History Film / PitchBlack

* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike: It's a desert planet, obviously hotter than hot. How it supports such an oxygen rich, earth-like atmosphere complete with rain is never explained.
* AndThisIsFor: Riddick cuts off all the lights on the ship prior to taking off, because he wants to kill as many of the creatures as possible when they gather around the ship. It's implied it's in honor of Fry.
-->'''Riddick:''' We can't leave... ''({{beat}})'' without saying good night. '''(FWOOSH)'''
* TheAtoner: Fry. At the beginning of the movie she tries to sacrifice her crew to save herself (earning herself a WhatTheHellHero because the captain is supposed to be the last to be saved in a crisis). At the climax, she tells Riddick that she would die for them, and, as it turns out, Riddick, whom she runs back to help. Then almost immediately, she [[spoiler:dies saving Riddick, who is distraught, crying out "Not for ''me''. Not for '''''ME'''''!"]]
** [[spoiler: Riddick might also count, as he appears to be ready to turn over a new leaf at the end, saying: "Riddick's Dead. Riddick Died back on that Planet."]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Carolyn dies after getting Imam and Jack to the ship but goes back to help the injured Riddick.]]
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler:Averted, as the "black dude" is one of the few surviving characters. Could also be an inversion here, since the "black dude" survives yet every last one of the Arabic characters with lighter complexions died, including the youngster Ali . . . so BROWN Dude Dies First?]]
** A particular aversion of Kids Cannot Die, especially.

** (Riddick throws someone into the Demon-filled Darkness): "One rule: Stay in the light."
** (Riddick disembowels an alien): "Did not know what he was fucking with."
* BoozeFlamethrower: One of the protagonists is caught in the dark with a guttering torch and a bottle of expensive spirits. He takes a big swig and blows a huge fireball, illuminating the HUNDREDS of dark-loving beasties surrounding him just before the torch goes out and... [[TakeOurWordForIt crunch crunch crunch...]]

*** Auto Pilot didn't fail so much as detected chunks of rock piercing the hull. Rocks tend to gather together in space, around things like planets. After 22 months, you'd think even a small miscalculation could make a big mistake, aside from space being really empty aside from some particularly dangerous parts you'd want to avoid.
* CorruptTheCutie: Riddick pulls a magnificent example with Carolyn at the end by coaxing her to leave Imam and Jack behind to come with him instead. She literally breaks down in front of him, unable to move from the spot in front of the ship, and he even ''helps her onto the platform'' with soft, encouraging words. One would think he's nothing but a MagnificentBastard but it's clear that he actually does like Carolyn in his own way and seems to find her interesting whether she's noble or not.

* {{Does That Sound Like Fun To You}}?: Riddick gives this speech to Jack after she asks about his eyes. It's subverted in ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' when, due to {{Retcon}}, she finds out that he was pulling her leg.

* EyeScream: Johns shoots morphine by injecting itinto his tear ducts.

* TheFutureIsNoir: ''Film/PitchBlack'' is hard-boiled fiction, kind of like ''Film/BladeRunner'' or ''[[SilenceoftheLambs Stuck with Hannibal Lecter]]'' ''[[RecycledInSpace in space!]]'' with evil {{aliens}}!.

* GodIsEvil: Riddick, who "was born in the dumpster of a back-alley liquor store, with an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck", is of this opinion.
-->'''Imam:''' Because you do not believe in God does not mean God does not believe in - .
-->'''Riddick:''' Think someone could spend half their life in a slam with a horse bit in their mouth and not believe? Think he could start out in some liquor store trash bin with an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and not believe? Got it all wrong, holy man. I absolutely believe in God... '''''and I absolutely hate the fucker.'''''
* GodzillaThreshold: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Riddick.
--> "Finally found something worse than me, huh?"
* GroinAttack: Threatened, but not carried out. "Tap tap tap tap..."
* HeroicBSOD: Fry, when Riddick offers to betray the others.

* IronicEcho: In a way, the scenes at the skiff. Riddick tries to convince Carolyn to abandon Imam and Jack. Once she forces him to go back for them and they've returned to the skiff, it's Imam and Jack who quietly urge Carolyn to leave the fallen-behind Riddick.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. Riddick claims the reason [[spoiler:the creatures are hunting them so doggedly is because [[SweetPollyOliver Jack]] is "bleeding".]]
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: This almost happened to [[spoiler: Riddick. In the original script, Riddick was supposed to die instead of Fry]]. Executive Meddling put a stop to that, since [[spoiler: ''The Chronicles of Carolyn Fry '' would not have made for a decent sequel.]]

