“So we put Radha [Mitchell] up… to get all this rock-and-rolling of the Fry character,” remembered director David Twohy when describing how they created the effect of the ship re-entering. “We put her up on this gimbal and just shook the hell out of it. I remember one day, actually it was a several-gimballed set, and one of the gimbals broke right out from under one of the actors and made a terrible sound. Nobody got hurt, we were lucky, but to hear that snap… this is like, a 20-ton, 30-ton structure and it just snapped and hit the ground.”
Despite its luxurious visuals and exceptionally good effects, keeping in mind that this film was made a decade ago, it was shot on a mere budget of $23 million. The film would later become a sleeper hit, taking in over $53 million worldwide and launching the career of Vin Diesel, who relates that he pursued the role with vigour when he heard of it. “The reason why I fought for this movie is because I hadn’t come across a character arc this dynamic and as meaty as Riddick’s,” said the action star, who has recently appeared in films such as Fast And Furious as well as Babylon A.D. “Here is a monster saving people; he walks through these stories with a certain aloofness and unlike other characters, he never tells you that he’s going to save you, but somehow ultimately does.”
Despite his personal belief in the character, however, there were more than a few uncomfortable moments for Diesel on set. “Being in those cryo-lockers [at the start of the film] was not the easiest thing in the world,” he related. “Being in those cryo-lockers was claustrophobic, and having chains, and being blindfolded, and not being able to move… in fact, I remember shooting [that] and I literally lost it because I felt that I was in there a little bit longer than I needed to be, and there was a little anxiety.”
The main strength of Pitch Black, aside from its muscular leading man and its lovely camerawork, though, is certainly the story and the sense of dread that it instils in people watching it. “I guess there’s close to 200 special effects shots,” said Twohy, before elaborating on why he seems nonchalant about this relatively high number. “But I think that they are in support of a good story. They don’t overwhelm the story, and I’m continually reminding people that maybe the less you see, sometimes, makes the situation scarier.” Indeed, the director believes that they accomplished something unique with the film that served to set it aside from others in the genre. “Reversal of expectation with the characters is something that we play around with a lot in this film. It’s very uncommon to find that kind of complexity in sci-fi horror films.”
