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Frank Tj Mackey loathes PITCH BLACK

Published at:  Feb 16, 2000 6:36:18 PM CST

Hey folks, Harry here. Now, I've had some people claim that I'm being 'well paid' to like PITCH BLACK, just a note... I seem to be the only entertainment news website without ads for the movie up above... You see, I can go point for point on this particular scathingly negative review and apply every single criticism towards ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. But you know what, I feel that this movie is just trying to have fun, and I let it happen.





Harry,


Sorry to have to disagree with you about a movie, but I just got back
from seeing a "sneak preview" of Pitch Black up here in Oklahoma, and boy . .
. whatever. I don't think that there is anything special in this movie that
hasn't already been shown in a made for cable movie. Cliche plot. Cliche
characters that don't really do anything to move beyond their sci-fi
stereotype (token black character, token female heroine, token kid who wants
to be tough, token criminal who the audience is supposed to root for).


First of all, the acting. BAD. Now, that's not really suprising
cosidering the genre, the no-names, etc. But, some of the people on this
site quote this Van Disel guy like he's the second coming of Bruce Campbell
or something. WRONGO DONGO. He is annoying and not tough. His "one-liners"
are stupid and fall flat. There are no "I'll Be Back's" or "Yippy Kay-Yay
Motherfuckers" , they are just dumb lines. And some of his confrontations
with the "aliens" are downright hilarious in the most "yeah right" of ways.


The writing in the film was just plain wack and inconsistant. For
example, in the begining of the film, whenever something BIG has gone down to
make these characters swear, they use "Bloody Hell" and another English slang
phrases a couple of times. But, from the middle onwards, they revert back to
using basic swearing like "shit", "fuck" and "asshole". Why make big deals
out of using those phrases and trying to set up some kind of "off-talk-slang"
thing in your movie, if your'e not going to sustain it for the whole film?
That just makes the film look uneven.

(spoiler maybe?) The story also didn't make sense when the people thought
that the world was going to stay dark forever. If it was . . . how were the
writers supposed to explain the team that was there before theme, and how it
was bright and sunny when they landed on that planet? (spoiler over)

I think the basic things that should make these type of movies work, is
the caring for the characters...and to tell you the truth, I didn't care AT
ALL about these characters. I didn't even care enough to watch these people
die. I was so bored in the movie that I wanted the film just to end or the
theater to stop showing it. I didn't care if the people made it to their
ship, or if the "monsters" got them or whatever.

To break it down, I just don't think this movie had anything in it that
would differentiate it from any other standard claustrophobic "alien" type
movies. There were no clever lines. No interesting subplot (any subplot that
was in this movie really didn't seem to matter seeing as the writers only
glanced over it a couple times). No characters that I cared for. Not even any
nudity to give any of us a bit of a Supernova break!

Now, I'm writing this, not to dis you Harry, but to help warn fellow film
geeks that visit your site that may be like me. I wouldn't want anyone
rushing out and wasting their 2 hours without hearing a point of view from a
guy who thought the movie was horrible. We like to think that because I also
hate pecan pie that this is just merely a coincidence. These kind of things
happen all the time . . .

you can call me,

Frank TJ Mackey



    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Feb 16, 2000 6:49:21 PM CST

    Maybe I'll wait for video after all.

    by kkrankk

  • Feb 16, 2000 6:56:22 PM CST

    Might see it

    by garth franklin

    The trailer looks good. But trailers can make anything look good.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 16, 2000 6:59:48 PM CST

    This was a stupid idea for a movie anyway.

    by uncapie

    Don't waste your money.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 16, 2000 7:01:14 PM CST

    Dudes, E! got the X-men trailer

    by 7

    just saw it. Very Matrixy

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 16, 2000 7:25:14 PM CST

    Great Googly-Moogly!!!

    by dennis

    EVERYONE is going to see that stinkin' X-Men trailer before I will!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 16, 2000 11:51:24 PM CST

