Pitch Black Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
In the not-too-distant future, a docking pilot makes a forced crash-landing of her spacecraft on
a distant planet. As the survivors explore the uncomfortably hot planet, they must band
together. The planet is eerie, arid, and lifeless. But as the sun sets and the planet plunges into
total darkness, other inhabitants emerge -- including a fiendish murderer with a nose for
blood.
They say most of your brain shuts down in cryo-sleep. All but the primitive side. The animal
side. No wonder I'm still awake.
Pitch Black is one of the better Science Fiction movies of the decade thanks to a number
of factors, primary among them its ability to smartly -- and deeply -- develop its characters. It's a
film that has
enjoyed quite the following after a meager take at the box office, its post-theatrical success on
home video one of the primary factors in the construction of its radically different-in-tone sequel,
The Chronicles of
Riddick. Writer/Director David Twohy clearly understands what makes for a successful
Science Fiction picture; The Arrival is
another of his works that, much like Pitch Black, played to small crowds theatrical but
has since come into its own later in life. Pitch Black is a more commercially-oriented film
than The Arrival, and likewise The Chronicles of Riddick more so than Pitch
Black, but Twohy smartly relies on strong characterization, impressive visuals, and first-rate
storytelling to construct his pictures. While elements of Action certainly find their way into each
one, the on-screen action is a byproduct of the story, not vice versa.
Johns and Riddick discuss the release of 'Pitch Black' on Blu-ray.
A deep-space transport vessel is pelted by meteors and crash-lands onto a desolate planet where
several suns remain high in the sky and darkness is nowhere to be found. Among the survivors
is a vicious killer, Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel, The Fast and the
Furious) on his way back to prison, his captor, Johns (Cole Hauser, Tears of the Sun),
and the ship's docking pilot, Fry (Radha Mitchell, Henry Poole is
Here). As the survivors attempt to piece together any salvageable parts and find a sign
of life somewhere on the barren world, Riddick manages to escape and is blamed for a brutal
attack on one of the survivors. Panic ensues as the killer remains on the loose, but it soon
becomes evident that something much more dangerous than the deranged killer lurks in the
shadows. Hope is briefly regained upon the discovery of a deserted settlement and a spacecraft in
need of only the downed vessel's power cells. Unfortunately, day soon turns to unending night
as the planet falls under the shadows of a once-in-a-generation eclipse that darkens the world
and brings forth an enemy vulnerable to only one thing -- light. The survivors, Riddick
included, must attempt to set aside their differences and work in tandem to defeat the fear of the
darkness, the fear of the enemy, and the fear of one another if they have any
hopes of surviving the unending night.
The Riddick character is smartly written and elevated even further by the performance of star Vin
Diesel in arguably his best role and most impressive performance to date. Riddick is witty,
smooth,
and fierce, fast on his feet, quick to think, and afraid of nothing. He's the perfect killer, but he's
also
the perfect hero, a juxtaposition that is played pitch-perfectly throughout the film. Riddick isn't
even an antihero. He's a hardened, determined criminal, and says as much about himself as the
film opens, commenting in a roundabout but decisive manner that his humanity has been
drained
over the years, and only his "primitive" and "animal" sides remain. As the story develops, his
survival and aggressive instincts remain, though focused almost exclusively on his adversary, Mr.
Johns, himself the true antihero of the film. As Riddick regains sight of his lost humanity, Johns
loses focus of his, his obsession with Riddick overwhelming his thought processes and better
judgment. The two enter into a game of tit-for-tat in an attempt to sell their ideals
and characteristics to the group and to each other, though in the case of the latter, it's nothing
but a devious attempt to gain leverage in what emerges as an almost epic struggle between good
and evil. What is remarkable about this struggle is that it blurs the line between good and evil as
neither participant fits squarely on either side, despite initial appearances to the contrary. As
Johns' authority is questioned and his motives reveled, the survivors begin to turn from him and
towards Riddick, despite the pair's initially-established clearly-delineated stance on either side of
the law. "You're dancing on razor blades here," Frys tells Johns during one of the film's crucial
junctures. The others
begin to see that it is not necessarily the sins of the past but rather the handling of the troubles
of the present that show one's true character. As it becomes clear who the villain is, not to
mention Riddick's potentially life-saving guile and strength, an inevitable showdown between the
two will decide the fate of the entire group.
