The third instalment in the Riddick series sees the titular anti-hero conned into returning to his native planet by the necro-mongers whose favour he was won, if only temporarily. When he is double-crossed and left to die, Riddick embarks on a journey of survival as he "resets the clock to zero" and starts all over again.
Riddick has improved on the sequel to Pitch Black, "Chronicles of Riddick", in that it goes bigger but at the same time holds true to the original premise. Chronicles failed because it was TOO big, and too loosely tied to the ideas of the original. 2013s Riddick really goes back to basics with a small cast of characters and a focused plot - in fact, in some ways I think there was potential for three sequels squeezed into this film. The first act is a kind of wilderness survival, the second a tit-for-tat game of cat and mouse, and the third an epic confrontation between all the forces at play. It really changes direction several times and I wasn't quite expecting what I got.
There is some quality comic relief on show and the rarest twinge of an emotional bond between Riddick and an alien dog he adopts, but it is underdeveloped and underused, which irked me as it had great potential. The writers also tried to form some kind of sexual innuendo between Riddick and "Dahl", the only female character. It is ultimately ineffective and leaves much to be desired. The Riddick-dog relationship yields the most emotional investment for the viewer, who will see as I did the waste in ending that bond too early in the film.
Another note on sex: there's some very crude aforementioned innuendo in Riddick. It feels kind of unnecessary and threatens to drag the film into B-movie territory at points. No amount of good storytelling can excuse it, as the blatant sex talk feels like something a teenager would write and serves no real purpose. The character of Dahl too, feels unfairly used as a vehicle for it, and it never amounts to anything but more bad jokes.
There's a couple of annoying clichés besides the "tough chick", including the "religious guy", for example. The writer acts wisely by limiting our exposure to them, especially the preachy kid who really annoyed me. "Santana" and "Johns" were the highlight of the supporting cast, providing just enough charisma and identity for you to enjoy their on screen presence.
Story aside, Riddick looks spectacular. I'm not sure if it was filmed in 4K, thought it certainly looks like it. Some of the CGI was of such a high quality I found myself questioning whether it was prosthetics or not, or a combination of the two. It's really reached a level of quality so high that it feels like the creatures occupy the same physical space as the actors, adding to a grittiness that captures the action well. Creature design is great (although some obvious inspiration is taken from Alien), and rivals that of the original.
Though carefully paced and (at times) not quite sure what it wanted to be, Riddick is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy that returns to the territory Pitch Black first explored. Those who didn't like the sequel Chronicles will definitely enjoy this 2013 offering instead, as it has all the essential components of the original mixed with some new ideas and a twist or two keep the story going. It's a flawed epic and won't win any awards, but it certainly will keep you entertained and is well worth the two hour investment.
Riddick has improved on the sequel to Pitch Black, "Chronicles of Riddick", in that it goes bigger but at the same time holds true to the original premise. Chronicles failed because it was TOO big, and too loosely tied to the ideas of the original. 2013s Riddick really goes back to basics with a small cast of characters and a focused plot - in fact, in some ways I think there was potential for three sequels squeezed into this film. The first act is a kind of wilderness survival, the second a tit-for-tat game of cat and mouse, and the third an epic confrontation between all the forces at play. It really changes direction several times and I wasn't quite expecting what I got.
There is some quality comic relief on show and the rarest twinge of an emotional bond between Riddick and an alien dog he adopts, but it is underdeveloped and underused, which irked me as it had great potential. The writers also tried to form some kind of sexual innuendo between Riddick and "Dahl", the only female character. It is ultimately ineffective and leaves much to be desired. The Riddick-dog relationship yields the most emotional investment for the viewer, who will see as I did the waste in ending that bond too early in the film.
Another note on sex: there's some very crude aforementioned innuendo in Riddick. It feels kind of unnecessary and threatens to drag the film into B-movie territory at points. No amount of good storytelling can excuse it, as the blatant sex talk feels like something a teenager would write and serves no real purpose. The character of Dahl too, feels unfairly used as a vehicle for it, and it never amounts to anything but more bad jokes.
There's a couple of annoying clichés besides the "tough chick", including the "religious guy", for example. The writer acts wisely by limiting our exposure to them, especially the preachy kid who really annoyed me. "Santana" and "Johns" were the highlight of the supporting cast, providing just enough charisma and identity for you to enjoy their on screen presence.
Story aside, Riddick looks spectacular. I'm not sure if it was filmed in 4K, thought it certainly looks like it. Some of the CGI was of such a high quality I found myself questioning whether it was prosthetics or not, or a combination of the two. It's really reached a level of quality so high that it feels like the creatures occupy the same physical space as the actors, adding to a grittiness that captures the action well. Creature design is great (although some obvious inspiration is taken from Alien), and rivals that of the original.
Though carefully paced and (at times) not quite sure what it wanted to be, Riddick is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy that returns to the territory Pitch Black first explored. Those who didn't like the sequel Chronicles will definitely enjoy this 2013 offering instead, as it has all the essential components of the original mixed with some new ideas and a twist or two keep the story going. It's a flawed epic and won't win any awards, but it certainly will keep you entertained and is well worth the two hour investment.