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DVD Movie Rating for: Chronicles of Riddick

Rating for Chronicles of Riddick : 3 out of 5 stars

Movie Plot of: Chronicles of Riddick

The Chronicles of Riddick is a movie that combines the elements of a sequel and a prequel. The movie is set 5 years after the events of Pitch Black and starts as Riddick is hiding away from mercs on distant planets. He is constantly haunted by visions of his past, his warrior times, the murder, his abandonment, events that happened to him. He decides to go back to the planet where he was sentenced.

There's talk of the second coming of God, that He has shun the earth for centuries and He has blessed the planet there. More flashbacks of the loves he used to have, and people he once knew, they are forcing people to convert to a different belief in life. It's a bit like Memento or Kill Bill, the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. This movie is a story about the rise of a society he left behind.

Riddick is some kind of psychopath. He killed his uncle for killing his beloved mother and wife and family. He was imprisoned for that crime, and now he blames God for that. Remaining relatives said his murdered family had abandoned him, but they were actually killed for money to build the higher order of Necromonger society. It's such a good background story it will trip you out.

Lord Marshal doesn't know that Riddick has returned. He believes that he died on that planet.. Riddick's family was killed too while holding those beliefs. He has lost all of his faith. So he and a few others lead a rebellion against the rise of the new society. Riddick plays a big part in the religion. He feels that is something he must do because of dreams he has been having while sleeping with his eyes open.

The other survivors of the first movie have important parts as well. Imam aids Riddick in the fight. His relationship with Kyra seems like a friendship but at the same time they make you wonder what time is it down there. Also this movie has a lot of gunplay, a lot of action-oriented stunts, a lot of unbelievable stuff, like in the movie Equilibrium.

DVD Production Details of: Chronicles of Riddick

Starring: Vin Diesel, Colm Feore
Director: David Twohy

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby, Full Screen

Studio: Universal
DVD Release Date: November 16, 2004
Run Time: 120

DVD Extra Bonus Features

Available subtitles: Spanish, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Commentary by filmmaker David Twohy and actors Karl Urban & Alexa Davalos
Director's cut contains 15 extra minutes
"Riddick's World" including 360 degree view of eight locations
Deleted scenes
Toomb's Chase Log
Virtual Guide
Facts on Demand viewing mode
Play the first level of the Xbox game

Cast of the movie: Chronicles of Riddick

• Vin Diesel .... Riddick
• Colm Feore .... Lord Marshal
• Thandie Newton .... Dame Vaako
• Judi Dench .... Aereon
• Karl Urban .... Vaako
• Alexa Davalos .... Kyra
• Linus Roache .... Purifier
• Yorick van Wageningen .... The Guv
• Nick Chinlund .... Toombs
• Keith David .... Imam
• Mark Gibbon .... Irgun
• Roger R. Cross .... Toal
• Terry Chen .... Merc Pilot
• Christina Cox .... Eve Logan
• Nigel Vonas .... Merc
• Shawn Reis .... Merc
• Fabian Gujral .... Merc
• Ty Olsson .... Merc
• Peter Williams .... Convict
• Darcy Laurie .... Convict
• John Mann .... Convict
• Adrien Dorval .... Convict (as P. Adrien Dorval)
• Alexander Kalugin .... Slam Boss
• Douglas Arthurs .... Slam Guard (as Douglas H. Arthurs)
• Vitaly Kravchenko .... Slam Guard (as Vitaliy Kravchenko)
• Ron Selmour .... Slam Guard
• Raoul Ganeev .... Slam Guard
• Mark Acheson .... Slam Guard
• Shohan Felber .... Slam Guard
• Ben Cotton .... Slam Guard
• Kimberly Hawthorne .... Lajjun (as Kim Hawthorne)
• Alexis Llewellyn .... Ziza
• Charles Zuckerman .... Scales
• Andy Thompson .... Scalp Taker
• Cedric De Souza .... Black Robed/Meccan Cleric
• Ahmad Sharmrou .... Black Robed Cleric
• Stefano Colacitti .... Black Robed Cleric
• Mina E. Mina .... Coptic Cleric (as Mina Erian Mina)
• John Prowse .... Bump Pilot
• Lorena Gale .... Defense Minister
• Christopher Heyerdahl .... Helion Politico
• Rob Daly .... Helion Politico
• Michasha Armstrong .... Lead Meccan Officer (as Micasha Armstrong)
• Aaron Douglas .... Young Meccan Soldier
• Colin Corrigan .... Vault Officer
• Kristin Lehman .... Shirah (director's cut)

Photo Gallery of the movie: Chronicles of Riddick

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Chronicles of Riddick

Reviews of the movie: Chronicles of Riddick

After a rather fun introductory action-chase sequence across the surface of a frozen planet, Riddick (Vin Diesel) ends up on the planet Helion, where he tracks down the man who sent the bounty hunters after him in the first place - Imam (Keith David), one of the survivors from the previous film. After explaining to Riddick that he sent the bounty hunters after him because he knew Riddick would not come on his own, he pleads with Riddick to help his people fight an encroaching invasion of the "Necromongers". This is a race of semi-zombified religious zealots who dress like the aforementioned orcs and are basically just an uninspired rehash of The Borg, who have already been drudged up as filler episode villains in every series of the creatively bankrupt Star Trek franchise since the Next Generation years.

Naturally, Riddick has no interest in fighting a war for the people of Helion, although he does decide to lend a hand and kill a few dozen of the invading Necromongers before being captured by bounty hunter Toombs (Nick Chinlund), who he'd left for dead back on that ice planet after the opening credits. They take him to the prison planet that bears the rather silly name of "Crematoria" (come to think of it, most of the names in this thing are pretty silly) in order to collect the bounty. While in prison, he is reunited with "Jack", who was a scrawny post-pubescent girl posing as a boy in the first film, but who has now suddenly grown up (in the space of five years, mind you) into a sexy, busty, slinky ass-kicking chick who now goes by the name of Kyra (Alexa Davalos). Never mind the fact that it's obviously not the same actress, but it doesn't even remotely resemble the same character.

At any rate, Riddick and Kyra bust out of jail with the goal of stealing a ship. When she is captured by Necros and taken back to Helion, Riddick gives chase towards the inevitable showdown between himself and the head necromonger, the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore).

Although the plot of Riddick is highly derivative and simplistic, it does boast some decent action scenes and some fantastic visuals - even if much of the production design appears to be the bastard offshoot of Lord of the Rings and David Lynch's Dune. Most of the supporting performances range from bland (Judi Dench) to overwrought (Thandie Newton). But although Diesel is as wooden as ever, he carries himself with just enough bad-assity, and pulls off just enough solid one-liners, to make his performance a treat by comparison. Chinlund also gives some much-needed comedic relief as the smart-ass bounty hunter.

Alas, the problem with Riddick is that whenever there isn't some big epic visual of marauding spaceships or flame-engulfed alien landscapes, or whenever Riddick isn't cracking wise and kicking ass, the movie is slow and tedious, putting no new spin on its sci-fi trappings that have already been rehashed dozens of times. Plot ideas are introduced, only to be mishandled or just brushed aside (what the fuck is an UNDERVERSE???), and most of the dialogue that isn't laden with one-liners is stilted.

"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 Diesel (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 planet 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 entire 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 Another 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.