A commercial transport ship traveling through deep space suffers critical damage from a comet tail, forcing an emergency crash landing on an unknown desert-like planet. Among the survivors are the ship's pilot, Carolyn Fry, who struggles with the responsibility of leadership; the paying passengers, which include a young boy, a Muslim Imam and his followers, a wealthy antiquities dealer, and a law officer; and the dangerous convict, Richard B. Riddick, who is being transported in cryostasis by the officer. The survivors quickly realize the harsh environment and glaring sunlight of the planet is the least of their concerns, as they need to find water and food to survive.

The group discovers an abandoned geological research settlement equipped with a well. However, they learn that the planet is about to experience a month-long total eclipse, which happens once every 22 years. As darkness approaches, they encounter a horde of biomechanoid creatures that inhabit the planet, which have a lethal aversion to light and emerge from the underground to hunt. The survivors must find a way to use light as a defense against these creatures as they strive to navigate the treacherous and dark terrain in a desperate bid to reach an emergency escape shuttle and leave the planet. Tensions rise as they come to terms with the fact that Riddick, a man with surgically-enhanced eyes that enable him to see in the dark, may be their only hope for survival.