An opening shot reveals a starship flying across the galaxy. On board are the usual assortment of passengers (most of whom don't make much of an impression). They are all in hypersleep, but then something causes the hypersleep chambers to open. One young female crew member, Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), notices that the captain's chamber has been pierced, killing the man. She wonders if it has anything to do with the convicted murderer Riddick (Vin Diesel) who is shackled aboard. Before you know it, the ship is starting to crash. Fry grabs the controls. She briefly considers undocking the command center from the rest of the ship, effectively saving herself and dooming the others. Another crew member stops her before this can happen, and the ship crashes.

Humans try to avoid light-sensitive aliens in Pitch Black

The planet they land on is unusual. The passengers soon discover that it is inhabited by aliens who dwell in darkness (light hurts them). Since the planet has three suns, they figure they won't have to worry about the creatures too much. Then Fry discovers that a solar eclipse is about to occur. Darkness falls; the aliens emerge. Riddick just happens to have special dark vision, so he's the only one who can lead the others to safety. They reluctantly unleash him, then set out to repair the ship and get home.

While Pitch Black is undeniably derivative of other films (most notably the Alien series) it manages to work up some suspense. Part of that comes from Diesel (best known for his role in Saving Private Ryan). He's sinister and there is an unspoken connotation that he might be as big a threat to the other people as the aliens are.

The effects are also pretty convincing. The creatures - which look like a combination of lizard and bat - are creepy. They move with lightning speed and have empty, warped faces with enormous jagged teeth. Director David Twohy (The Arrival) doesn't linger on them too long, which makes their appearances more effective. There's a truly great image (used widely in the film's preview) where one guy spits alcohol into a flame to illuminate his surroundings; the ball of flame reveals he is surrounded by the aliens, all of whom briefly repel from the light.

I also liked the themes of morality that run through the story, particularly the issue of Fry's unwillingness to die for someone else. In times of crisis - when it appears that there's no possible victory - is it okay to take an "every man for himself" approach? And whom should we be willing to die for? A convicted killer? A stranger?

Pitch Black certainly has its moments of familiarity. It's not hard to guess what will happen, and when. I liked the style and the ideas, though, enough to recommend the movie. It may not be a sci-fi classic, but it sure is entertaining.

( out of four)

Pitch Black is rated R for language and gory violence. The running time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.