    Pitch Black Is A Good B Movie: Period

    by ricorougneck

    Since Harry didn't want to, let me dissect the review. I saw it on Tuesday also. It's not a "great" movie. But it's fun and I was surprised how into it I got. For the person that thinks Toopsy-Turvy was the best film of the year (It's very good, but it ain't the best of the year Critics of NY, you may not want to see this movie. If you enjoyed Escape From New York, you should like this film. It's bad in the same way, it's good in the same way. FIRST: Yes, there are cliches and token characters. And you know what? So did Topsy-Turvy (the bickering writer/director of a play, the bratty, shining star etc). NEXT: Vin Diesal. He looks like just another muscle head: The thing is, and I'm not gonna pretend this was an outstanding acting performance (no matter what actor in the role, it couldn't be), but Vin shows signs of at least not playing it robotic. There was a little attitude in his delivery, just the right amount of spark to let you know he's in on the joke (kinda like Kurt in Escape). I thought his character kicked ass and it was because he played it the right way. NEXT: When the supposedly "hilarious" confrontations arrive...you're right TJ..they are ridiculous funny...but at the same time your digging Vin's character Riddick so much you not only hardly care, but you half believe and WANT it to happen. NEXT: Your problem with the script going from "Bloody Hell" to "fuck". Your attempt at film analysis is weak. There are only two characters that ever say "Bloody Hell" in the movie and they are offed come the second half of the film. That was easy, TJ. NEXT: Never in the film did any of the characters think the planet was going to stay dark forever. Did you even watch the movie TJ??? The Cole Hauser character, in fact, was the one who suggested they stay put because the eclipse could only last "a couple of hours". They aren't rocket scientists..but they're not complete morons. These people live in space. They know its impossible for an eclipse to last "forever". NEXT: You didn't care about the characters. Fine. I did..at least enough. NEXT: Oh, wait, Im done. Nevermind, that was easy.
    NOTE: I don't care if you don't like this movie. I can understand it really. It's nothing outstanding, but it is no doubt a fun flick. I don't mind criticisms. But other than "i didn't care for the characters" there wasn't one sharp and arguable critique in the whole piece. It's the only reason I felt compelled to write this. It's a two star movie with 3 star thrills.- and the thrills are easily worth the bux at the theatre. Go see it and have fun. If not, there's always Topsy-Turvy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 2:20:18 AM CST

    It sucks that there's no nudity.

    by cereal killer

    If a film is just going for the popcorn crowd then there really should be some nekkidness in it. I'll see this movie because there really isn't much else out this time of year and it seems like it could be cool. Even the good reviews haven't called the film a masterpeice, just a good romp. That's about the best we can hope for in some films especially in the dead days of February when the studios mostly just dump their dogs on the screen. But damnit, there shoulda been some bare breasties in this film. They don't show enough tits and ass in films anymore. Bring back the seventies when every film had some nudity or the teen exploitation films of the eighties. Now even the teen romantic flicks don't show a single boob. I mean, God, it's not like most of these films have anything else to offer. The least they can do is let us drool over some naked skin.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 2:21:17 AM CST

    Pay attention

    by pseudo

    I can understand why you didn't enjoy this movie, and yes I've already seen it, it's because you don't seem to pay attention to a little thing called details. All of your complaints are readily understandible in the film, the first part of the movie focuses on characters that have either Australian or British accents...hmm wonder why "bloody hell" comes from them and NOT the other characters? As far as Vin Diesels one liners are concerned, I'm glad that he actually had virtually none. He's an anti-hero not a cartoon character, the point of the film isn't to root for him, it's to root for Fry the pilot. Riddick (Diesel's character) is another problem that she has to deal with, an extremely dangerous unknown. Johns, the lawman bringing him in as definately NOT what you expect either. As far as Fry being a "cliche female action character" or al-Wali being "another token black character" look at how they're presented. Al-Wali is a spiritual man leading young men of his faith on a holy pilgrimage, most of the times these days the "token black character" is either a drug dealer, comic relief or victim number three. Fry deals with more complex issues than most female science fiction characters do, there's scope and depth to her actions. Each of the characters represents a different aspect of human nature. Perhaps they're not fleshed out to fully, but this is an action/suspense movie, not "Remains of the Day."
    I'm sorry, I have to vehemently disagree with your synopsis of this film. I recommend you catch another showing and this time pay attention.
    Cheers,
    ??Pseudo??

