Riddick’ has its moments, but not many
“The Chronicles of Riddick” rated pg-13
Sequels reign the movie theaters this summer.
“Shrek 2” and the third “Harry Potter” film continue to fill theaters, and “Spider-Man 2” is likely to do the same.
Another sequel already in theaters has arrived with far less fanfare. “Chronicles of Riddick” is the follow-up to the 2000 sci-fi/horror effort “Pitch Black.” It’s a curious release because the original was marginally successful on the big screen but had a stronger following on video. It’s a testament to how Hollywood will try anything to make a few more dollars.
“Chronicles of Riddick” picks up five years after the first film’s events. Vin Diesel returns as the title character, still a hunted man. While he avoids repeated attempts at capture, a fanatical and imperialistic race called the Necromongers travel across the universe converting planets and entire civilizations into its own version of paradise called Underverse. Through revelations given by Aereon, played by Judi Dench — who seems amusingly out of place — Riddick reluctantly discovers his place amongst the crusading Necromongers and those failing to resist.
Up until its midway point, the film exceeded my own low expectations. There are well-executed actions sequences that keep the film’s pace engaging. The sequel even fulfills its obligation to make sense of what happened to the survivors left from “Pitch Black.” But unfortunately, as Riddick arrives at the prison-colony planet Crematoria, the film starts to turn rotten. In the film’s second half, writer-director David Twohy struggles horribly as he tries to balance the film’s role as a sequel and a completely new saga.
“Pitch Black” isn’t mentioned in the sequel’s ad campaign and rightfully so, since the original and the sequel are completely different films when it comes to story and theme. “Pitch Black” takes place on a deserted planet where the survivors of a destroyed ship try to fight creatures that are only viable in the dark. The relationships between the survivors are horror movie cliches, and the film’s own rules are established too quickly. After awhile it gets boring and nothing new happens. In “Chronicles,” the premise is dictated in the first 10 minutes, either because Twohy doesn’t have the talent to write comprehensible narrative flow or he is more concerned about making great action sequences with the overblown budget he didn’t have with the first. What “Pitch Black” and “Chronciles of Riddick” share are their biggest flaws — poorly structured storytelling that allows the films to drag.
The success of a sequel directly relates to the merits of the original. The first isn’t a good movie. And while it had its moments, the sci-fi/horror combination highlights why “Alien” continues to be such a great film. On those grounds, “Chronicles of Riddick” is better than its predecessor, even with the overblown budget and excessively sprawling plot.
The film is sometimes engaging — even some of the most devout sci-fi fans will enjoy it. But ultimately, the movie is just another disposable summer flick.
Grade: C