Pitch Black
Pitch Black is a film that defies and redefines science-fiction boundaries. This film has all the trappings of a big-budget Hollywood sci-fi computer generated movie. But more than one Hollywood rule is broken before the film is over.
From the impressive opening crash scene to the stunning final sequence, Pitch Black is a showcase for amazing visuals and inventive storytelling. A cast of 11 survives a spaceship crash, including the pilot, a scavenger/mechanic, four religious pilgrims, a bounty hunter and a murderer. The eclectic group is not a standard cast. No one character can be considered the lead. If anything, the lead is shared between Caroline Fry (Radha Mitchell), the pilot; William Johns (Cole Hauser), the bounty hunter; and Richard Riddick (Vin Deisel), the murderer.
Of the three, none are completely loveable or identifiably “heroic.” Fry’s first major act is an attempt to detach the cabin where the passengers are in stasis in order to save her own life. Another crewmember stops her and she spends the rest of the film struggling to deal with her decision.
Johns is manipulative by charismatic. Riddick is a complete change from stereotypical Hollywood. He is skilled at what he does, can determine and exploit weaknesses with ease and is not remorseful for his past. He is a killer and he embraces that, yet he also entices the audience’s interest and sometimes empathy. Diesel does an amazing job playing a difficult character.
Pitch Black generally ignores gender issues, which is a welcome change from current trends. Caroline Fry, who takes charge of the group, is an exceptional example of a strong sci-fi female. Often, if a female is strong, she is also rude and unfeeling; Fry is neither. She does not allow herself to be intimidated by the male leads, nor does she allow herself to “dominate” them. She has emotions but does not allow them to cloud her judgement.
While Pitch Black is viewed as a monster movie it is more than that. Yes, there are aliens that come out at night and devour the cast one by one. The plot relies on the fact that this particular planet has three suns, putting it in near perpetual daylight. But there is a coming eclipse that will bathe the surface in darkness for an undetermined amount of time. The eclipse itself is one of the most beautiful moments in the history of computer-generated imaging.
The cinematography is awe-inspiring. Using colored filters, David Eggby accentuated the desolate landscape. The bleached-out yellows, soft blues, and harsh oranges of the different suns are represented so naturally that they obtain realism easily. Special effects lighting and distorting effects were used to make the opening crash sequence more realistic. The editing is not the Hollywood style either. Standard editing tries not to draw attention to itself, but Pitch Black goes beyond that subtlety and can be jarring and disorienting in order to enhance the plot. The editing style and cinematography seem to have more in common with independent films than Hollywood blockbusters.
Beyond how inventive, interesting, and imaginative Pitch Black is, it is also an enjoyable film. Many have said that a good movie “makes you think.” As strange as it may sound, “Pitch Black” certainly does that. It can easily lead to lengthy discussion on anything from secondary characters to primary themes. This is not a movie to be dismissed as simply an “action flick” or a “sci-fi thriller.”
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