Riddick Review

Rated R (Strong Violence, Language and Some Sexual Content/Nudity)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 59 Minutes

Cast-

Vin Diesel-Richard B. Riddick

Karl Urban-Commander Siberius Vaako

Jordi Mollà-Captain Santana

Matt Nable-Boss Johns

Katee Sackhoff-Dahl

Dave Bautista-Diaz

Bokeem Woodbine-Moss

Raoul Trujillo-Lockspur

Conrad Pla-Vargas

Danny Blanco Hall-Falco

Noah Danby-Nunez

Neil Napier-Rubio

Nolan Gerard Funk-Luna

Andreas Apergis-Krone

Directed by David Twohy

Are you afraid of the dark?

Note: Screened on Thursday, August 15, 2013 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

We probably won't be seeing Vin Diesel holding an Academy Award anytime soon but the man does treat his fans well, and that's something I both respect and admire. While struggling as an actor during the early 1990s, Diesel (whose birth name is Mark Sinclair Vincent) wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the 1994 short film "Multi-Facial," which eventually lead to his first big break in Hollywood when Steven Spielberg decided to cast him in a supporting role in 1998's critically-acclaimed World War II epic "Saving Private Ryan." Two years later, Diesel appeared in David Twohy's low-budget sci-fi horror/thriller "Pitch Black," where he played the gravelly-voiced anti-hero Richard B. Riddick. This was the breakthrough role that finally launched the larger-than-life actor to superstardom. Since reprising his role as Dominic 'Dom' Toretto in 2009's "Fast & Furious," Diesel's career has been on a hot streak. Both 2011's "Fast Five" and this year's "Fast & Furious 6" received positive reviews (77% and 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively) and went on to become massive successes at the worldwide box office with a combined gross of $1.4 billion. With filming about to start for "Fast & Furious 7," Diesel could honestly just sit on this series and collect one big paycheck after another but thankfully, that's not how he rolls. When a fan on Facebook voiced his desire to see Diesel return to his role as Riddick, the actor decided, right then and there, to make it happen.

Despite its mixed reception (56% on Rotten Tomatoes), "Pitch Black" was a moderate success at the box office with a total worldwide gross of $53 million. Not too shabby for a film that's essentially an "Alien" rip-off. It apparently sold well on DVD, which convinced Universal to give Twohy a bigger budget for a sequel. The director wrote not one, but three scripts, envisioning it as an epic sci-fi trilogy similar to "Star Wars." Unfortunately, 2003's "The Chronicles of Riddick" flopped with both critics and audiences (29% on Rotten Tomatoes), and earned only $57.7 million domestically. It barely covered its $105 million production budget once foreign grosses were factored in. Opening against reigning champion "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" probably wasn't a very good idea either. For all intents and purposes, the "Riddick" franchise was dead…or was it? Diesel and Twohy remained optimistic about a third film, and there was obvious fan interest but if it were made, it would have to be on a smaller scale, similar to "Pitch Black." After reacquiring the rights from Universal and wrapping up work on the script, pre-production finally began in late 2009. To secure the necessary funds for the third installment, Diesel even put his house up as collateral. Now that's what I call dedication. Eschewing the convoluted mythology and bloated CG effects of its predecessor, the simply titled "Riddick" could've used a bit more time in the editing room and suffers from its fair share of inane dialogue but Diesel's passion for the character shines through, elevating a generic sci-fi thriller into an enjoyable one.

'You keep what you kill.' After killing the Lord Marshall Zhylaw, the Furyan convict known as Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) becomes the leader of the 'Necromongers,' a race of religious fanatics who believe that life is antagonistic to the natural order of the universe. Compelled to return to his home planet, Riddick offers to hand over the throne to Siberius Vaako (Karl Urban) if he agrees to take him to Furya but the ambitious commander instead maroons him on a sun-scorched world filled with deadly beasts. Despite being left for dead, Riddick manages to survive and even tames one of the planet's native animals to be his companion. Knowing that he cannot stay on this desolate world forever, Riddick activates an emergency beacon which alerts all mercenaries in the area of his location. The first to arrive is Captain Santana (Jordi Mollà), who is eager to collect the massive bounty on the Furyan's head. A second ship soon follows, carrying someone from Riddick's past. The two groups reluctantly team up to hunt Riddick but a storm brews on the horizon, bringing with it a swarm of monstrous alien predators.

