After years of
outrunning ruthless bounty hunters, escaped convict Riddick suddenly
finds himself caught between opposing forces in a fight for the future
of the human race. Now, waging incredible battles on fantastic and
deadly worlds, this lone, reluctant hero will emerge as humanity's
champion - and the last hope for a universe on the edge of
annihilation.
CRITIQUE
The Chronicles of Riddick, the sequel to the sleeper hit Pitch
Black, works well as an action picture, but on the other hand is a
tiny bit overstated. Vin Diesel returns as Riddick, but only this time
he plays a more vital role and must take on an even stronger nemesis.
The world of The Chronicles of Riddick is very well-realized
with terrific sets and interesting special effects that show off
various grand landscapes and architectures.
Writer/Director David Twohy creates a somewhat familiar story that
deals with one alien race's obsession to rule everything, and the
opposing, weaker race that tries to stay alive. Twohy's script, which
takes on characters created by Pitch Black co-writers Jim and
Ken Wheat, is structured well to the point of giving the audience a
good idea what they're about to see. The script is not necessarily
predictable, but also offers some plot twists that keep the action
going. Some of the slower scenes take away from the film's steady
pace, such as the whole act inside the prison, which takes longer than
it should, but in general the film manages to keep the interest going.
The action scenes are pretty cool, and some are real stand-outs. My
major gripe about the film is perhaps the dialogue, which isn't
terrible, but doesn't feel very inspiring either, and is too often
comprised of one-liners and overly cute analogies.
This Unrated Director's
Cut restores about fifteen minutes worth of footage, which adds more
character scenes, not to mention additional characters previously
unseen, but also ties together some loose elements that the original
version couldn't do. Usually I like it when the director adds new
scenes to his or her film, but in this case the running time of two
hours and fifteen minutes is a tiny bit excessive for this type of
film. Again, the pace moves along fine in general, but there are
scenes that drag on.
THE VIDEO
Universal presents The Chronicles of Riddick in 2.40:1 anamorphic
widescreen according to the package. Colors look very bright and absolutely clear. Detail and
sharpness are fine, and overall there are no issues to report. A solid
effort overall.
THE AUDIO
Universal presents The Chronicles of Riddick in English 5.1 Dolby
Digital Surround Sound. Dialogue is very clear and easy to understand,
while the sound effects are actively reinforced by the rear speakers.
The overall presentation of the music and sound effects makes this a
solid auditory experience.
THE EXTRAS
The
audio commentary by writer/director David Twohy, and actors Karl
Urban and Alexa Davalos is
overall less than satisfying. Yes, there are several informative parts
to the track such as stories about character and production, but
there's also silence and just a bit too much congratulatory talk going
on.
There's also a 46-second
introduction by Twohy where he lets viewers know about the
changes in the director's cut.
Following it are
three deleted scenes that run eight minutes, but only the last
scene, in which a major character dies, is actually worth a look.
Optional Twohy commentary is available for these scenes.
The Virtual Guide to
The Chronicles of Riddick offers information about various elements from the film,
such as the aliens and their world. Basically, sort of historical
background if you will, only you get to hear narration from the cast
members (from the point of view of the characters so to speak) and some good footage.
Toombs' Chase Log
spends a little less than ten minutes catching up with the bounty
hunter from the film, tracking his adventure as he tries to locate
Riddick and so on.
Riddick Insider -
Facts on Demand is a subtitle commentary track with bits and
pieces of notes appearing on the bottom of the screen. It discusses
things like settings, characters, and elements of the story, but it's
nothing too substantial, except a few interesting bits pop up. Plus,
there are times when no facts appear, which becomes a bit tiresome.
Inside Visual Effects
Revealing offers six minutes worth of behind-the-scenes footage,
film clips, and interviews with the director and some effects crew
members, discussing various visual achievements. It's an interesting
watch, but on the same hand is not terribly in-depth.
Riddick's World
is hosted by Vin Diesel where he takes the viewer on a three-minute
tour of the sets, but he does so a little too quickly. It mainly
serves as the set-up to the Interactive 360 feature that allows
the viewer to explore eight different locations from the film
via the remote control.
Rounding out the extras
is an XBox game demo of the first level from "Chronicles of
Riddick - Escape From Butcher Bay" which is playable on the console only, a
selection of trailers that play before the disc's menu
(fast-forward to skip them), and an Easter Egg that can be
selected form main menu (try clicking left and right).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite its length and
seeming a bit unorthodox for a summer action film, The Chronicles
of Riddick is still entertaining, and offers some cool and
inventive action scenes. The story may not be wholly original, but the
overall execution suggests a job well done. The V/A quality is pretty
good, and some extras are actually worthwhile.