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 3:38:19 AM CST

    ...and another thing

    by pseudo

    As far as the world staying dark forever, again you must have had a long day and dozed through that as well, the explanation offered IN THE MOVIE was that the eclipse would last a long time, maybe as long as a few months, not forever. It seems to me that you're picking nits here when you don't even understand the nature of your complaint. Next time hang up the cell phone and watch the movie.
    Cheers,
    ??Pseudo??

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 9:58:17 AM CST

    "Lights out" on Pitch Black

    by stud boy

    Two words: The X-Men teaser is online now and on TV so wait for video on Pitch Black. There's no real incentive since the movie is a stinker. I personally love this type of movie so when I see an abomination like Pitch Black it really feels like I wasted "two hours of my life that I can never get back" which is weird since I'm the biggest slacker there is. I can waste four hours making up a game consisting of throwing empty soda cans across the living room and have fun(or at least know that I'm slacking . . .so it's all good) I grew up in the 80's watching all those wonderful movies on cable where a group of stereotypical people would have to ban together to fight the big bad forces of evil and while most of them were really cheesey and low budget they had a certain charm and inventiveness to be interesting and not feel like "I'm wasting two hours of my life that I'm never getting back . . ." so to feel that way with Pitch Black really shows what kind of calibur of movie it is.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 11:14:12 AM CST

    Stay at home and chew your cud then

    by obongo the pygmy

    Alright, fine. I'm tired of hearing all this bashing on Pitch Black, and on Harry for loving the film.
    Movies inspire opinion and you're entitled to yours.
    As am I - so here it is.
    This movie doesn't redefine or reinvent. But it does something we haven't seen in a long while. It takes a genre and simply does it well. These days in Hollywood, you either make genre crap ("Godzilla" "Lost in Space") or you have to completely remake the concept ("Being John Malkovich"). Admit it - alot of the "good" movies this year are movies that are innovations in one way or another.

    As for TJ's review, I also begin to wonder exactly how engrossed he was in his bellybutton lint to have missed some of the key points.
    And I REALLY strongly disagree with calling characters and even the plot cliche. As I watched the film, I would realize that about the point I expected a cliche (say for example, a kiss between Fry & Riddick - which you KNOW would've happened in a bigger budget movie) is about the time it didn't happen. And my delight would grow.
    And YES, there is a subplot. Hell, a theme even. How often do you get THAT in a genre movie? A theme of worth, responsibility, and redemption.

    I'm not gonna convince you cows otherwise, I know. I simply had to stand up for a film that put a smile on my face that lasted for days.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 12:29:34 PM CST

    No offense to Harry or to the reviewer but this is a pointless r

    by jasondkeldar

    The person(s) above who stated they would just wait for this on video since this reviewer didn't like it need to have emergency surgery immediately.. Seems their spines have been removed along with their opinions, and to let a negative review influence their decision as much as letting a positive review do the same is not at all the action of a lover of movies, much less a lover of action movies.. I too watched a lot of movies "like this" on cable while I was growing up, just like I watched a lot of westerns when I was a kid, and believe me I could have kicked myself silly for not catching Raimi's Quick and the Dead on the big screen instead of "waiting for it to come out on video" like everyone else who now worships the video.. The entire reason I have for seeing this movie doesn't rest on this site's reviews, although I do enjoy reading the preveiws of things to come, byt rather the trailer, which obeyed the laws of effective marketing, don't give away too much, but show em enough to get their behinds in the seats.. I don't watch movies that tell you the story in the trailer, I wait for THOSE to come out on video, and watch the ones that tell me a story, and let me say I usually am not disappointed by the wait.. However, the simple fact of the matter is that if you want to see the movie, you should, if not don't.. There is nothing worse than a smug little bored boy sitting behind you in the theater whining about the superiority of the effects in this movie or the character arc in that movie, all the while everything in the movie he paid to watch goes on around him.. I went to see Army of Darkness the day it came out with friends of mine and a tagalong tried to begin such a rant, only to be met by the stony faces and quick dismissal of those of us who had waited years for a continuance of the Evil Dead movies.. My point is this, if you have no real interest in seeing a movie other than to watch enough to fill in the blank spots on your generic crtic's bashing form, please spare us the hyperbole during the movie and wait to post it here where it can be taken with a grain of salt for what it is --an opinion .. While I don't agree with everything Harry or his spies have to say about the movies they review, I respect the fact they actually watched the movies they are talking about, unlike some mainstream critics I could mention(Rex, Jeffrey, Michael, anyone... Bueller.. Bueller??)...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 3:27:24 PM CST

