The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
by David Twohy
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Radha Mitchell, Vin DieselDirector: David Twohy
Brand: Universal
Writer: David Twohy
Producer: Scott Kroopf
Producer: Ted Field
Producer: Tom Engelman
Producer: Tony Winley
Writer: Jim Wheat
Writer: Ken Wheat
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-01
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
Movie Review: "As I was saying, it's not me you have to worry about..."
Summary: 4 Stars
My rating: 3.5 out of 5
Premise
*A spaceship crashes on a desolate planet which has three different suns. The survivors (including Riddick (Vin Diesel), a convicted killer) try to find a way off of the planet. But when a total solar eclipse occurs, nocturnal alien monsters come up and prey on them.
The Good Things
*Sound quality is not bad (see below for video quality).
*Includes a couple of commentaries, a number of featurettes, some exclusive picture-in-picture features, a visual encyclopedia, and trailers.
*Includes both the theatrical and unrated cuts of the movie.
*The movie is generally well-made. There are some scenes that are really fast-cut or jittery, but most of it is smooth. Photography is good.
*Includes a lot of good special effects. They may be a bit out-dated by today's standards, but are still great to watch.
*Production design is pretty good. The locations, settings, creatures, and props are particularly great.
*The story is great.
*Characters are good, and very well-acted.
*Music is okay.
The Bad Things
*Gets a little slow for the first half of the movie. It's almost too slow for my taste.
*As noted above, this movie has some scenes that are fast-cut and chaotic. I found it pretty gaudy, and I think it detracted a lot from the action scenes.
The Questionable Things
*Video quality is not bad, but in high-definition, the film definitely shows its age. The special effects (slick though they are) now look more crude and out-dated. There's lots of grain, and some scenes look fuzzy.
*The "Riddick: Dark Fury" cartoon is not included (nor is it on the "Chronicles of Riddick" disc). Most people probably don't care.
As a sci-fi horror film, this is generally not bad. It has a very original premise with some interesting characters and lots of original special effects. This Blu-Ray disc surprisingly makes the film look old, but is still an improvement over the DVD.
More The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut) reviews:
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Summary of The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick (Vin Diesel) isn't the only thing they have to fear. Deadly creatures lurk in the shadows, waiting to attack in the dark, and the planet is rapidly plunging into the utter blackness of a total eclipse. With the body count rising, the doomed survivors are forced to turn to Riddick with his eerie eyes to guide them through the darkness to safety. With time running out, there's only one rule: Stay in the light.Pitch Black is the original sci-fi hit that introduced the world to the character of Riddick, the ultimate anti-hero. Take a ride on the pulse-pounding adrenaline rush that USA Today calls "the best excuse to root for the bad guy since Arnold in the original Terminator."
Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts.
A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory.
What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon
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