It is a dark time in the universe. Planet after planet is falling to an unholy army of Necromongers–conquering warriors who offer ravaged worlds a simple choice–convert or die. Those who refuse their rule hope in vain for someone or something that will slow the spread of Necromongers. But rebels are short-lived and saviors, it seems, are in short supply. When things get bad, weary survivors turn to myths for comfort–murmured propheciesm, vain hopes, legends of good vanquishing evil. But good isn’t always the antidote to evil and legends can be wrong. Sometimes the only way to stop evil is not with good–but with another kind of evil. So an unlikely figure is summoned from exile and asked to join the fight: Riddick, who couldn’t care less who’s in charge of the universe, just as long as he’s left along. Since leaving a god-forgotten (and creature-ridden) planet in the Tauras system five years ago, the wanted fugitive hasn’t looked back. Most of the time has been spent evading capture and ghosting whatever mercenaries are on his tail. To him, it’s all the same, apocalype or no–this one-man army is interested only in saving his own life. Get in his way and his gladly take yours. But something has been set in motion, and the coming confrontation propels Riddick into a series of epic, winner-take-all battles: from an idyllic, multicultural civilizaton under seige; to a subterranean prison carved beneath the surface of a hellish, volcanic planet; and finally, aboard the massive baroque Necro motherhship and the seat of power in their black empire–the Basilica. In the final battle, it is foretold that the fate of all may depend upon the destiny of on Furyan.
Pitch Black (2000) was an excellent vehicle for filmgoers to discover the physical and acting prowess of actor Vin Diesel, who by then garnished his career with a small in the World War 2 epic, Saving Private Ryan, and the Wall Street crime drama, Boiler Room. He was also the guy you definitely wanted in your corner in Knockaround Guys, written and directed by Barry Koppelman and David Levien. Looking at Vin Diesel and the changing dynamics of how actors were being put on the screen to sell action movies as they were evolving, I remembered David Twohy’s first installment of the Riddick film franchise, and I knew the film did pretty well, though I did not expect there would be a sequel. And so there was, with the release of the 2004 science fiction action fantasy follow-up, The Chronicles Of Riddick.
While the film isn’t perfect, what’s best about the film is that it gave viewers a chance to understand the lead character a little more than what we were left with from the first installment, thus broadening the scope of the story way more to further expand the Riddick universe. And in this universe, we have planets that roast at the peak of daylight, alien armies, prison creatures, dirty Shakespearian politics, elemental beings, treacherous galactic bounty hunters and prison wardens, battles with old friends, and we have Riddick, a man with superhuman survival instincts whose origins were a mystery until he is brought full circle to confront his past, or see the fate of a galaxy sealed before the feet of a nefarious dogmatic warlord who harnesses his power from a spirit world beyond the known realm.
The Chronicles Of Riddick sets itself apart from the first movie in that you finally get to see the character, Riddick, take on other formidable enemies in hand-to-hand, whereas in the first film, you can easily see Vin Diesel’s ability to showcase some of his physicality, but not much when fighting CGI monsters with teeth and pointed claws. Former Jackie Chan stunt team member and veteran martial arts stunt actor Bradley Allan takes the helm of the action scenes that feature Vin Diesel, along with actress Alexa Davalos who plays Kyra, the more effeminate, beautiful and deadlier opposite of the character “Jack”, played by Rhianna Griffith in the first film and the animated feature, Dark Fury.
Karl Urban and Thandie Newton play the Commander Vaako and Dame Vaako, the politically driven-power couple conspiring against Lord Marshall, played by Colm Feore, a powerful warlord whose dogmatic occult belief in an underworld afterlife grants him his abilities and his destiny as the end-all-be-all of powerful armies in the galaxy. Dame Judi Dench plays an elemental named Aereon, who steps to the political plate to negotiate peace between her race and the Necromongers.
I think it is pretry rare for a film to flop, only to get ressurected again nearly ten years later. I wish all really good films (::cough:: Dredd ::cough::) that flopped shared that same fate so fans could see something they like flourish. And on that note, no matter what your opinion is, The Chronicles Of Riddick had its day once, and it opened doors for many new adventures and thrills featuring the enigmatic galaxy-smart escape artist and professional killer.
This Fall, Vin Diesel returns to the screen as the title character in Riddick, which premieres on September 6, 2014 from Universal Pictures. As announced on Vin Diesel’s Official Facebook Fan Page, be sure to go see Fast And Furious 6, opening on May 24, 2013 to catch the full trailer for RIDDICK before it hits the web.
Meanwhile, you can catch any of the Riddick movies in standalone versions or in boxsets at Amazon and CD Universe, or wherever films are available.
UPDATE: To view the new trailer for Riddick, CLICK HERE.
