Riddick
Starring: Vin Diesel, Jordi Molla, Katee Sackhoff, David Bautista
Director: David Twohy
Rating: 4/5
It has been almost ten years since Vin Diesel last took on the role of Riddick; yes it really was back in 2004 when The Chronicles Of Riddick was released.
But after the long wait Diesel is back as he plays the character of Richard B. Riddick for the third time, and he reunites with director David Twohy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless.
Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered.
The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal.
With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.
Having been a big fan of the Riddick franchise - especially Pitch Black - I have been looking forward to this film since Diesel started posting on set pictures during filming, and, on the whole, the movie doesn’t disappoint.
I regard Pitch Black as one of the best science fiction movies of the last twenty years, and while Riddick doesn’t quite reach those dizzy heights it is more like the first film than the second.
Twohy and Diesel have returned to the more stripped back and tense nature of the first film as it is edgier and less blockbusterish than The Chronicles of Riddick.
And this is how a Riddick movie is supposed to be, dark, gritty violent with danger and death around ever corner; and there really is death and blood-shed at every turn.
The film does take a little while getting going, but once the lights go out and the monsters appear, Diesel really is in his element.
Riddick is a character that has a great mythology and what is so disappointing about this new instalment is that isn’t expanded in any way. He is such an interesting and intriguing character that it would have been nice to get under his skin a little bit more.
There are some solid supporting performances; Jordi Molla providing much of the comedy as bounty hunter Santana. Sadly Katee Sackhoff is drastically underused. In the scenes that she does share with Diesel there is spark between these two characters, and it would have been great if we had this fizz a little more.
The one thing that you can always say about the Riddick movies is that they look fantastic; and that fine tradition continues here.
Twohy has created a world that is bleak and barren and there is very visceral and unforgiving look and feel to this desolate planet.
Pitch Black still remains the jewel in the crown of this franchise, but this does not stop Riddick from being a fine addition.
It is brutal and violent with a healthy amount of monster, and blood-shed as well as a fair bit of laughter along the way.
Vin Diesel has always really excelled in this role and it is good to see this character back on the big screen. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another nine years for the next film.
Riddick is out now.