Pitch Black (Unrated Version-Dts) (2000)

Entertainment Weekly
"...Weirdly cool....Coolly weird..." -- Rating: B 03/10/2000 p.51

Total Film
"...Superior stuff....A craftily crafted and stylishly shot outer-spacer..." -- 4 out of 5 stars 08/01/2000 p.84

New York Times
"...The movie shrewdly taps into the lurking primal terrors of anyone who ever had to sleep with a night light..." 02/18/2000 p.E12

Box Office
"...Vin Diesel's demeanor is refreshing and the combination of his voice and physical build make his character memorable....Not since the coming of the Terminator has there been an anti-hero so worth cheering..." 03/01/2000 p.52

Los Angeles Times
"...[Twohy] brings maximum razzle-dazzle and energy to the film....[Vin Diesel] has an intelligence and authority to match his imposing physical presence..." 02/18/2000 p.F18

Uncut
"Diesel, with his wrestler's muscles and basso profundo voice, makes a superb bad guy..." 08/01/2000 p.115

Salon.com 7 of 10
Packed with razzle-dazzle special effects and fueled with aggressive, hyperactive cinematography and a pulse-pounding narrative that never lets the tension subside until the final frame, Pitch Black is the movie of the season for sci-fi horror fans... - Andrew O'Hehir
 
Variety 6 of 10
Basically plotless, "Pitch Black," the new Aussie-lensed sci-fi thriller, is a bargain-basement "Aliens." Mildly scary but not particularly engaging on any other level, David Twohy's derivative tale concerns a pilot (played by the beautiful Radha Mitchell in a Sigourney Weaver-like role) who crash-lands her spacecraft on a distant, hot planet inhabited by mysterious creatures...Twohy, who helmed "The Arrival" and "Disaster in Time," spins a tale that recalls B-grade '50s sci-fi, rather than state-of-the-art genre items, in its one-dimensional characterizations and mostly indifferent f/x...The only element that delivers in this disappointing feature is Graeme Revell's striking score...Brothers Jim and Ken Wheat, who have scripted a number of cheesy sequels for the big and small screen ("The Fly II," "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" and "The Birds II: Land's End"), are unable to sustain tension. Worse, a number of the characters are simply not interesting enough to generate viewer sympathy or concern over their survival...Tech credits for what seems to be a small-budget sci-fi are average, with production design by reliable pro Graham "Grace" Walker a notch or two above the rest. Ferocious attacks by the planet's monstrous creatures manage only partially to alleviate the tedium that defines the movie. - Emanuel Levy
 
ReelViews 8 of 10
Pitch Black can be viewed as a slick, stylish version of the kind of outer space creature feature that is typified best by the Alien movies. At its best (which is quite often), Pitch Black is an entertaining effort. On the down side, there are times when various largely anonymous characters wander around in the dark and do incredibly stupid things while being stalked by vicious alien creatures. As they get picked off one-by-one, the only question is who's going to be next...The acting is solid, if largely unremarkable. Most of the principals have fallen effortlessly into the stereotyped roles of quirky characters who are basically waiting to be the aliens' next meal...Pitch Black has a stylish look. The outdoor sequences, which are nearly monochromatic to emphasize the color-leeching power of the multiple suns, are effectively photographed. After the eclipse occurs, there are some genuinely creepy sequences featuring packs of aliens honing in on the protagonists, who are only able to keep them at bay by waving around lights. For the most part, the special effects are first-rate - I was impressed by the scene of a ringed planet sliding across the sky on its way to block out the sun. These strong visuals complement a workmanlike script, resulting in a consistently engaging science fiction/horror excursion. - James Berardinelli