Review of Pitch Black (Special Edition)

Introduction

Well, here`s a coincidence. A sequel is on its way to cinemas, and the original film gets a new DVD release. This is happening more and more nowadays, and it`s no real surprise to us cynical viewers. It`s perhaps a tiny bit less surprising on this film, as it has built up a cult following since its first cinema and DVD release. It then got another DVD release, and the continued popularity has of course led to the inevitable sequel and this latest DVD.

Pitch Black tells the story of people stranded on an alien planet, and it`s about to get dark due to an eclipse. This is when the bad guys come out, and the good guys have to turn to a convict within their ranks to help them out. Luckily enough he can see in the dark. If it sounds like a mixture of the Alien franchise to you then you`re not far off.

Video

An excellent 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, in keeping with earlier releases of the film. Everything looks nice and sharp, and the quality is very high. There`s so much going on during this film, lots of different colour pallettes to deal with and then there`s the black (insert Fast Show joke here). Following the film`s title, there are scenes that are in total darkness, and this is also represented very well by this transfer.

This is also one of those "don`t show them too much" films with nasty aliens in. You might expect that given all the darkness, but some directors would have wanted to show you as much as possible. This film keeps you in suspense by not revealing too much too soon, shrouding them in darkness and mystery.

Audio

A DD5.1 soundtrack which brings you all the booms and bangs that you might hope for, as well as all the subtle elements of sound design, sneaking aliens into corners, the howling of the wind and other atmospheric sounds. On top of all this, the dialogue is clean and crisp. The soundtrack thumps along in the right places to keep the pace up.

The only downside is that we`ve been stitched up yet again with the omission of the dts track found on all previous region 1 releases. This is still a great DD5.1 track, but the dts one is allegedly better....

Features

Lots and lots of extras, and more than previous editions, so at least it attempts to live up to the SE tag.

First up we have a pair of commentaries, both of which are the same as previously released on earlier versions of the DVD. The first features director David Twohy and actors Vin Diesel and Cole Hauser. They have plenty to say about the film, and about filming on location (including how cold it can get in Australia). The second commentary features director David Twohy again, as well as producer Tom Engleman and Visual Effects Supervisor Peter Chiang. Plenty of technical information to pick up here, so it`s a bit dry and dull.

Most of the rest of the extras are new, so I`ll mention any repeats.

Chronicles of Riddick preview starts up with the disc, and plays you plenty of footage from the sequel. You can see they`ve had a few more quid to spend this time round...

The "Introduction" comes next, which is just a brief intro to the DVD from the director, explaining why it`s here and something about the sequel.

The Making of Pitch Black is not new, and is the feature previously available on other DVDs. It`s an extended trailer, but there are a few snippets of interesting information tucked away in this short feature.

A View into the Dark is another brief featurette with a few more interviews and a little bit more behind the scenes footage.

Dark Fury: Advancing the Arc is a quick look at the animated feature Dark Fury, another way of flogging this franchise.

The Game Is On features the spin off game from the series. Fine if you`re interested in this sort of thing.

The Chronicles of Riddick website does exactly what it says on the tin - advertising the web site.

There are also trailers for other films from the studio, as well as the new film.

Conclusion

A pretty decent package overall. If you`ve not come across the film before then you might be pleasantly surprised. It`s not the most original film in the world, but there`s still plenty of entertainment to be had. Just don`t scratch too far beneath the surface and you`ll be ok. If you start to pick some holes in it, it soon starts to unravel. Just sit back and enjoy the nice pictures, sound and violence.

Should you buy it again? Probably not. If you`ve already shelled out for another version of this film (particularly one with dts) then I don`t really see any need to buy it again. The new extras don`t really add anything to the DVD overall, as the 2 meatiest features (the commentaries) are previously released. If you`ve not caught this film before then you might just want to check it out. Excellent picture and sound, along with some nice extras are all wrapped around an entertaining film which will give you enjoyment if you don`t ask too much of it.