Are you afraid of the dark? (Pitch Black (DVD))

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	Pitch Black (DVD)
Date:	10/09/07 (140 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: interesting gimmick adds freshness to an old idea, good direction, Vin Diesel's best role

Disadvantages: Unoriginal and derivative, poor characters

Pitch Black is one of those films that – thanks to a gimmick partially forced on it by budget constraints – actually provides something a little different in the sci-fi world. Its central conceit – a group of survivors being hunted by monsters which come out in the dark – plays on basic human fears and instantly helps set up the tense atmosphere the film needs. The fact that neither we, nor they, know how long the darkness is going to last adds to the unsettling feeling.

It also unearthed an unlikely star in the guise of Vin Diesel as anti-hero and murderer Richard B Riddick. Gruff, terse and violent, Diesel somehow makes Riddick likeable – giving him his own (admittedly skewed) code and sense of honour. It would have been easy for both Diesel and the writers to set Riddick up as the bad guy, yet they resist this temptation. Despite his violent nature, you can’t help admire his determination to survive, whatever the cost. Diesel himself looks the part, acting distant and cool (in both senses of the word). Indeed, he seems to have found his perfect role (although, as a former bouncer, you do suspect this isn’t much of a stretch for him!) Certainly, he’s never done anything else anywhere near as good.

The central plot is so simple that the film is easy to get into and fun to watch. From the start it’s a battle for survival, which automatically brings an element of tension. As new developments make the situation more perilous, the survivors start to fall apart. This adds to the tension and gets you unsettled and on edge even before the monsters come out to play. The fact that none of the cast are big names adds to this, because it’s virtually impossible to predict who will survive and who will die.

Credit must also go to David Twohy’s assured directing. Filmed in bleached, washed out colours (again, partially due to budget constraints!), there’s a real “other-worldly” feel to the planet the survivors land on. This creates a surprisingly disconcerting sense of displacement and disorientation.

Recognising that his plot is fairly flimsy, Twohy doesn’t hang around when it comes to the running time. It’s fairly short and the script ensures that new revelations happen at regular intervals to keep interest levels high. There aren’t many points where your attention starts to wander or you are teetering on the edge of boredom. Twohy recognises that the “dark” gimmick can only be used for so long before it becomes tiresome and annoying and manages to end the film just in time!

Despite the deliberately unsettling tone, there’s some evidence that Pitch Black has its tongue planted in its cheek. There are definite elements of (pitch) black humour in there, which will make you smile and do help to lighten the mood a little.

Twohy also takes the sensible decision not to reveal the monsters until fairly late in the film. Again, this was partially forced by budget considerations, but actually adds quite a bit to the atmosphere. For long periods, the monsters are unseen, or hidden in shadows. Just like in Jaws, this is actually more unsettling than if we saw them in all their “glory” early on. In fact, when the monsters are finally revealed, it is a bit of an anti-climax. It’s not that they are poor, just that they are nothing new and not particularly scary.

Lack of originality is, indeed, one of the criticisms which could fairly be laid at the feet of the film. It features identikit characters. With the exception of Riddick, they are sketchily written and could have been lifted from virtually any other science fiction film. This does help the film maintain a strong pace, as it doesn’t get bogged down in background information or character motivation. Equally though, it does cause problems when the killing starts, either because it’s difficult to remember who is already dead and who still survives, or because there’s no emotional attachment, so the fate of the characters is irrelevant. Even the ending fails to have the impact the writers clearly hope it will.

The plot too is startlingly unoriginal – it’s little more than the original “Alien” on a planet instead of a spaceship. It’s been done hundreds of times before - and better. However, the fact that that the action takes place in the dark and the gimmick that Riddick can see in the dark, helps to give it a slightly different angle and feeling of freshness.

The problem is that, although this “dark” element is the film’s saviour in some respects, it is its Achilles Heel in another. The darkness can make it a little difficult to see what is happening at times and this makes some of the action confusing. Although for the most part it is well-shot, the darkness, combined with Twohy’s occasionally shaky camera style can cause problems. This is particularly true towards the end of the film, when the action element is cranked up and it’s sometimes tricky to make out what is happening.

True horror fans will also be a little disappointed, as Pitch Black is neither particularly scary nor violent. There’s very little in the way of blood and although there are a few minor attempts to startle the audience, these are very half-hearted and won’t catch veteran horror films by surprise.

For all these criticisms, through Pitch Black still manages to provide yet another slightly different interpretation on the “survive the monsters” theme. Its unique selling point, taut script and mostly good direction help to make an entertaining, yet disposable addition to the sci-fi genre.

Basic Information
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Pitch Black
2000
Director; David Twohy
Running time: approx. 110 minutes
Certificate: 15

Trivia
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The stunt where Riddick dislocates his shoulder was performed for real by Vin Diesel.

© Copyright SWSt 2007

Summary: Definitely worth watching, but some people will only want to watch it the once.