    FINE GO SEE HANGING UP INSTEAD!!!

    by geekbasher 3.0

    Well, it's a shame he did not enjoy it like me and my friends did, we sat front row, the movie was blasting, I loved it, it was a fun ride, and I guess if anyone here decides to wait for video, they are missing out..I guess the only other option is to go see the blonde barf-a-thon known as Hanging up! I highly recommend Pitch Black!! What else is really out there eh?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 6:07:09 PM CST

    Go down to your local video store

    by stud boy

    What else is there? Do yourself a big favor and go rent the Alien/Star Wars/Star Trek/Terminator series or whatever floats your boat for around the same amount of $ for Pitch Black excluding of course popcorn and soda(which would of course total all the money you saved during the week :0) and have a kick ass time. I understand the argument about wanting to see a good movie in the theater and not missing the experience . . .I've done that a few times and was like shit shit happily this ain't gonna be one of those times for you or anyone else. It' not like years later people are going to be talking about Pitch Black saying I saw it in the theater man and the person looks at the guy in stunned disbelief saying isn't that the "Event Horizon" of 2000 or maybe they will!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 8:16:53 PM CST

    Everybody has their cheesy B movie that they like and I guess fo

    by sethshandor

    I admit it. I like some movies that just aren't good. We all do. But when somebody complains that the movie I like is bad, I don't complain, and tey to convince somebody it is good. I know the movie is bad, and I liked it anyway. PB looks silly to me, I'll probably rent it just to see the Farscape lady. But as far as cliche-ridden, by the numbers, cheesy monster movies go ...I'll stick with the Treat Williams classic, Deep Rising!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 9:24:08 PM CST

    Pitch Black is solid. See it twice.

    by victor franco

    The first time I saw Pitch Black was at the Butt-Numb-a-Thon. It was 0300, and I was starting to take five minute blinks. Then the next film shows up: I have no idea what it is, or what genre it comes from, or who's in it. By 0500, I was pumped up and shouting at the screen.

    This was character driven Sci-Fi, where the situation was simple, but the character dynamics were anything but. No time was wasted on psuedo-scientific explanations of engine or shield technologies, not once did anybody ever interact with some mysterious "life force", no one modulated a frequency any where in the film, and characters got there tickets punched as a consistent reponse to a given situation.

    Additionally, there wasn't a single moron in the bunch. People cracked, but nobody did anything that wasn't out of character for logical human beings.

    As for the pacing and directing, I will fall back to the anecdotal evidence of a room full of film geeks yelling "kick his butt" at 0400 in the morning. This movie was a lot better than any of the caffeine I had been chugging.

    The dialog was in my mind believable because it sounded like something that a group of people under mounting duress might say, as opposed to a speech writer removed from the situation. The actors put in competent and solid performances.

    This wasn't the best film made, but you don't have to give this film much in the way of suspension of disbelief to get a healthy return. Remember, some of the bigest Sci-Fi films from last year wanted you to buy an industrial process that was able to turn sleeping humans into an efficient energy source, and another one that posited a psionic microbial infection. Trust me, a prolonged eclipse isn't that much of a stretch.

    See it and have a good time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 17, 2000 9:24:12 PM CST

    Pitch Black is solid. See it twice.

    by victor franco

    The first time I saw Pitch Black was at the Butt-Numb-a-Thon. It was 0300, and I was starting to take five minute blinks. Then the next film shows up: I have no idea what it is, or what genre it comes from, or who's in it. By 0500, I was pumped up and shouting at the screen.

