THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK Unrated Director's Cut

Five years after surviving a harrowing night on a sun-baked planet, escaped convict Richard P. Riddick finds his life growing interesting yet again. After imposing himself to self-isolation on a U.V. drenched ice planet, Riddick discovers that a bounty has been placed on his head by one of the two other survivors from PITCH BLACK. After tracking down his supposed pal and asking what's going on, Riddick is thrust into a confrontation between the Lord Marshal and his army of Necromongers, a force of half-dead men and women scourging the galaxy and bolstering their ranks through force and might. Plus there's this thing about Riddick having a destiny to face...

With its immense budget (rumored to be hovering around $200 million) and expanded scope, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK is one of those rare sequels to an earlier film that exceeds its predecessor but also falls a little short of its ambitious goals. Director/writer David Twohy, who has proven capable of delivering entertaining science fiction films on very modest budgets (THE ARRIVAL, the aforementioned PITCH BLACK and the atmospheric horror of BELOW) proves that when he's given a summer tentpole budget he's got plenty of drive and imagination to share with audiences. Ably directed, Twohy should be commended for expanding the universe of Riddick and also giving us an interesting group of villains for his bald anti-hero to face down. Vin Diesel also brings gravitas to his portrayal of Riddick, allowing the character to be the same gruff killer from PITCH BLACK but also showing that the bonds forged in the first film have been allowed to strengthen. Excellent performances from RIDDICK's supporting cast, including Karl Urban as a loyal soldier in the Necromonger army, Thandie Newton as his Lady MacBeth-like wife, Nick Chinlund as a great Tom Waits-like mercenary named Toombs and Colm Feore as the Lord Marshal provide more depth for RIDDICK's world than found in most typical sci-fi escapist fare. Also of note are the film's impressive special effects, some of which raise the bar for photorealism in action movies of this type (just look at the water splashing over the Hellhound's head as it moves under a waterfall to see what I mean.) One thing that cannot be said about RIDDICK is that it doesn't look good; from the film's CGI to its sprawling, intricate production design and sets, the film's budget is up there on the screen.

The chief problem of RIDDICK is that not all of Twohy's widening of the PITCH BLACK universe works. For every cool concept such as the death technology used by the Necromongers we get another item that doesn't pay off as well. Chief among this is Judi Dench's air elemental Aereon, a character that doesn't serve a purpose at all in the film except to show off as a fun special effect. Since this is the unrated director's cut of the film that I'm reviewing, a new character that was originally excised from the theatrical cut has been reinserted but just as with Dench's Aereon, Shirah (Kristin Lehman) is unnecessary baggage; all she does is add an element that tells us Riddick's people have a kind of superpower, and really, it isn't necessary. Early in the development of RIDDICK Twohy was saying that his goal was to create an epic story for the character and to also give him a destiny, but here in the end it seems like a mistake giving Riddick an enigmatic origin and a superfluous ability (the time he needed his "fury blast" was back when all those hungry nocturnal aliens wanted to munch on him in PITCH BLACK!)

Still, these aren't terminal faults. I actually enjoyed watching THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK more than I thought I would have and I'm rather sad that the film had a tepid reception at the box office this past summer because after that final shot is played out the stage is set for Riddick travelling on another interesting road, one that I'd really like to see. Also, any movie that has a great idea like using half-dead humans as faster-than-light communication devices goes from a B to B+ in my book. After seeing Twohy's RIDDICK I like to think that he'd be the right guy to turn the hard SF novels that Hollywood can't seem to crack into mainstream movies, such as David Brin's UPLIFT series or Asimov's FOUNDATION books.

The unrated director's cut DVD comes with an audio commentary track by Twohy and cast members Karl Urban and Alexa Davalos (Jack/Kyra). The best of the material comes from Twohy and it's all pretty much scene specific, with the actors tossing in a compliment towards another actor here and there. "Riddick's World" is a 360-degree view of eight sets from the film, all interesting to look at. "Toombs' Chase Log" features actor Nick Chinlund in character, chronicling his pursuit of Riddick. The virtual guide feature was an unexpected surprise, featuring most of RIDDICK's supporting cast (sometimes more than just one) explaining a concept from the film in greater detail, such as the roles in the Necromonger hierarchy or the differences between the planets seen in the film. Also included is the first level from the enjoyable RIDDICK Xbox video game, so you'll have something to play with after the show.

Fans of PITCH BLACK will probably be split over THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, but if you're a reader of science fiction or those that simply wanted more action with the con with the eye shine, chances are better that you'll enjoy this new adventure more and I'd recommend making the investment for ownership. For all others, the movie is worth a rental.