Summer has started. What a surprise. This is a good movie.
Here comes Vin Diesel in a sequel that doesn't know it's a sequel.' If you missed `Pitch Black,' don't worry. `The Chronicles of Riddick' is sparse on the words, big on vision, with flashy mechanics, a soulful cast and somber in tone, showing tremendous restraint on action, violence and digital effects. Cool.
Vin may run for Governor of California some day. His lines in this are Terminator-lite. It looks like 85%Vin Diesel lines are looped. Often he's shown from the back or side. You don't see his mouth move. Not a bad looking guy, if you like bald guys but it's those pipes, baby. The voice is marvelous. John Wayne monotone and deep like Paul Robeson, `a place where deep bells ring.'
Like Judy told Liza, it's OK to steal, just steal from the best. That's what these filmmakers did here. Mad Max, Blade Runner, Terminator and High Noon are clear influences. Nearly pronounced dead, futuristic Sci-Fi has has gotten so heavy handed and done-to-death with the Star Wars and Treks. Not here. This movie is refreshing. Not only does the cast have dimension and depth, so do the action sequences - sensible fight scenes that are involving with beginnings, middles and ends. True dimension, texture, style and oomph. Clearly, there was someone with science and math involved. The dynamics make sense to the eye. The swooping spaceships are thick with vapor trails. When stuff explodes people die. Costumes and make up are sleek, stylish and move well with the actors. Matrix meets Blow Up. I never expected brains in a Diesel film.
And no stupid aliens, either. Thank you very much. The actual plot is a little muddled and at times and difficult to follow. A little layered and labored - coming off a little like Dune. Invading armies with great looking armor and matching space ships. (Love the look of this movie. Kinda Goth-Deco.) Lords, ghosts, prophecies, unfaithful queens and warring races. And Religion. Hey, what's a war without religion anyway? Favorite scene: the Lord and Master of the Necromongers (very Borg-like) grabs a guy by the throat and rips out his soul. Needless to say, the rest of the captives bow down to the new boss in town. Enter Diesel, the last of his kind, a Furian to fight the good fight. Very `Good, Bad and the Ugly.'
Excellent cast includes; Judy Dench, Colm Feore, Thandie Newton, Keith David and (our fave) Nick Chinlund.
After the very disappointing Van Helsing which was Show Girls dumb and Space Balls silly with uneven dialog that couldn't decide what century or what continent it was in or from this movie is like a breath of fresh air laden with a whiff of popcorn.
Here comes Vin Diesel in a sequel that doesn't know it's a sequel.' If you missed `Pitch Black,' don't worry. `The Chronicles of Riddick' is sparse on the words, big on vision, with flashy mechanics, a soulful cast and somber in tone, showing tremendous restraint on action, violence and digital effects. Cool.
Vin may run for Governor of California some day. His lines in this are Terminator-lite. It looks like 85%Vin Diesel lines are looped. Often he's shown from the back or side. You don't see his mouth move. Not a bad looking guy, if you like bald guys but it's those pipes, baby. The voice is marvelous. John Wayne monotone and deep like Paul Robeson, `a place where deep bells ring.'
Like Judy told Liza, it's OK to steal, just steal from the best. That's what these filmmakers did here. Mad Max, Blade Runner, Terminator and High Noon are clear influences. Nearly pronounced dead, futuristic Sci-Fi has has gotten so heavy handed and done-to-death with the Star Wars and Treks. Not here. This movie is refreshing. Not only does the cast have dimension and depth, so do the action sequences - sensible fight scenes that are involving with beginnings, middles and ends. True dimension, texture, style and oomph. Clearly, there was someone with science and math involved. The dynamics make sense to the eye. The swooping spaceships are thick with vapor trails. When stuff explodes people die. Costumes and make up are sleek, stylish and move well with the actors. Matrix meets Blow Up. I never expected brains in a Diesel film.
And no stupid aliens, either. Thank you very much. The actual plot is a little muddled and at times and difficult to follow. A little layered and labored - coming off a little like Dune. Invading armies with great looking armor and matching space ships. (Love the look of this movie. Kinda Goth-Deco.) Lords, ghosts, prophecies, unfaithful queens and warring races. And Religion. Hey, what's a war without religion anyway? Favorite scene: the Lord and Master of the Necromongers (very Borg-like) grabs a guy by the throat and rips out his soul. Needless to say, the rest of the captives bow down to the new boss in town. Enter Diesel, the last of his kind, a Furian to fight the good fight. Very `Good, Bad and the Ugly.'
Excellent cast includes; Judy Dench, Colm Feore, Thandie Newton, Keith David and (our fave) Nick Chinlund.
After the very disappointing Van Helsing which was Show Girls dumb and Space Balls silly with uneven dialog that couldn't decide what century or what continent it was in or from this movie is like a breath of fresh air laden with a whiff of popcorn.
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