The army of gang members surrounded our van. There was no escape. Two figures emerged through the multitudes of torn jeans and bandanas. The first was Goose Lord’s second in command, a man decked out as the robot sheriff Elle from the movie Starcrash. He had defeated the Revenging Manta the night before, a feat I would have thought was impossible. The other was Albert Simmons, accountant to the Goose Lord gang and brother of the Revenging Manta. Simmons pointed to our van and we knew he had betrayed us.

— To be continued. 

Tonight’s movie is 2000’s Pitch Black from director David Twohy. Yes, this is the first in the Chronicles of Riddick movies, the saga about Richard B. Riddick, an intergalactic outlaw and murderer. Riddick is very good at killing people which has put a huge bounty on his head. He’s being hauled away on a merchant freighter along with settlers, prospectors, and pilgrims. The spaceship is forced to land on an alien planet due to some kind of meteor storm. The ship’s captain is killed during cryosleep. In a moment of panic, the ship’s pilot, Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), wants to eject the passengers so they can safely land, but she is forbidden by the first officer. After the ship crash lands, Fry survives, but the first officer is killed.

The survivors all thank Fry for saving their lives, but we can see the guilt on her face. We’re introduced to the survivors. There’s Abu al-Walid (Keith David), an Imam taking care of three orphans: Jack (Rhiana Griffith), Hassan, and Ali. We’ve also got a nerdy antiques dealer named Paris Ogilvie (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) and a couple of free settlers named Shazza (Claudia Black) and Zeke (John Moore). And then there’s William Johns (Cole Hauser), an intergalactic law enforcement officer who’s there to take Riddick back to the slammer. He convinces everyone that Riddick is a dangerous man, but Jack finds him fascinating. 

This might have to do with Riddick’s eyes. While in prison, Riddick got them “shined.” This allows him to see in the dark, but he needs to wear sunglasses whenever he’s in the light. Riddick is a nocturnal animal so to speak, but he’s not the only nocturnal animal on this planet. There’s this race of super bats living underground and they’re hungry. Poor Zeke is the first to be devoured by these things because he goes investigating where he shouldn’t. Fortunately, for these survivors, this planet has three suns which keep these creatures at bay. Unfortunately for them, there’s an eclipse on this planet every twenty years and guess what? Year 20 is right upon them. Unending night with hundreds of hungry creatures with a home turf advantage. 

The survivors discover another abandoned ship left behind by scientific explorers. If they can transport the fuel cells from their crashed ship to the abandoned ship, they have a chance. Johns reluctantly releases Riddick, promising to let him go if he helps them escape. Johns doesn’t plan on keeping his word which shows Fry he’s not an honorable man. In fact, he’s not even law enforcement. He’s a merc, using Riddick for his next payday. Maybe that’s what I love about these movies. The outlaw Riddick is not the villain civilized society makes him out to be. Even Riddick considers himself an animal separate from his fellow human beings, but one day this outlaw will be humanity’s only hope. 

Jeff Shuster (episode 47, episode 102, episode 124, episode 131, episode 284, episode 441, episode 442, episode 443, episode 444, episode 450, episode 477, episode 491, episode 492, episode 493, episode 495, episode 496, episode 545, episode 546, episode 547, episode 548, episode 549, episode 575, episode 596, episode 597, episode 598, episode 599, episode 642, episode 643, episode 644, episode 645, episode 670, episode 686, episode 687,  688, and 689) is an MFA graduate from the University of Central Florida.