    This was character driven Sci-Fi, where the situation was simple, but the character dynamics were anything but. No time was wasted on psuedo-scientific explanations of engine or shield technologies, not once did anybody ever interact with some mysterious "life force", no one modulated a frequency any where in the film, and characters got there tickets punched as a consistent reponse to a given situation.

    Additionally, there wasn't a single moron in the bunch. People cracked, but nobody did anything that wasn't out of character for logical human beings.

    As for the pacing and directing, I will fall back to the anecdotal evidence of a room full of film geeks yelling "kick his butt" at 0400 in the morning. This movie was a lot better than any of the caffeine I had been chugging.

    The dialog was in my mind believable because it sounded like something that a group of people under mounting duress might say, as opposed to a speech writer removed from the situation. The actors put in competent and solid performances.

    This wasn't the best film made, but you don't have to give this film much in the way of suspension of disbelief to get a healthy return. Remember, some of the bigest Sci-Fi films from last year wanted you to buy an industrial process that was able to turn sleeping humans into an efficient energy source, and another one that posited a psionic microbial infection. Trust me, a prolonged eclipse isn't that much of a stretch.

    See it and have a good time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 12:25:45 AM CST

    Pitch Black - Diesel - X-men

    by habs55

    When you see Pitch Black for those who are just going to see the X-men trailer you tell me who would have been the best Wolvereine. Hey TJ. thanks for the retarted review of the film I will make sure to take your advice (NOT!) Openions are like... ...everybodys got one. Kirk I'll tell you what a joke is it's people like you who don't bash the film, but want to get persanel on somebody I will bet you that you dont know the first thing about him. Let's put your face on the big screen and see what people would write about. Idiot!
    By the way I did met him in Montreal, Canada and he was a good man, my friends and I talked about D&D for two hours with him.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 12:28:15 AM CST

    pitch blech

    by m lange

    Sorry. Just thinking about some future Mad Magazine parody. Pitch Black is solid entertainment. It ain't The Road Warrior. But what is? I don't see how anyone could be totally bored by the film. It moves enough. The actors look pretty good, especially that one actron from High Art. It's a pretty simple little horror story with just enough character and visual panache to keep it interesting. And I'm sorry to use that word. Don't hate me.

    Anyway, there are some serious flaws in the film, naturally. I mean - and this is a minor spoiler, though it's completely obvious to anyone who's ever seen a movie - those Arab kids are just ridiculously undifferentiated and thus completely disposeable to the extent that it's almost offensive.

    And if you go to science fiction/horror films for the verisimilitude, if you're not ready to get pulled in and suspend a little disbelief, forget about it. Just don't tell me The Whole Nine Yards is any more true to life.

    Vin Diesel is fine. The voice is great, obviously. But I don't care how bad Reindeer Games is. He screwed that one up.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 1:57:17 AM CST

    Wow ... you're retarded.

    by forlorn50

    You know, I haven't actually seen Pitch Black yet, but I plan on doing so. Even if it sucks, this is the lamest review I've ever read. Was this the first movie you ever saw? Seriously, this is like a bad review for a breakfast cereal. And learn how to spell you grammatically challenged dipshit. If you actually think 'I'll be back' and 'Yippy-kay-eh-motherfuckers' are good lines, then perhaps you should take the crack rock you tried to smoke, remove it from your ass and do it correctly. Of course, with the shit that just came out of your head, I can see how you got confused. You gave absolutely no solid example as to why the movie was bad. Ok, the acting's bad. Great. Would you like to ... perhaps ... maybe ... give us a few reasons why? If you're gonna tell people something sucked, an explanation as to why would be nice. Stop writing reviews now before you injure someone.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 12:35:58 PM CST