* SweetPollyOliver: [[spoiler:Jack, aka Kyra]], though more to the characters than the audience.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: was originally titled ''Nightfall'' and about a female outlaw named Tara Krieg with tribal tattoos and enhancements from her interstellar tribe of barbarians. Imam was named Noah Toth a member of a technology-based version of Christianity and he had no pilgrims, and he was much more scummy and two-faced (if still fundementally good) as he was on a trip to a moon networked with mines where he could advise discontented workers and keep them working. There was no eclipse, only a two-month day and two-month night, there was no geologist's outpost, only Ancient Ruins and temples and instead of aliens the villains were the ghosts of the creatures who built the ruins trying to defend their homeworld. There was no escape ship, but a distress beacon, and Tara, Carolyn Fry, Jack, Noah Toth (Imam) and Paris were all supposed to make it off the alien world, called "Hades" instead of M6-117. Johns' Morphine addiction, The Cannon-fodder Teens, the Solar Orrery and the Geologist's camp were added by David Twohy.
** David Twohy's original draft was different, too. Riddick died at the end instead of Carolyn Fry, There were extended scenes of the boneyard creatures, still alive, as well as them being killed and eaten by the other creatures. Paris and Johns would've survived until near the very end of the film, underground, which would've explained the planet's climate and temperature changes, the way the star-system worked, and the life-cycle of the creatures along with an entire underground ecosystem of StarfishAliens. Also, the starship would've had a voice and its own personality, being a character in and of itself.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Both literally and figuratively (it is essentially the premise, after all). After ditching the last of the survivors and reaching the shuttle alone, Riddick offers Carolyn Fry (who had tried to jettison the passenger pods during the crash to save herself and the rest of the crew) the chance to go with him when she catches up. It's fairly clear he's attracted to her and is actually being really nice about it (by his standards), warning her firmly that if she doesn't come with him, he'll leave her behind. He tells her to just leave the remaining survivors in the cave, telling her "no one would blame you", even helping her up the ramp with child-like encouragements. She almost goes along with it, but remembering the guilt over her previous actions and the faces of those who already died, she tries to overpower Riddick, swearing to him that she's willing to die for the people left in the cave. Riddick is amused and intrigued by her devotion and lack of fear but ultimately horrified and enraged when she ends up going back AGAIN to save HIM and gets herself killed in the process.
* XMeetsY: [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] crossed with {{Aliens}} {{IN SPACE}}!!!

* {{Does That Sound Like Fun To You}}?: Riddick gives this speech to Jack after she asks about his eyes. It's subverted in ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' when it's [[Retcon retconned]] that he was pulling her leg.

* {{Does That Sound Like Fun To You}}?: Riddick gives this speech to Jack after she asks about his eyes. It's subverted in ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' when she finds out he was pulling her leg.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally the Riddick Character was a female outlaw, not a convicted criminal, named Tara, the Bioraptors were Ghost Warriors, there was no eclipse and the Ghosts only came out at night, There was a distress beacon and not an escape ship, and there were no technological artifacts on the planet besides the crashed ship; instead of an abandoned mining facility there was the ruined Temple of the long-dead race that left behind the ghosts.
** Originally Riddick was supposed to be the one sacrificing himself.

In the 27th century, the Hunter-Gratzner, with its crew and passengers in stasis pods, passes through the debris of a comet. The resulting damage badly cripples the ship, kills some of its crew and eventually causes it to crash land on a nearby planet. The remaining survivors find themselves in a harsh, barren landscape with constant daylight due to its three suns. A bounty hunter, William J. Johns, informs them that one of the passengers was a dangerous criminal named Riddick, and worse still, he’s managed to escape during the crash.

* WeakenedByTheLight: The creatures are actually ‘’burned’’ by any exposure to light. Additionally, Riddick's eyeshine treatment leaves him easily blinded by bright lights.

* GroinAttack: Threatened, but not carried out. ‘’tap tap tap tap...’’

* ItsaSmallWorldAfterAll: The ship crashes on the planet, conveniently within walking range of the settlement.

* TheFutureIsNoir: ''PitchBlack'' is hard-boiled fiction, kind of like ''BladeRunner'' or ''[[SilenceoftheLambs Stuck with Hannibal Lecter]]'' ''[[RecycledInSpace in space!]]'' with evil {{aliens}}!.

* SecondHourSuperpower: Riddick's Eyeshine treatment.

Considered the breakthrough performance of VinDiesel, the movie was a sleeper hit despite its modest budget and was deemed successful enough to have a big budget sequel.

!!''PitchBlack'' contains examples of:

* AlienSky: Three suns and an eclipsing planet featuring TWO separate ring systems. Skies don't get much more alien than in ''Pitch Black''.
* AndThisIsFor: ''Pitch Black''. Riddick cuts off all the lights on the ship prior to taking off, because he wants to kill as many of the creatures as possible when they gather around the ship. It's implied it's in honor of Fry.