Pitch Black also enjoys steady direction from David Twohy and often mesmerizing
cinematography courtesy of David Eggby (Mad Max). The film features a myriad of
vistas, terrains, and lighting schemes, and each one is presented with nary a hiccup in the flow of
the film. The cinematography compliments each of the film's themes nicely, from the varied
appearances of the world to Riddick's abilities as a criminal, fighter, leader, and eventually, hero.
Pitch Black is not a CGI-heavy film, but what computer imagery there is tends to look
less-than-inspiring, the creatures in particular failing to play as all that menacing or organic.
Likewise, several brief scenes of gore fail to engender much of a visceral response to the carnage
thanks to its more animated, rather than realistic, appearance. Generally, however, one may
forgive the less-than-stellar CGI thanks to the film's limited budget. The only head-scratching
element of the film is the side-story of one of the film's primary characters, Jack. The character is
the object of a major revelation part way through the film that adds nothing to the experience;
at best, it will raise the eyebrows but otherwise offers nothing to further the plot, and the impact
on the character's development is minimal.
Pitch Black obscures no detail in its fine 1080p, 2.35:1-framed Blu-ray release. The film
offers a myriad of visual styles. It begins inside the transport vessel with a standard, visually
bland, somewhat dark look, with consistent colors and levels of detail. The ship's steely,
utilitarian interior isn't pretty, but what's there looks fantastic under the scrutiny of high
definition, offering fine levels of visible detail on the instrument panels and other areas. Once on
the planet
surface, the film takes on a harsh, gritty, highly over-saturated look that washes out both colors
and occasionally fine details, though intentionally so, replicating the barren, seemingly lifeless
conditions of
the planet where there is always a sun high in the sky. The movie quickly changes from a
tan-shaded, hot, and miserable desert appearance to a harsh, blue-tinted hue that permeates
every
inch of the frame. No matter the lighting conditions, the transfer reveals plenty of finer details
not seen quite as clearly on previous iterations of the film on home video, including beads of
sweat and the finer textures of the various landscapes seen throughout the film. While colors are
often bleak, there are a few highlights, splatterings of blood in particular, that appear richer and
clearer here than on the DVD. Blacks, which dominate the second half of the movie, are
generally solid, never veering towards a shade of gray or blue. Noise is rather heavy over some
black backgrounds but not others. There is a bit noise over some of the brighter backgrounds of
the first half of the film, though considering the completely unnatural appearance of many shots,
it's
hard to call it a flaw rather than something inherent to the look of the film. There are also quite
a few white and black speckles over the print. Despite a few anomalies, this is a solid transfer
that easily
surpasses the DVD and should please fans immensely.
Pitch Black explodes onto Blu-ray with another impressive DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless
soundtrack from Universal. This is a film with a highly impressive sound design, evident from the
opening moments of the film and onward. Pitch Black begins with a vessel in deep
space, running in silence, with a subtle yet foreboding score protruding from the speakers to
create an atmosphere that is dark and deadly. Inside the ship, the hull rattles off to the side and
in the back, while Riddick's inner-voice flows quietly through the center channel with gritty
precision. Suddenly, the ship is struck by small meteors that thud upon impact. The ship begins
to plummet and break apart; two computer voices are heard lightly and sometimes on top of one
another under the sound of mechanical objects being pulled, pushed, and kicked as the pilots
attempt to level and slow the ship's rate of descent. Its descent into the atmosphere fills the
soundstage with the sound of flying debris and screaming wind, punctuated by the jettison of
large sections of the ship, resulting in a loud, shrieking, and clanking thud. The ship finally
impacts on the surface, skidding along the ground, the metal hull violently ripped from the ship
as dirt and debris fly all around the soundstage, and then, silence. That's just the first eight
minutes of the film.