    I saw it and it was pretty fun

    by astrolung

    The director brought the film to cal state long beach on Monday and I have to say that it's a low budghet film that is a good time. They didn't have a ton of money but, what they've accomplished is pretty decent. It's a little cheesy at times but overall it's cool. It has a couple really cool short scenes and a couple creepy spots. There is a really lame set of coincidences that run through the movie and I thought they could have changed the story a little bit and it wouldn't have mattered at all. The acting is fair and I thought Vin Deisel was interesting although alot of the imagery they used with him was shit we've seen a thousand times. If your hurtin' for some sci fi go see it. I know you've seen worse.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 4:09:36 PM CST

    Uhm...Unsu...

    by pseudo

    ...I believe you should note that some people here have rather demonstratively shown their appreciation of this movie and defended it against some who seem to be dismissing it out of hand, or lack of understanding. Careful about that verbage you throw around, a lot of us agree with you that this indeed a good film and you wouldn't want to offend them now. Would you? =-)
    Cheers,
    ??Pseudo??

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 5:18:10 PM CST

    X-Men Trailer Sucked

    by mattman

    Face the facts, every clip from X-Men looks fake. Storm's wig, the costumes, Mystique, every looks like plastic. Hopefully Pitch Black will be good, because I'm not going to see PB just to catch the X-Men trailer. Let's face it, it's nowhere near as cool as the Star Wars Episode I trailer was.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 9:17:06 PM CST

    Fun well-made B-movie worth two hours of your time...

    by peyton westlake

    Saw PB and have to agree that it's a fun flick in the same vein as ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. TJ's review lost me with "WRONGO DONGO". There you go, Harry, next time you're on with Ebert and you have to disagree with him, say "WRONGO DONGO". You'll show him. ;)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 18, 2000 11:59:28 PM CST

    pitch black...

    by benp18

    I just saw the move...I guess I could say I've seen better. (to put it lightly)

    Reply to Talkback

  • They start to pick out lines here and there that they think are oneliners, and then say they suck.
    ####spoilers ahead#####
    Well not only can I not remember any bad oneliners in this movie, I can't remember any period. T.J. obviously didn't pay attention to the movie at all. They never said that the planet would be dark forever. I have no idea where he got that from at all. The comments on the previous group on the planet is just another example of not paying attention. They landed twenty two years before, and were killed by the aliens during the eclipse, which happens every 22 years. Man, I thought they made that a little too obvious in the film. Also the only character to say "bloody hell" was, surprise, a BRITISH GUY. He said it a few times and then got killed first. Since he was the only Brit (the other woman being Ausie and not saying the phrase) It is pretty obvious that they other characters would just say the good old fuck's and shit's that they were using the entire movie (from start to finish). Gee I wonder if T.J. was mistaken because he didn't pay attention. This film wasn't perfect, but it sure as hell wasn't a "B movie" (the most missused term other than "franchise" and "millenium"). Besides the terrific, and correct, use of filters to show the different colored light of different colored stars (which really made the planet seem alien) there was one other major thing that pushes this film to a whle new level of respectability. There was no sound in space. Jesus christ it is about time that someone got their head out of their ass and realized this simple fact of nature. For as much as I like Star Wars (the film that cemented that lie into the heads of the ignorant public) I've been complaining about the use of sound in space since I was a little kid and learned about it in science class. Unless you are a total moron (who most likely thought Armageddon was a good film even though it violates every law of physics, and common sense for that matter) it's not that hard of a concept to grasp, and I commend the makers of Pitch Black for doing it right (and yes, I know there was a swish as the ship went past the camera at the end, but they were still in the atmosphere. Very high in the atmosphere, but in it non the less). Plus Deisel was very good in his role. The reminds me of a very big, very ferocious looking Billy Zane. In all I would say that Pitch Black (or as I like to call it "Pee-ach Black") is a film that took a good concept, a very predictable story (with enough twists to change your mind about just how predictable it really was) and raised it above the mediocre garbage that it was destined to be, until it became a very good film with minor story problems, which didn't really get in the way. Tell me that anyone expected that ending. It wasn't a big 'splosion like most average people need to keep what little brains the have going. It was a siple twist on the expectations everyone had of the film.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 19, 2000 1:26:07 PM CST

    "CROIKE!"

    by godard?