* TheAtoner: Fry. At the beginning of ''Pitch Black,'' she tries to sacrifice her crew to save herself (earning herself a WhatTheHellHero because the captain is supposed to be the last to be saved in a crisis). At the climax, she tells Riddick that she would die for them, and, as it turns out, Riddick, whom she runs back to help. Then almost immediately, she [[spoiler:dies saving Riddick, who is distraught, crying out "Not for ''me''. Not for '''''ME'''''!"]]

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Spectacularly averted in [[spoiler: Pitch Black]] where the "black dude" is one of the few surviving characters. Could also be an inversion here, since [[spoiler: the "black dude" survives yet every last one of the Arabic characters with lighter complexions died, including the youngster Ali . . . so BROWN Dude Dies First?]]

* BoozeFlamethrower: In ''Pitch Black'', one of the protagonists is caught in the dark with a guttering torch and a bottle of expensive spirits. He takes a big swig and blows a huge fireball, illuminating the HUNDREDS of dark-loving beasties surrounding him just before the torch goes out and... [[TakeOurWordForIt crunch crunch crunch...]]
* {{Chiaroscuro}}: The entire second half of Pitch Black.

* CorruptTheCutie: Riddick pulls a magnificent example with Carolyn at the end of ''Pitch Black'' by coaxing her to leave Imam and Jack behind to come with him instead. She literally breaks down in front of him, unable to move from the spot in front of the ship, and he even ''helps her onto the platform'' with soft, encouraging words. One would think he's nothing but a MagnificentBastard but it's clear that he actually does like Carolyn in his own way and seems to find her interesting whether she's noble or not.
* DeathSeeker: Riddick, subtly hinted at in ''Pitch Black''. That trait is ditched in later incarnations.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Paris in ''Pitch Black''. He drinks some wine, then breathes on his lighter to make it flare up, as one last "fuck you" to the creatures before they tear him apart.
* EndlessDaytime: The planet the protagonists crashland on in ''Pitch Black'' orbits three suns, such that it is always sunlight except once every 22 years, when the three suns line up and are simultaneously eclipsed.
* Eyescream: Johns shoots morphine by injecting itinto his tear ducts.
* FantasticLightSource: The glowing leeches at the end of ''Pitch Black''.

* HeroicBSOD: Fry, when Riddick offers to betray the others in ''Pitch Black''.
* HopeSpot: In ''PitchBlack'', the crash survivors searching for water think they see some trees on a hill. Then they crest the hill and find an graveyard for [[StarfishAliens gigantic, slug-like extraterrestrial beasts]].
* IronicEcho: In a way, in ''PitchBlack'' the scenes at the skiff. Riddick tries to convince Carolyn to abandon Imam and Jack. Once she forces him to go back for them and they've returned to the skiff, it's Imam and Jack who quietly urge Carolyn to leave the fallen-behind Riddick.
* LiveActionEscortMission: The second half of Pitch Black.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted in ''Pitch Black''. Riddick claims the reason [[spoiler:the creatures are hunting them so doggedly is because [[SweetPollyOliver Jack]] is "bleeding".]]
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: This almost happened to [[spoiler: Riddick. In the original script of ''Pitch Black '', Riddick was supposed to die instead of Fry]]. Executive Meddling put a stop to that, since [[spoiler: ''The Chronicles of Carolyn Fry '' would not have made for a decent sequel to ''Pitch Black ''.]]

* [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou Riddick Is About To Shoot You]]: Some [[http://www.impawards.com/2000/pitch_black_ver4.html posters]] and DVD covers of ''Pitch Black''. Rather odd, considering he doesn't wield a handgun at any point in the film, and the only firearm he ever carried was the one he took from Johns when he released him and gave back barely a minute later.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Debateable if Riddick is giving one to Fry with his offer in ''Pitch Black''.
* SherlockScan: He spends the first half of ''Pitch Black'' doing nothing but this, first predicting the types of people on the ship, then accurately describing just how the original inhabitants of the moon ''didn't'' make it offworld.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Both literally and figuratively in Pitch Black (it is essentially the premise, after all). After ditching the last of the survivors and reaching the shuttle alone, Riddick offers Carolyn Fry (who had tried to jettison the passenger pods during the crash to save herself and the rest of the crew) the chance to go with him when she catches up. It's fairly clear he's attracted to her and is actually being really nice about it (by his standards), warning her firmly that if she doesn't come with him, he'll leave her behind. He tells her to just leave the remaining survivors in the cave, telling her "no one would blame you", even helping her up the ramp with child-like encouragements. She almost goes along with it, but remembering the guilt over her previous actions and the faces of those who already died, she tries to overpower Riddick, swearing to him that she's willing to die for the people left in the cave. Riddick is amused and intrigued by her devotion and lack of fear but ultimately horrified and enraged when she ends up going back AGAIN to save HIM and gets herself killed in the process.

!!’’PitchBlack’’ contains examples of: