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The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

AKA: Pitch Black 2 (2002), Riddick (2002), and Pitch Black 2: Chronicles of Riddick (2002)

2/3 rankings

Directed By: David Twohy
Written By: David Twohy
Produced By: Vin Diesel

Tagline(s): All the power in the universe can't change destiny.

Summary: The Chronicles of Riddick takes place five years after the events in Pitch Black.  Riddick, who has a price on his head, has been avoiding mercenaries for the last 5 years and now finds himself on the planet Helion while it is invaded by Lord Marshal.  Marshal plans to subjugate the humans on Helion for his army of warrior "Necromongers".  And the fight is on!

Review: The Chronicles of Riddick is the sequel to Pitch Black, or as it is now confusingly known, for no apparent reason, The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black.  Welcome to the confusion.  Pitch Black the original was filmed on a modest budget and made millions becoming the breakout smash hit of 2000 while simultaneously launching the career of relative unknown Vin Diesel.  This time around, Writer/Director David Twohy has a Hollywood-sized budget and uses it to create a sequel having virtually nothing whatsoever to do with the original.  Most of the money seems to have been spent on creating spectacular strobe effects, which serve only to distract the audience from the lack of character development.  For example, what was the purpose of the great Dame Judi Dench's character Aereon?  And then there is the character of Jack.  Originally an androgynous kid played by Rhiana Griffith, she is now a buxom supermodel woman named Kyra played by Alexa Davalos.  Why?  No one seems to know for sure.

Vin Diesel plays the ultimate badass Riddick quite capably, but all of his many fights are filmed with no pauses in the action to show the audience exactly what he has accomplished.  Which frequently leave us wondering where his foes went, and what happened to them?  And when Riddick's not fighting others, he is dealing with a fiery sun that alternately scorches the planet Crematoria's surface, but not the convenient rocks Riddick's crew finds to walk on and hide behind, nor the very air they breathe.  This same sun seems to vary quite significantly in its deadly temperature range from scene to scene.  And since when is a fiery hot sun not considered a source of bright light?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't bright lights bother Riddick's eyes?

Although there are great moments in The Chronicles of Riddick, notably Vin Diesel's Richard B. Riddick's offing of an inmate with a teacup.  And the scenes with Karl Urban and Thandie Newton's characters plotting and scheming and planning their Shakespearean treacheries against Lord Marshal.  These scenes are too few and far between to easily allow the audience to readily follow this movie.

To Purchase: The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) on DVD, The Chronicles of Riddick The Book in Paperback, The Chronicles of Riddick The Game for Xbox, or The Chronicles of Riddick Official Strategy Guide in Paperback.
 Please Note

Special Features: Director's Cut, Deleted Scenes, First Level Xbox Game, and Movie Commentaries.

Others in the Series: Pitch Black (2000), The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004) [video game], The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004) [animated short]

Copyright (c) 2004, 2005, 2008  A. Ryan Robbins.  All Rights Reserved.