    As much respect as I have for Harry, I thought Pitch Black was a waste of time. Maybe I would have enjoyed it if I were ten years old. The acting was barely watchable at best, and the effects were mostly laughable. I thought it needed more hard-core action scenes and less watered down sci-fi agatha christie suspense. When Riddick mutters, "I can't leave... without saying goodbye!", I was ready to stick my foot up this movie's ass.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 19, 2000 5:12:39 PM CST

    Vin Diesel was the best part of the movie

    by the jester

    don't listen to Frank TJ Mackey...Vin Diesel ROCKED in the movie. He was kewl as a mofo. Annoying? Not a bit...Not tough? F*CK YEAH HE WAS! He was a bad@$$ mofo in the movie. He was probably the funniest person too. I agree for the most part Pitch Black wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but there ARE some kewl parts (the crash scene, Vin Diesel gutting an alien, watching Vin Diesel's eyes shine). I don't think it's worth $6.50 though. Wait for it to come out on video or get to the omni. These people did REALLY good for the limited budget they had (which was only about $25 million) If you like thinking positive and aren't narrow minded, this movie isn't half bad. If you think negative and ARE narrow minded, then save us the aggravation and don't watch it...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 19, 2000 9:51:30 PM CST

    pitch black

    by bengal

    Just saw Pitch Black..A formula film? Yes. A bad film?

    No. The characters may have had token tendencies, but the

    actors gave their best. All persons involved in this film

    should be proud of their product. I give Pitch Black a

    "new classic" rating.

    BENGAL!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 21, 2000 8:35:19 AM CST

    Turn the lights on, I wanna go home..

    by anim8ed

    This is not a great film. To put this "movie" up against sci-fi greats like Aliens and Terminator is insulting to both the people responsible for good movies, and the movie going public. I can understand some people enjoying it for what it is: a cheap adrenaline hit, with bad acting and direction. Vin Diesel is not a good actor. Spielberg managed to squeeze some sort of performance out of him, and he managed to say "rock" and "tree" as the Iron Giant, but the best thing he does in this movie is run and carry heavy things. I'd perfer to watch Arnold's bad acting tough-guy act over Vin Diesel's any day. What really annoyed me were these crazy plot twists everyone's going nuts for these days. The stupid turns, that this script takes, go nowhere. "Hey I know, we'll make HIM the badguy and HIM the good guy!" Bravo Wheat brothers. Then Twohy takes the helm and says okay we need a shot of "what's her tit's" cleavage and then a shot of eyes. Now cleavage.. his eyes.. her eyes... darkness. Perfect! There are too many stupid devices used to carry this film to it's 2 hour finish to mention. I could go on, but I know someone's crying because their favorite film is getting picked on. And for everyone who thinks Vin Diesel deserves praise, check out the making of the Iron Giant, hosted by non-other than mussel-head himself. It's almost painful to watch him stumble through the documentary. "You better hope there's some fucking [acting lessons] in that bag, or you're in big fucking trouble."

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  • Feb 21, 2000 10:10:03 PM CST

    worse than Highlander 3, worse than Mannequin 2

    by afkiel

    Waste of money. Movie couldn't decide if it was scifi, horror or action. The audience laughed a lot cause none of us had been prepared for anything this bad. 2D characters, utterly predictable and implausible plotline, aliens didn't look so cool, special fx were singularly pointless... I can't think of any reason to see this movie unless you live in Kosovo and there's only one theater and it's showing only one movie - in which case you should see it a few hundred times.
    The audience started leaving about 5 minutes into the film. Some sucky things about Pitch Black: Manual switches and levers on a spaceship. A passenger able to resist cryogenic suspension. A chick who waves her tits and ass at us but never takes it off. They so could've put a shower scene in that movie, or a clothes-shredded by aliens scene. Geez!
    Cheese!
    Like I mean come on he even fucking zoomed in on her ass like 3 times! And he had a camera practically down her shirt; what a fucking tease!
    One good thing about the movie: a very crude but funny menstruation-related insult.
    Don't waste your time or money.

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