For everything that it is, a horror movie, a sci fi movie, and a movie starring Vin Diesel, you have to admit, Pitch Black is interesting. Pitch Black is credited as a horror movie, and it handles the horrors pretty well, but not well enough to...
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For everything that it is, a horror movie, a sci fi movie, and a movie starring Vin Diesel, you have to admit, Pitch Black is interesting. Pitch Black is credited as a horror movie, and it handles the horrors pretty well, but not well enough to bring it up to the ranks of other sci fi horrors like Alien.

Pitch Black is set in a future where humans have spread across the stars. Here we join they survivors of a ship as they crash land on a seemingly unknown planet. This planet is desolate, but soon they discover a small outpost. That's when things start to go wrong, and they figure out that the planet will entire a total eclipse soon. This eclipse will leave then entire world in darkness for months. But that's not what troubles them, there are violent beasts that inhabit the dark, and these beasts aren't friendly to anything. Soon it's a race for survival as the survivors try to find a way off the island. Their only hope? A convict who can see in the dark by the name of Riddick (Vin Diesel).

Like I said before, as a horror movie, Pitch Black does some things right and some other things alright. The good thing is that they never drop the ball, but they never quite keep the audience on their seats. The dark creatures, called bioraptors, are menacing, but they remind me of the raptors from Jurassic Park. Not too menacing, but they do a good job nonetheless. The story isn't that bad, for a horror movie, and it works to an extent. Vin Diesel shines as the antihero Riddick, along with the rest of his flawed cast.

As a science fiction movie, Pitch Black is great. The world, or universe, Pitch Black rests in is rich and real. If anything, if this movie were set during present day, it wouldn't work as well. The audience wouldn't be pulled into the richness of it all.

So, overall, Pitch Black is a rich rich world filled with some fantastic visuals. But first and foremost, it is a horror movie, and as such, Pitch Black does an okay job. For those looking for a small scare, then Pitch Black is worth a look. For those looking for something along the lines of Alien, then you're going to be slightly disappointed.