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Pitch Black (Rated Version)

Pitch Black (Rated Version)

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Solid "Aliens" Genre Flik
Review: I'm not a huge Vin Diesel fan, but looking past his one dimensional acting ability. Pitch Black is a good movie. Not great, but worth owning if you are a fan of this type of movie. The bleached out look of the movie takes a little getting used to, it kind of detracts from the plot development. I kept adjusting my t.v. thinking my contrast was out of sync. The alien creatures are realistic and bloodthirsty, if not particularly cunning. Well above a B-movie status, but not quite a blockbuster, I give it a solid 3 1/2 stars. Amazon only allows for whole numbers so the 3 stars should actually be 3 1/2.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's a pretty cool movie.
Review: I have the unrated version of this movie and I think its pretty cool. I have rented the rated version and i like this one better. You do notice that added footage. Some People say you dont notice it, if you have seen both versions of this movie you do. I like the bleatching effect they did to this film, I think it give it a cool feel that wouldnt would work with other movies of this type. Finally, This is a movie that if you have kids you might be able to let them watch it and not worrie that they might have nightmares.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Skin crawling to laugh-out-loud funny... and back again!
Review: One rule: Buy it... don't mess with the rated version... you WANT the Director's cut... the scenes add so much to the depth of the movie.

I won't ramble on about plot, special effects, etc. because those have been addressed before. The first time I watched this movie (original release), I liked it alot. The second, third and fourth times I began to discover so much more of the dialogue and character development that I had missed on the earlier viewings. Now, I get to enjoy the movie with the footage it SHOULD have had for the original release. And the commentary by Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser and David Twohy will have you laughing your as* off! Highly recommended!

Vin Diesel evolves smoothly from evil bad-as* to the emerging anti-hero of the flick and I savored every minute of it (insert primal feminine growl here). The other members of the crew were great... each developing their particular personalities that made this film so intense. Even the unidentified "survivor" who meets with an unhappy surprise sticks in your mind (if I heard correctly, the actor was also Vin's stunt double).

After you enjoy the film, take a trip around the web and read some of the fanfic available. I am simply amazed and impressed at the work of some of the fans. My current fave is "Apprentice" by Ardath Rekha (sp?) at ... Don't go there if you are looking for PG rating, though.

Enough! Get the DVD!!!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: E for Effort
Review: This movie tries, it really does. It makes a whole-hearted effort to recapture the horror, claustrophobia, and emotional turmoil of Ridley Scott's "Alien." But it just fails.

There are two basic problems with this film. First is the monster. In "Alien," we had a man in a suit; in "Pitch Black" we have computer-generated creatures. The Alien, designed by H.R. Giger, actually looked like it was in the environment, because it was, giving the actors something to react to. The creature in this film, by John Cox's Creature Workshop, doesn't, despite a marathon technicial staff. It's entirely too obvious, too often, that the actors are reacting to the air, expecting the thing to be matted in later.

The other problem lies with the characters. The actors themselves do an admirable job, reflecting the known skill and acclaim of folks like Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, and Keith David. The problem is that we have no sympathetic point-of-view character to hold onto, and thus we don't much care if they live or die. The only characters we have who aren't at least somewhat objectionable are a group of Muslims on the hajj, and as most of them have no English, they can't serve as the audience surrogate in the action.

The movie is, mostly, visually beautiful. The location work, shot in the same desert as "Mad Max," makes for wonderful atmospherics. The shift from relentless sun to total darkness (think Asimov's "Nightfall) is done mostly well, with a few scientific errors easily overlooked in a movie. And the creatures, when they hold the screen themselves, are remarkably well done.

This doesn't make up, however, for the manifest weaknesses of this film. It tries to hard to ape elements of successful past sci-fi horror, and it just doesn't hold up.

A sequel is due out next year. Here's hoping we're at least given a POV character we can hang onto and understand.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: See it at the theater, then BUY IT.
Review: This is the first time I saw Diesel and I knew it certainly would not be the last. His character is perfect, the special effects are primo, the acting performances of all are above average. Definately a thumbs up.

My movie ratings are as follows: 1) Just don't bother, 2)Borrow it if you MUST see the thing, 3) Rent it, 4) Pay to see it on the big screen, and 5)BUY IT ASAP. This one gets a 4 and a 5.

The highest praise a movie can get is is kept my total attention throughout. This one did.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A very beautiful movie
Review: Pitch Black is the perfect example of that rare circumstance where a movie becomes a work of art.

From the very beginning of the movie, it draws you in and holds on to your attention. The opening seconds really make you feel the loneliness and hostility of deep space, then proceed to make you feel that you are a part of this universe, in humanity's dark and dreary future.

The characters involved present a cynical, but fairly accurate, representation of the human race. By far the coolest of these is the escaped convict Richard B. Riddick. This is Vin Diesel at his best.

During the first part of the movie, you're treated to some of the most beautiful lighting effects you will ever see in the movies, which adds flavor to the development of the story.

