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Review by Dustin Putman
1½ stars out of 4
"The Chronicles of Riddick," a $90-million sequel to 2000's taut sleeper
hit "Pitch Black" that follows the title anti-hero through an expanding
otherwordly mythology, has been the dream project of Vin D iesel (2002's
"XXX") for several years. While credit deservedly goes to the buff,
charismatic actor for making the film a reality, the watered-down
end result badly hinders whatever potential or worth it could have
had. For one, "The Chronicles of Riddick" has been downgraded from
an R-rating to PG-13, a major mistake that seems to hold the material
back at every moment. And two, the script by David Twohy (who also
directs) is practically incomprehensible. It isn't impossible to follow
the premise and its developments, but alarmingly few reasons are ever
given for why anything that happens is occurring. With little to no
narrative depth or involvement, the picture becomes a thankless visual
spectacle, marvelous to look at but woefully empty where its heart should be.
Set five years after the events of "Pitch Black," escaped convict
Riddick (Vin Diesel), who has the ability to see in the dark, shows
up on the plane t of Helion Prime in an attempt to clear his name.
His mission is misplaced, however, when the people of the planet are
ravaged by the Necromongers, a superhuman, soulless breed of creature
that wishes to turn all into one of them. The reason of why is never
explained, but the Necromongers are run by the evil Lord Marshal (Colm
Feore), as well as second-in-command Vaako (Karl Urban) and his wife,
Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton). Meanwhile, Riddick finds the time to
travel to the prison planet of Crematoria, where the rays of the sun
are deadly, to reunite with young Jack, now a tough 17-year-old young
woman who goes by the name of Kyra (Alexa Davalos). His devotion to
her, like so many of the plot particulars, is never satisfactorily
explained. Nonetheless, Riddick and Kyra are unwillingly put in the
roles of the heroes (Riddick discovers he is the last of a warrior
race known as Furian, and that is why he is wanted), as they set out
to stop the Necromongers from taking over the entir e universe.
Directed by David Twohy (2002's "Below"), "The Chronicles of Riddick"
is an ambitious failure, admirable in its attempt to create a completely
new sci-fi world and characters without having to be based on a comic
book or novel, but perfectly lousy in bringing that vision to life.
The characters are vaguely drawn, at best, perplexing in their actions
and placed at a distance from the viewer. Because they are wafer-thin
and there is no background given for most of them, one is left wondering
why they should be given a damn about. And the how's and why's of
the story are unfortunately glazed over in exchange for a series of
mind-numbing action set-pieces that are almost all devoid of energy
or palpable tension. The exception is a fast-paced chase through the
devastated, mountainous landscape of Crematoria by Riddick, Kyra,
and a group of convicts to beat the deadly rise of the sun. Otherwise,
the film is painfully by-the-numbers in its wrongheaded conception
as a brainless popcorn movie when the complex plot clearly called
for more development and care.
As the reluctant Riddick, who doesn't choose to be the good guy as
much as he is forced into it to save his own skin, Vin Diesel fits
comfortably back into the role. All rippled muscles, baritone voice,
and glowing eyes, Diesel is ideal as an action star, but needs to
branch out from this limiting genre if he wants to have any sort of
Hollywood staying power. As for Vaako and femme fatale Dame Vaako,
oft-described as a futuristic version of Lady Macbeth, Karl Urban
(2002's "Ghost Ship") and Thandie Newton (2002's "The Truth About
Charlie") seem confused as to how they have found themselves in this
overblown world of blue screens. Along with Judi Dench (2002's "Die
Anothe r Day") as Aeron, a supernatural guiding light on Riddick's
quest, the three of them are wasted. Dench's Aeron, known as an Elemental,
who uses the elements to configure into a solid being, had some real
potential, but remarkably little is done with her or her intriguing
race. As sidekick Kyra, newcomer Alexa Davalos elicits a glimmer of
promise with her butt-kicking, razor-happy character, but any chance
of she and Diesel forming a honestly felt kinship is overlooked as
the dull action moves full speed ahead.
"The Chronicles of Riddick" is all discouraging doom and gloom, a
moldy cliche of a science-fiction film without the vital feeling of
imminent danger. The villainous Necromongers physically appear as,
for all intents and purposes, humans with stronger than usual strength
and no emotion behind their eyes. This was the wrong way to go with
these creatures, who never seem to pose much threat and, therefore,
are giant bores. It doesn't help that their motives, like that of
the rest of the characters, are highly sketchy. "The Chronicles of
Riddick" may hold dazzling visual effects and some darkly picturesque
vistas, but that is where the picture's entertainment value comes
to a halt. Vapid, sluggish, over-the-top, and uneventful in any meaningful
way, if "The Chronicles of Riddick" didn't have the basic skills that
director David Twohy does, indeed, possess, it would be comparable
to 2000's laughable disaster "Battlefield Earth." That is one comparison
no filmmaker should ever strive for, or mistakenly find themselves a part of.
Copyright © 2004 Dustin Putman
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out of 4
