PITCH BLACK

US/Australia, 2000, 110 minutes, Colour.
Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitzgerald, Claudia Black, John Moore.
Directed by David N. Twohy.

A mission to an outer planet goes wrong. Many of the crew are killed and when the remainder try to cross the surface to retrieve equipment to save the expedition, alien monsters rise out of the ground and begin to pick them off. It is left to the sturdy commander (Rhada Mitchell) and a convict with brute strength and eyes that see in the dark (Vin Diesel) to get them through. On paper, it sounds like a hundred and one Alien rip-offs. On the screen, it is quite eerie and works as a horror, space-thriller. Filmed in Australia.

There was a sequel five years later, Riddick's Chronicles, with Vin Diesel reprising his role and co-starring with Judi Dench.

1. The cult status of this science fiction film? Popularity? The contribution of Vin Diesel and his subsequent career?

2. The location photography, outback Queensland as the setting for the alien planet? The desert landscapes, the buildings, the ruins? The building of bones? The light and darkness? The filtered use of colour? The eclipse and the darkness?

3. The special effects, flight in space, the landing? The planet itself, the chase? The incidents, Fry and her falling down the well and being rescued? The monsters, their appearance, the mixture of bird, bat and dragon? The pursuit of the crew, the deaths? The atmospheric musical score?

4. The title, its reference to the eclipse, its reference to Riddick's eyes and seeing in the dark? Its reference to the monsters and their only being able to attack in the dark - and be repelled by the light?

5. The conventional background of the film, the spaceship, the travellers, the commercial flights in space in the future? The passengers and the crew asleep, their being awakened, the death of the captain? Fry and her taking command, her wanting to destroy the passenger cabin? Her not doing it? The crash-landing? The crew, the convicted prisoner, the passengers and their safety?

6. The exploration of the planet, the mysteries, the appearance, the arches of bones, the ruins, the survivor and his being shot? The puzzle about people disappearing? The mystery of the planet, the monsters, their devouring humans, the pursuit and destruction, appearing in the night, the eclipse and lack of safety, the journey and their pursuit, the light and their being destroyed? The finale with the spaceship taking off and destroying them in the engine and with the light?

7. Fry as commander, the woman in charge, Johns and his criticisms of her, collaboration, his drug-taking, his attitude towards Riddick? Helping with the group, impeding it? The fights with Riddick? His criticisms? His death? Fry and her being able to lead, her bewilderment, the disappearance of the first victim beneath the earth, her going down the well, her being entangled, calling out, her being saved? Her continued leadership, decisions? Getting the group to the spaceship, relying on Riddick? Her ultimately being taken by the monsters?

8. The range of characters: the Imam, his discussions about God and prayer, his support of the group? The discussions with Riddick about God, Riddick believing but cursing God? The other members of the Imam's group, their deaths?

9. Paris, his background in archaeology, pedantic, the wine, his survival longer than the others?

10. The young woman, her disguising herself as a boy, her being discovered, her wound, the pursuit? Her ultimately being saved?

11. The other members, the Aboriginal man and his death, his shooting the survivor? The woman, her strength, the attack in the open and her death?

12. Riddick, Vin Diesel's screen presence, his background as a criminal, being able to see in the dark? His being imprisoned in the spaceship, the decision to let him loose, Fry and her greater reliance on him and pointing out that he had not been destructive? Johns and his sense of duty, wanting to put Riddick down? Riddick and his sense of danger, his intuitions, his eyes?

13. The group and their attempt at survival, especially when the eclipse came? The rope, the lights, the pursuit, the dangers? Wanting to give up? The small group arriving at the spaceship?

14. The irony that the survivors would be Riddick, the Imam and the young girl? Riddick's final pause, turning off the engines, getting the monsters to crowd around the spaceship, suddenly turning on the engine and the light, destroying them and flying away to safety?