Now, the ecology of the planet in this movie is often criticized because such an ecosystem couldn't survive. However, in case you haven't figured it out, it's supposed to be that way. We don't know a whole lot about this planet's history, but one thing we do know is that its ecosystem has been decimated by these creatures and, because of that, they themselves are also about to go extinct, making the planet into a dead rock in space.

As the movie progresses, you can see an eerie similarity between the creatures and the present representatives of humanity...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Sci-Fi Thriller With a Few New Twists
Review: There are plenty of good, action packed sci-fi thrillers out there, correct? But how many of them can you say have the newest twist that screenwriter David Twohy has brought to the screen? Not a visible one, mind you. Perceptiveness is key in finding it - unlike most of the movies in this genre, the chracters have depth, there are new fear-invoking concepts being used, and new effects employed to bring about a new light on the sci-fi thriller genre.

Riddick (Vin Diesel) deals with all types of emotion, well shown through Diesel's control of his expressions. In certain scenes, we can see this ex-con, murderer, and freak sideshow (with his shine job, what else could he be?) deal with frustration, restraint, and even - dare I say it - fear. Fry (Radha Mitchell) knows throughout the movie that she is guilty of trying to kill the passengers, yet overcoming this guilt is necessary for her ultimate sacrifice to save the other survivors. And of course, Johns deals with addiction the easy way - by giving into it - and tries his hand at manipulation: sometimes, he does succeed, but overall he's just another fool in the daily grind.

As well as using his deep knowledge of characterizations to bring new meaning to Pitch Black, Twohy uses an untapped source for the 'scary' elements of the film. Throughout the picture, the creatures are hardly ever seen in a normal camera light and view. Why? It's the same concept as the monster-under-the-bed, or the 'Tooth Fairy' from Darkness Falls. By not seeing what one is really afraid of, there is psychologically more fear is invoked in the person's mind.

The final element that brings new light to this close-to-generic plot is exactly that- the lighting. How many other movies have entire segmants set in a bluelight, or an orangey tint? Not many, I'd say. The different colored segments show many things - even the mindset of the characters. Using charts describing emotions invoked by color, one can reasonably say that the blue light was used while the characters were calm and sure of their motion. They were still confident that they'd all come out of the accident alive. By the time the color swithed over to the orange tint, some of the survivors were dead, and calmness had led to fury over the fact that death was nearly inevitable for some. And, of course, when the time came that the entire planet was shrouded in the black, fear had settled into the hearts of everyone still breathing.

Overall, the movie was slightly predictable, with a few different effects than most in this genre. The ending deals completely with emotion, with a bit of psychological revenge and a mix of untapped resources. I'd reccommend this movie, if only for the reason that it's not the generic thriller, but one with a fresh new outlook.

-star of light-

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This was not scary.
Review: Not once did this movie scare me. It was full of horror cliche's and full of BAD acting. Terrible story, lousy script, Vin Diseal, and it's like a big rip off of aliens. It's a good thing this director went on to do far better things like Below. Skip this load of crap and see Below. By the way, I watched this alone in the dark and 1:00 a.m. and I walked down a dark hallway and slept in the dark, and wasn't even remotely worried or scared. Yes this movie totally sux!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of The Better Sci-Fi Thrillers Out There
Review: Pitch Black is a fun movie. There are a good number of plot twists, good characters, and it's a fun story. Basicly a ship crash lands on a deserted planet. The survivors find an abandoned human settlement and are about to leave when the planet plunges into darkness and aliens come out to hunt them. I think that the story behind the previous humans and what happened to them could have been developed a little more, but maybe that's just me.
As with many sci-fi thrillers, there is language galore. I've never really understood that point, and especially in this film. It doesn't add very much to the moive, or even seem realistic. I understand cursing when it adds to the movie, but sometimes it almost wants to make you laugh here, it just sounds silly.
There are some great scares in the movie, and it keeps you guessing till the end. I personnaly think the alien in this movie looks a little silly, not scary like the creature in "Alien".
But, all told, it's worth seeing. It's a good movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Such a disappointing movie.
Review: I sat down ready to watch what I had hoped would be a great sci-fi action film. I expected another movie to give the 'Alien' series a run for it's money. I feel like I wasted my time. I want it back. I feel like the producers of this film pulled a fast one on me.

The film follows a group of people on a starship who crashland on a remote planet. One character, Vin Diesel's Riddick, is an escaped convict heading back to prison having just been recaptured. As the group search the area around the crashsite, the find that the planet's three suns are going to set, and they will be plunged into total darkness. In this darkness lies a terror worse than Riddick. Blah, blah, blah...

We all know the hype. The commercials were good and the special effects look good. Honestly, three-quarters of the way into this movie, I was enjoying it. There were several plot twists that were totally unexpected, and fairly refreshing, until toward the end of the film. One plot twist too many, and the movie lost me as a fan. I felt cheated, or better yet, tricked.

Diesel does a good job with the acting in this movie. The special effects were fantastic, and the creatures were pretty scary. Not as nightmare-inducing as the alien, but still a bit scary.

They say that two things can make or break a movie. These being the beginning and the ending. The movie had a solid beginning, but alas, a poor ending.


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