As Pitch Black progresses, it enjoys a robust soundtrack that rolls naturally from every
speaker. The music is almost tribal in its presentation, with repetitive beats that sound clear and
precise, making a deep, penetrating sound that sets the tone for the movie well, reinforcing
Riddick's self-described personality that relates him to a "primitive" or "animal." Sound effects
are heard discretely and distinctly throughout the soundstage, be they gunshots or the
screeching of the planet's native creatures of the night. Particularly impressive is the rainstorm
heard near the end of the film; the downpour may be heard in every corner of the listening area,
making for one of the more pleasing storms yet heard on Blu-ray. Dialogue reproduction is
uniformly strong throughout. This isn't quite as deafening or devastating a soundtrack as those
heard in some other Universal titles, like U-571 or The Incredible Hulk,
but it is nevertheless just as impressive in its own right.
Viewers may explore the world of Pitch Black on Blu-ray via numerous special features,
some more substantial than others. Of note is that this disc contains both a 108-minute
theatrical cut and a 112-minute unrated director's cut.
Two audio commentaries are included, the first featuring Writer/Director David Twohy and Actors
Vin Diesel and Cole Hauser. The track is informative and moderately entertaining. The trio enjoy
a
fine rapport, complimenting one another nicely as they share behind-the-scenes anecdotes;
filming
techniques, including how various shots play into the themes of the film and the development of
its
characters; the performances and off-camera personalities of their co-workers; and more. Track
two
once again features Twohy, this time alongside Producer Tom Engelman and Visual Effects
Supervisor Peter Chiang. This is a technical track that takes on a more dry, slowly-paced
tone. The participants delve into the creation of the special effects and the development of the
film's
creatures and style, the creature point-of-view shots, and other technically-oriented tidbits. This
track is more for die-hard fans and budding effects technicians and filmmakers. This disc is also
U-Control enabled, allowing viewers to select from a pair of picture-in-picture features. 'Pitch
Black' Raw features a series of still photos and behind-the-scenes video footage playing in a
secondary window. Picture in Picture
delivers additional behind-the-scenes information, primarily featuring interviews with cast and
crew
and glimpses at how certain scenes are set-up and shot.
An Introduction by David Twohy (480p, 2:25) features the director briefly recounting the
experience of making the film and the emergence of the sequel. The Game is On (480p,
1:49) is a trailer for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay video game.
Johns' Chase Log (480p, 7:12) is a journal of Johns' pursuit of Riddick, narrated by Actor
Cole Hauser and supported by the text of the journal and some nifty visuals. The Making of
'Pitch Black' (480p, 4:44) is a disappointingly short promotional piece that features a few
rapid-fire behind-the-scenes shots and interview snippets. 'Dark Fury': Advancing the
Arc (480p, 1:30) takes a brief look at the as-of-yet unreleased on Blu-ray animated film,
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury. 'The Chronicles of Riddick' Visual
Encyclopedia (480p, 2:18) features Mr. Johns (voiced by Cole Hauser) discussing some
behind-the-scenes information as it relates to the Riddick universe and concludes by
stating that more is available on the Chronicles of Riddick disc. A View Into the
Dark (480p, 4:06) is yet another short and fluffy piece that examines the Riddick character
in some detail. Finally, this disc is BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) enabled.
Pitch Black is an exciting Science Fiction film with a deeper side. It is, at its core, a tale
of good versus evil where the line between the two is blurred at best and washed away at worst.
It's a story about people, about survival, about trust, and about looking past records and words and
into the heart and soul of a man in the most hopeless of situations, searching for that truth about
someone that makes them who they really are. Pitch Black is the story of a man with a
past who
rediscovers the hero inside of him thanks to the aggression of one, the passive-acceptance of
others, and the struggle to survive an onslaught from a seemingly impossible-to-overcome foe. It's
a success on
every level, allowing viewers to enjoy it either superficially or as a deeper, more complex tale about
the strengths and weaknesses of humanity. Universal's Blu-ray release of Pitch Black is
solid. The disc features a good video transfer, a near reference-grade soundtrack, and a fair amount
of bonus materials. Highly recommended.
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