The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (2000)

DVD COLLECTION

This is one of the many DVD's i wanted in my collection. It was easy to find in Amazon ( as always ) at at my price ( also , as always ) . Its why i always come back to Amazon for all my wants and needs. This is one of the few DVDs that was missing that i had wanted for quite some time. I finally just sat down at my computer, went to Amazon, typed in what i wanted,,,,and wha-la,,,there it was. And its a FABULOUS movie to boot !! September 3, 2008

A little above average for a sci fi movie.

I wasn't going to review Pitch Black, I bought it back when it came out on DVD.
I thought it was..........ok. But I only watched it once.
I was bored on Saturday, so I dug it out of my DVD piles this last weekend and watched it again.
I don't think my opinion has changed very much.

The FX are very well done, it's just a feeling of been there, done that.
That seems to be the case with so many movies, but considering how influential Alien and Aliens were its hard not to draw comparisons.
Some of the scenes are just flat out trippy with the different colored worlds.
I say Pitch Black deserves three stars just for the visual effects.

As for the script itself, it's just so - so.
It's neither here nor there.
The monsters are kind of cool but are also so - so.
Nothing really new or innovative in the story telling dept.
This movie thrives on its visual appeal not so much in the story telling dept.

The acting is fine, considering 90% of the cast is basically monster food.
They do ok with the subject material but none of the performances are what I'd consider Oscar worthy.

All in all, it's worth a rental, I've never seen the other two and I'm not really interested enough to bother renting them.
The visuals MAKE this movie and I'd love to get a pair of Vin's contacts. LOL.
If the whole sci - fi, alien thing is your gig and you're not looking for anything cutting edge or life changing then Pitch Black should be right up your alley.
If you're an old, jaded, cynical Alien fan you may want to pass.
I recommend Pitch Black for its impressive visuals not its ho hum story line.
A recommended rental.
August 4, 2008

First Riddick Movie

Got the three Riddick movies as a gift and watched all three over the weekend. I can't believe I liked them so well. This first movie has beautiful but very bleak desert scenery. The characters are likeable and interesting, especially the Riddick character. Much of the movie takes place in the dark, as the title describes. It is suspenseful and I enjoyed watching it very much. I was sad that most of the characters didn't make it, but overall I found this to be very well done as far as science fiction. I liked it every bit as much as the old alien movies, maybe more.

July 15, 2008

Pitch Black Theology

Pitch Black is an exciting sci-fi thriller of about space travelers being marooned on a planet faced by an attack of its indigenous nocturnal creatures. It smacks of many movies in the history of cinema, Aliens being the first which comes to mind, but the movie is very unique in several points. One is Vin Diesel's charismatic performance as the anti-hero Riddick. Physically impressive with his baritone voice Diesel's presence controls the film from beginning to end. However, I enjoyed the film as there are some unique portrayals of religion that are rarely seen in movies that deserve to be mentioned. This is done through the character of Imam played by Keith David, which is contrasted and challenged by Riddick during the movie. I believe the screenwriters wisely chose the image of a Muslim religious leader rather than the traditional Christian clergyman. It was wise in the sense since Hollywood has often portrayed Christian ministers in the past as being hypocritical, indecisive, insipid, close-minded and so gentle to even appear effeminate. Hollywood is yet to commonly portray Muslim leaders in this way and this is what provides credibility for the audience regarding Imam's character. This is not to say there are not strong Christians, but cinema has influenced the culture to an extent that portraying such an image would be difficult to believe by an American audience. It is through the Imam that the issue of faith is brought up.

Spoiler alert
Imam is contrasted with Riddick who brazenly confesses that he does believe in God, but states that He is apathetic at least and sadistic at worst. However, Imam's belief does not waver despite Riddick's mocking of his faith even when a turn of natural events puts the survivors in jeopardy. In the end though it is Riddick's character, which changes due to the sacrifice of the Captain, Carolyn Fry who refuses to abandon anyone on the planet even Riddick. Fry ends up going back for a wounded Riddick and dies in the process. Riddick is shocked that anyone would sacrifice his life for him; especially this woman who knows that Riddick was willing to leave stranded the remaining survivors to save himself. Riddick is floored physically and emotionally with disbelief that anyone would sacrifie their life for anyone especailly him as he sees Fry's body being taken away. Such an act of self-sacrifice is Christ-like in nature and resonates Jesus' Crucifixion. This sacrifice is what produces an inward change in him expressed when after they escape from the planet he states that Riddick died back on the planet.

Altogether this was an interesting film, which raised philosophical and theological issues. Although the issue of God and human suffering are not given a thorough presentation in the movie it is expressed enough to make one think. One thing I have realized about this film is that it was released before the terrorist attack of 9/11, and I wonder how receptive the American audiences would be to having a Muslim being portrayed favorably in the movie, and what would the reaction be if released a year and half later than it actually was. Having watched this film recently, I appreciated seeing a character who is religious in nature and not being portrayed as fanatical, hypocritical, or banal. The screenwriters created some worthwhile characters, and I await to see further adventures of Riddick after the Chronciles.
June 29, 2008

Some suspenseful moments. It's worth watching once.

There are some suspenseful moments. The action scenes are OK. The plot is so so.

It's worth watching once. June 8, 2008

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