Riddick

There have only been a few time this year that I have gotten to leave the theater with a giant grin on my face, Riddick was one of those times.

I spent a little bit of time reading others reviews before I started typing this up and, I won't lie, they kind of ticked me off. Riddick is a movie that took its 40 Million dollar budget and stretched it to the absolute MAX, I also feel like this is one of Vin's best performances to date. There is no sexism in the film...There is no horrible see through acting...there is no moment during this movie when I was bored...It's a thrill ride. A brief summary

Act 1-Riddick is stranded on what might be his home planet and has to re-man up after becoming soft while leading the Necromongers (Riddick being the only person hard enough to ever soften up when taking over a galaxy dominating army) There is a dog in act one but it plays very well into the story and I personally got attached to the pup...think of Will Smith's dog in "I am Legend"

Act 2-Mercs are brought to the planet and the fun begins...for the next forty five minutes the story is about the Mercs and Riddick becomes what we all love...a monster in the Darkness.

Act 3-It starts raining...I'm going to stop there on act three because I want to spoil nothing... The End-Was exactly what I wanted and had me leaving the theater with a giant grin on my face.

WARNING: This is not a happy sing along movie with a perfect hero who saves the day in the end…this is also not "A Piece of Art." This is Riddick it's Muddy, Bloody, Painful and as always FUN!

I wasn't expecting much. When I heard of the sequel I assumed it'd be a bigger and "better" chapter in the Richard D. Riddick series. Then I saw the trailer and thought that going back to the basics of Pitch Black felt like Twohy didn't know how to go bigger and was reverting into his safe bubble. I was wrong. This is by far Twohy's strongest script with a surprising range of fleshed-out characters. The first ten minutes of the movie has no dialogue and right from the get-go I was pleasantly surprised. It begins to feel like an appropriate direction to take the character. There are jokes that don't work but most do. While Riddick's monologue is a little... quaint (and a cgi dog companion that feels a tad out of place; but i get why it's there) i really think it's important that 'Riddick' is a success at the box office -- to help open the way for genuinely fun, inventive sci-fi narratives with a budget.

A good antihero is a wonderful thing, and Riddick is a commendable example. Having watched the evolution of this character over the course of one very good Sci-Fi outing (Pitch Black)and one very passable Sci-Fi mega-production (The Chronicles of Riddick), it was nice to welcome him back to smaller budgets and the authentic claustrophobia that befits an interstellar fugitive.

"Riddick" is a film that delivers what its core audience wants: the story never strays from what has been established, although there is the unfortunate drift towards "How Incredible Is This Guy?" that afflicts so many film series (cf. "Iron Man","Dirty Harry", "Rocky"). Nonetheless, the action is both gloriously implausible and entertaining, and director David Twohy does a great job of keeping you in the same universe where you first joined this ride. In short, Riddick is spot-on, while "Riddick" is a little overblown.

I will not reveal the end, but I will reveal that I was a little disappointed in its neatness. Clearly the script writer has more faith in the redemptive power of revealed truths than I do. This notwithstanding, for the period that I was in the cinema, I had a good time with my dangerous friend Richard Riddick, and I imagine that anyone who liked the first two films will do so, too. It is particularly recommended to those who preferred "Pitch Black" to "The Chronicles of Riddick". David Twohy is back home, and feeling fine.

Riddick is left for dead on an unknown planet with hostel indigenous predators. With a bounty on his head he calls upon the very people who want to have him killed in order to escape.

Director/writer David Twohy certainly delivers a fan pleasing sequel that fittingly harks back to the first instalment's roots in both story linkage and tone. While not as grand, fans of Chronicles will also be pleased with the stripped continuation back story and a cameo from Karl Urban's Vaako.

It's a good piece of science fiction action entertainment with decapitations, shootings, spaceships, a hostile planet, yes it's familiar and debatably derivative as the characters get picked off one by one, but as with Pitch Black Twohy effortlessly manages to create a convincing environment with new memorable biological creatures which is no easy task, to his credit it's no often lighting strikes twice given how many forgettable alien creatures have been put on screen. Yet, even though reminiscent Alien (1979) he manages to recreate what he did with the photosensitive, reptilians in his breakout 2000 film.

Vin Diesel returns as the character created by Jim Wheat & Ken Wheat- Riddick, this time he rekindles his previous edginess but the 'one Riddick and his dog' aspect expands the character, sneakily retaining some likability (especially for animal fans).

Given the way the production was funded the special effects are a mixed bag but serve their purpose. The first act is a special effect survival piece with sparse dialogue and smart action, with the second act taking place after an (unstated) amount of time when Riddick finds a small base. From then on its full of action setups, space motorcycles, conflicts and one-liners as the mercenaries and bounty hunters have to make an alliance with Riddick to survive an impending alien onslaught.

The supporting characters are developed just enough to be both identifiable, memorable and you almost care just enough to invest your time. Spanish actor Jordi Mollà gives a standout performance as the head hunting, unsavoury Santana, Total Recall (remake) actor Brokeem Woodbine gives some weight with his limited dialogue. Katee Sackhoff while feeling a little typecast still delivers the goods, even the remaining groups stereo-types are more fleshed out than they should be of the genre which adds to the enjoyment. Matt Nable is a good lead as Boss Johns whose character gives the story a (satisfying) little twist that those familiar with the original will see coming a mile off.

The closing is arguably abrupt but is possibly intentional as it leaves you wanting more. The critiques maybe a little hard on Riddick but considering it is a third in a film series spurred from such humble beginnings, an inviolate first (small comparison to is sequel) Riddick is entertaining viewing.

I saw Riddick last night and enjoyed it very much. No, it wasn't a perfect film, but I knew going in that I wasn't going to see an Oscar contender!!! The action and special effects were great, the story is nothing we haven't already seen before though it was well done, and the acting was as expected for this genre. What it does lack in originality, it makes up for in intensity. It is a violent film, but it is action violence and nowhere near "torture porn". Yes, you will have to suspend a good deal of belief, but no more than in any other action film. If you are looking for a heartwarming tale of humanity at it's best -- skip this one. If you are expecting a modern retelling of 2001, than forget this one. If you are looking for mindless entertainment with a lot of action and a plausible storyline, this is for you.