a pair of eyes like those?

Before I get on a tangent of Diesel, I need to make aware that Keith David is in this movie. He plays a religious leader.  That man will play any role, and never disappoints. Back to Diesel, even though he is all and well here. What really makes him shine is the actual character Riddick. To sum it up, he is some sort of ninja on steroids. He is always hiding in the shadows, sneaking around and most importantly will lay down some serious ass kicking. And there is something in Diesel’s voice that really suits Riddick well. But he isn’t the nicest man in the crew; actually he is probably the meanest. He’ll leave you behind, sacrifice you and won’t take a second look. Though he does show some remorse later on, there isn’t much of it.

I think I’ve talked about Vin Diesel a smidge too much. The movie itself was alright, nothing that stands out. The story isn’t a whole lot interesting and they never really dig deep into the fiction of the world they were in. They explore a bit of the aliens, but not a lot so in the end they are just a nuisance instead of a real threat. Well, considering that getting eaten alive is JUST a nuisance. Sadly the movie felt very shallow and linear, never really bringing out the world around them.

Note to self: Don't piss off aliens. 

There isn’t more I can really say about the movie. It is a very average movie that surrounds a very awesome character. While a lot of the movie did bore me because not a lot was happening, Riddick was the one saving grace. His alien annihilating ability and sheer douche-baggary of an attitude to the human race makes it all worthwhile. I enjoyed the movie enough but not enough to really want to see the rest of the trilogy.