There’s a scene early in the 2000 film Pitch Black that is laugh-out-loud hilarious. After one of the ill-fated crew of the spaceship Hunter-Gratzner thinks escaped convict Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) is on the loose murdering people, the camera does a quick zoom to show ups that Riddick is not trying to murder anybody, but instead, sitting under an umbrella, sipping some water. And, in this one moment, the ethos of Pitch Black, and the appeal of Vin Diesel, can be fully understood.
Twenty-five years ago, hardcore film critics and even sci-fi aficionados were content to write off David Twohy’s Pitch Black as derivative shlock, more suited for a Sci-Fi Channel original movie than a theatrical experience. But Diesel is simultaneously badass and also f*cking hilarious in Pitch Black. That combination, arguably, makes Pitch Black a camp science fiction classic. But even if you don’t buy that, the truth is, the tone of Pitch Black defies reason. The world-building is slapdash, the editing of the film jarring enough to make you wonder why certain characters are doing anything. And yet, the glue of the film is Diesel’s unique, strange charm. In fact, a half-century after its release, it's possible that Pitch Black may be his best movie.
