Rating of
3/4
"The Chronicles Of Riddick" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/23/11
Riddick returns to discover that he is a warrior prophesied to end the brutal reign of a race of religious zealots conducting a crusade against the rest of the universe. I was a fan of David Twohy's previous work, particularly the original to this somewhat bloated sequel Pitch Black which was a visually stylish sci-fi horror that inventively transcended it's meagre budget. In this however he has the keys to the toyshop and wantonly plunders from Macbeth, Krull and everything in between. He is clearly trying to do Star Wars in the style of Dune, but falls a little short of the epic scale he was aiming for because the mythology he has created is slightly unconvincing and the somewhat episodic plotting. The story is little more than a series of excuses for spectacular set pieces and some of the dialogue is clunky at best, but it never bores and is always a visual feast; the special effects stand up well today and it has some wonderful production design. In fact this film is guilty of a lot of the same self indulgent excess as the Star Wars prequels, but with one major difference: Twohy can actually direct. It won't be to everyone's taste but if you are a fan of pulpy sci-fi, it should be a fun ride.
