Released in 2000, low budget sci-fi actioner Pitch Black was considered a sleeper hit, bringing it's star, Vin Diesel, to public notice as the film's anti-hero, the vicious escaped convict Richard B. Riddick. Guided by writer/ director David Twohy, the character reappeared four years later with The Chronicles of Riddick, which did away with the dark, raw tone of the original (going so far as lowering the rating), instead going for a bigger feel, weaving in a vast and convoluted mythology which ultimately fell flat. While the sequel was a flop, it did achieve cult status, which brings us to Riddick, the third installment in the franchise. Experiencing a big drop in budget from Chronicles of Riddick's rumoured $120 million to $38 million, Diesel and Twohy are taking the character back to the start, giving us a film closer to Pitch Black, but one that still can't capture what made the original so great.
Sweeping the events of The Chronicles of Riddick under the rug with a quick, throwaway flashback, we find Riddick stranded and left for dead on a hostile alien planet. Stumbling upon an abandoned outpost, he activates a distress call, bringing two space ships to the planet. One carries a group of mercenaries hell bent on collecting the bounty on him, and the other bringing a man with ties to Riddick's past. But they soon discover, the convict isn't the only danger on the planet.
Kicking off with a drawn out opening of Riddick discovering the dangers of his new home, complete with a long, expository voice over from Diesel (proving that a man with a voice that gravelly shouldn't do a long expository voice over), the movie really comes into it's own when the focus is taken off the title star, and put onto the team of bounty hunters, including Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackoff and Diesel's co-star from the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy (well, he'll be sharing the screen with his voice anyway) Dave Bautista, a rag tag, and admittedly dumb, group of cannon fodder. When they set foot on the planet, the movie changes tack, becoming a cat and mouse game between them and Riddick. Guess who the cat is? These scenes are the movie at it's most enjoyable, the cast turning the air blue as they are stalked and dispatched in satisfyingly gruesome ways. Riddick makes good use of it's adult rating, one more in keeping with Pitch Black. The film moves along a nice pace, though it is ham stringed by some awful dialogue and really stupid character motivations. The third acts kicks things up another notch, introducing us to an alien threat, who, akin to the original's darkness loving beasties, need a specific condition to attack, this time being rainfall. The finale moves at a rollicking pace, but ends in a truly unsatisfying way. The script feels like it was written into a corner, the well used 'last minute character 180 turn' coming to save the day. Considering it's budget, the effects are very impressive, a few dodgy sets and green screen work not withstanding. The CGI creations are wonderfully designed and brought to life, leading to some truly great action sequences.
Diesel completely owns the role of Riddick. It's easy to see that he enjoys playing the universe's biggest bad ass, and he has some great moments in this, usually striding forward in slow motion, slashing things to bits. Of the mercenaries, Jordi Molla as the deliciously evil Satanna makes the biggest impression, by far having the one having the most fun in his role. He keeps his character just the right side of over the top, and keeps the things light, providing some well timed laughs. Dave Bautista gives us a taste what to expect from his turn as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, the former wrestler well suited to his role in this, but also showing that he won't be threatening Dwayne Johnson for the title of Best Wrestler Turned Actor anytime soon. Sackoff is wasted in the bad ass female role (rehashing her character from Battlestar Galactica), and I found her last minute reinvention as a love interest a bit insulting.
While enjoyable, and with moments that shine through, Riddick falls short of capturing the spirit and flair of Pitch Black, something it clearly wants and needs.
Kicking off with a drawn out opening of Riddick discovering the dangers of his new home, complete with a long, expository voice over from Diesel (proving that a man with a voice that gravelly shouldn't do a long expository voice over), the movie really comes into it's own when the focus is taken off the title star, and put onto the team of bounty hunters, including Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackoff and Diesel's co-star from the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy (well, he'll be sharing the screen with his voice anyway) Dave Bautista, a rag tag, and admittedly dumb, group of cannon fodder. When they set foot on the planet, the movie changes tack, becoming a cat and mouse game between them and Riddick. Guess who the cat is? These scenes are the movie at it's most enjoyable, the cast turning the air blue as they are stalked and dispatched in satisfyingly gruesome ways. Riddick makes good use of it's adult rating, one more in keeping with Pitch Black. The film moves along a nice pace, though it is ham stringed by some awful dialogue and really stupid character motivations. The third acts kicks things up another notch, introducing us to an alien threat, who, akin to the original's darkness loving beasties, need a specific condition to attack, this time being rainfall. The finale moves at a rollicking pace, but ends in a truly unsatisfying way. The script feels like it was written into a corner, the well used 'last minute character 180 turn' coming to save the day. Considering it's budget, the effects are very impressive, a few dodgy sets and green screen work not withstanding. The CGI creations are wonderfully designed and brought to life, leading to some truly great action sequences.
Diesel completely owns the role of Riddick. It's easy to see that he enjoys playing the universe's biggest bad ass, and he has some great moments in this, usually striding forward in slow motion, slashing things to bits. Of the mercenaries, Jordi Molla as the deliciously evil Satanna makes the biggest impression, by far having the one having the most fun in his role. He keeps his character just the right side of over the top, and keeps the things light, providing some well timed laughs. Dave Bautista gives us a taste what to expect from his turn as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, the former wrestler well suited to his role in this, but also showing that he won't be threatening Dwayne Johnson for the title of Best Wrestler Turned Actor anytime soon. Sackoff is wasted in the bad ass female role (rehashing her character from Battlestar Galactica), and I found her last minute reinvention as a love interest a bit insulting.
While enjoyable, and with moments that shine through, Riddick falls short of capturing the spirit and flair of Pitch Black, something it clearly wants and needs.
