Rating of
4/4
The Chronicles of Riddick.
TrifibianTerror - wrote on 11/11/09
The Chronicles of Riddick.
A sequel to film Pitch Black, in which a ship transporting a dangerous criminal crash lands on a planet of monstrous flying creatures, Chronicles of Riddick is a film I find to be one of the most entertaining I have ever seen.
Richard B. Riddick, or just Riddick, was introduced to us in Pitch Black as a cold and calculating criminal with a dark sense of humour not often shown. Played by Vin Diesel (who, you may not know, plays Dungeons & Dragons!), whose awesome voice gives the character a real sense of being a criminal and dangerous. Riddick, who can see in the dark thanks to an implant he recived while in Butcher Bay Prison (this is recived in the videogame The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena). Now hiding away on a frozen planet, he is captured by mercenaries and on the way, escapes to New Mecca, a peaceful sun drenched planet. Here, he is caught up in a war between the Necromongers, a fanatical cult determined on converting everyone or killing them, and all of mankind. Not to spoil it, but I would have dearly loved to have seen a follow-up to this movie, with an ending reminiscent of a Frank Frazetta painting of Conan the Barbarian.
Although not recieved well on release (I didn't like it much when it came out, either), it has grown on me. The way it explains its universe, the people and planets were actually rather well done. And the special edition DVD contains a lot of backstory, not just the usual trailers and behind-the-scenes. There's a whole section devoted to explaining the terms of factions, people and places. That's something you don't get these days, only if it's the ultimate edition of some well loved fantasy, sci-fi or horror film of long ago. There's a nice little section wherein Vin Diesel gives you a tour of the set, too. But I digress.
Yes, the film is based pretty much soley around Riddick, not much of the other characters, such as the Muslim man who Riddick meets in New Mecca, who survived Pitch Black. But Riddick is really the fundamental glue of this film. The story is pure sci-fi, and yes, there is a certain amount of stereotypical-ness about it. But it's still just a pure sci-fi romp, with great characters, a dark and interesting universe and the impenetrable layer of cool Vin Diesel brings.
Also, the film is pretty damn kick-ass.
I heartily reccomend this film to thos interested in the Riddick character, the universe, who was a fan of the games, or just loves some good, dark sci-fi.
