Pitch Black (film)

Pitch Black
Theatrical poster
Directed by	David Twohy
Written by	Story: Jim Wheat Ken Wheat Screenplay: Jim Wheat Ken Wheat David Twohy
Produced by	Tom Engelman
Starring	Vin Diesel Radha Mitchell Cole Hauser Lewis Fitz-Gerald Claudia Lee Black Keith David
Cinematography	David Eggby
Edited by	Rick Shaine
Music by	Graeme Revell
Production companies	PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Interscope Communications
Distributed by	USA theatrical: USA Films All other rights: Universal Pictures
Release date	February 18, 2000 (2000-02-18)
Running time	Original release: 109 minutes Director's Cut: 112 minutes
Country	Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$23 million
Box office	$53,187,659

Pitch Black (also known as The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black) is a 2000 science fiction thriller film directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel. The film costars Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser and Keith David.

In the film, dangerous criminal Richard B. Riddick (Diesel) is being transported to prison in a cargo spacecraft. When the spaceship is damaged by comet debris and makes an emergency crash landing on an empty desert planet, Riddick escapes. However, when predatory flying alien creatures begin attacking the survivors, Riddick joins forces with the crew to develop a plan to escape the planet.

The film's total budget was estimated to be US$23 million. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was a sleeper hit, grossing over US$53 million worldwide. It has since developed its own cult following, particularly around the antihero Riddick. A sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, was released in 2004.

Plot summary

In the distant future, the transport ship Hunter-Gratzner, and its crew and passengers in cryo-stasis chambers, pass through a comet's tail while on autopilot. Debris from the comet rupture the hull and kill some of its crew, including the captain. The remaining crew is awakened and docking pilot Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell) and her co-pilot, Greg Owens (Simon Burke), awake in time to attempt to land the ship on a nearby planet. Fry wants to dump the passenger compartment to save the ship and herself but Owens stops her. The ship crashes on the surface, killing Owens. Fry joins with the surviving passengers, including the Muslim Imam (Keith David), a young boy named Jack (Rhiana Griffith), and William J. Johns (Cole Hauser), who claims to be a cop. Johns discovers that another passanger, the convict Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), has escaped, and implores the others to help find him.

As they explore the planet, they find it is surrounded by three suns, keeping it in perpetual daylight. They come upon an abandoned human geological research settlement, with supplies of water and a spacecraft they can used to escape the planet, though lacking power cells. They prepare to return to the crashed ship to collect its power cells. When one survivor is killed exploring a nearby cave, Riddick is discovered and captured by Johns. Fry investigates the cave, looking for the body, but instead discovers several living indigenous creatures, viscious winged hunters but can only survive in the dark. Fry believes that the population of the settlement was killed by the creatures, and orders Riddick released, believing him to be a far lesser threat than the creatures. Riddick reveals that he is actually a mercenary for hire, being brought in by Johns for a bounty. As they are about to leave the settlement, they discover that the planet undergoes a month-long eclipse every twenty-two years, due to start shortly.

The group returns to the wreckage of the Hunter-Gratzner and collect the power cells and remaining survivors. The eclipse begins, shrouding the planet in darkness and causing the creatures to emerge from their underground dens. Riddick, who has the ability to see in the darkness, takes control, ordering them to collect all the light sources to ward away the creatures before they make their way back to the settlement. Though the group initially works together, the tension breaks them apart, and several of the survivors are killed during the chaos. To make matters worse, Jack reveals that she is a girl, and undergoing her menstrual cycle, the scent of blood leading the creatures to them. When Johns suggests using Jack as bait to lure the predators away, Riddick wounds him and leaves him behind, luring the beasts to devour Johns. With the survivors down to Riddick, Fry, Jack, and Imam and little light sources left, they take shelter in a cave near the settlement where bioluminescent worms keep the creatures at bay. Riddick promises to return to the three and goes off to the settlement to collect the spacecraft.

Fry, attempting to ward off the creatures, discovers Riddick ready to take off in the shuttle by himself, and she begs him to stay, revealing that she had been ready to ditch the other passengers before to save herself. Riddick initially declines, imploring her to go with him now, but after a brief tussle, he relents and returns to help the others. Fry sacrifices herself to allow the three to enter the shuttle safely, and Riddick waits for the last moment to ignite the engines to kill as many of the creatures as possible as revenge for Fry's death. As they enter space, Riddick tells the others that should they encounter any law enforcement personnel, "Tell 'em Riddick's dead. He died somewhere on that planet."

Cast

• Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick
• Radha Mitchell as Carolyn Fry
• Cole Hauser as William J. Johns
• Keith David as Abu 'Imam' al-Walid
• Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Paris P. Ogilvie
• Claudia Black as Sharon 'Shazza' Montgomery
• Rhiana Griffith as Jack / Jackie
• John Moore as John 'Zeke' Ezekiel
• Simon Burke as Greg Owens
• Les Chantery as Suleiman
• Sam Sari as Hassan
• Firass Dirani as Ali
• Ric Anderson as Total Stranger
• Vic Wilson as Captain Tom Mitchell
• Angela Moore as Dead Crew Member

Reception

Pitch Black opened in 1,832 theaters on 18 February 2000, grossing US$11,577,688 over its opening weekend and ranking #4 at the box office. The film has a domestic gross of US$39,240,659 and a foreign gross of US$13,947,000, giving it a worldwide total of US$53,187,659.

On its release, the film was met with mainly mixed reviews, and it received a 55% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 101 reviews with an average rating of 5.6/10 (with a 36% approval rating from top critics).

Related works

Main article: The Chronicles of Riddick (series)

The movie's sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), was also directed by David Twohy. A short animated movie released the same year, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004), was directed by Peter Chung. Dark Fury bridges the gap between Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick.

To tie-in with the sequel, the film was novelized under the name The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black. The novel was written by Frank Lauria.

In 2000, a prequel to Pitch Black was released named Into Pitch Black, which was supposed to be a documentary film. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, a game for the Xbox and the PC, was also released in 2004 to critical acclaim. A remake of Butcher Bay, including a new campaign, was released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on 7 April 2009, under the title The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.

As of 2011, a live-action sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick is in development with both David Twohy and Vin Diesel attached. The sequel will tie in more closely to the original Pitch Black.

External links

• Official movie website
• Pitch Black at IMDb
• Template:Amg movie
• Pitch Black at the TCM Movie Database
• Pitch Black at Rotten Tomatoes
• Pitch Black at Box Office Mojo