'Somewhere along the way I lost a step…gotta find that animal side again.' This line, delivered via voiceover narration during the film's opening scene, is rather ironic because it perfectly summarizes the "Riddick" franchise. This third installment shouldn't even exist given how disastrous "The Chronicles of Riddick" was but against all odds, the series has managed to survive like its title character. Independently financed and made for less than half the budget of the previous film ($38 million), "Riddick" scales down the CG visuals and takes a 'back to basics' approach by once again stranding our favorite intergalactic convict on an isolated world teeming with wild beasts. Outside of one brief flashback sequence that sees the return of Karl Urban's Vaako, the film goes to great lengths to distant itself from its less well-received predecessor and veers dangerously close to being a remake at times, particularly during the last half-hour. The first act doesn't feature any spoken dialogue and finds Riddick licking his wounds while desperately fending off packs of jackal/dog hybrids and fearsome scorpion-like creatures that bear a passing resemblance to the Xenomorphs from "Alien." Lamenting that he's gone 'soft' since taking the Necromonger throne, the bald-headed Alpha Furyan sets out to recover the 'animal' within him. It's a very effective opening that showcases the character's adaptability to even the harshest environments. Naturally, the last thing you would expect is for Riddick to take in a stray pup but it helps lend him a small measure of warmth. Even on an alien world, man's best friend is still a dog.

Twohy's pacing is methodical but he takes this to an extreme during the problematic second act. With a storm bringing thousands of deadly alien predators set to arrive soon, Riddick activates an emergency beacon from a merc outpost (that he somehow conveniently finds) in order to acquire a ship and get off-world. First on the scene is Jordi Mollà's Captain Santana, followed by Boss Johns (Matt Nable), whose motivations function as a callback to the events of "Pitch Black" but I doubt people will remember considering that film came out thirteen years ago. It's at this point that the script's weaknesses begin to show as both groups of mercenaries don't have much of a unique personality to them, with a few exceptions. There's still some fun to be had though, such as Santana frequently getting punched in the face by Katee Sackhoff's no-nonsense sniper Dahl. The dialogue can also be rather dreadful but there are some cheesy gems like 'I don't f*ck guys, I f*ck them up.' Riddick makes a few a sporadic appearances yet the cat-and-mouse game he plays goes on for a little too long. Thankfully, the pace starts to pick up by the third act and this is where the film most closely resembles "Pitch Black" as characters once again fight against the meteorological clock while retrieving a pair of power cells. The final minutes of "Riddick" pits our anti-hero, wounded and alone, against an unending onslaught of monsters. It's a fitting image that captures his indomitable will to survive and is also representative of the franchise as a whole. No matter how many times you leave him for dead, Riddick will always find a way to survive.

From a visual standpoint, "Riddick" is a mixed bag. The CG used to bring the creatures to life is fine but some of the green-screen work is iffy. Then again, I shouldn't fault it too much considering the difficulty it took to make the film a reality. Of course, the real star of the show isn't the effects, its Vin Diesel. It's been a decade since the actor played Riddick but he hasn't lost a step, slipping into the role with ease and literally elevating the film with his commanding, larger-than-life presence. Diesel is no Daniel Day-Lewis when it comes to acting ability yet his ice-cool charisma is a big part of why Riddick continues to be a popular genre icon. No longer ham-strung by a PG-13 rating, the character is now free to be as brutal as he wishes and one kill that will leave audiences talking involves a machete and a transparent box. The rest of the supporting cast is overshadowed by Diesel but there are some standouts like Jordi Mollà's scenery-chewing turn as the incompetent Captain Santana. Katee Sackhoff's Dahl has a few memorable moments as well yet the character is largely defined by her gender and is frequently objectified by the others. Dave Bautista's Diaz provides some comic relief and as expected, engages in a brutal brawl with Riddick himself. Diesel beating on wrestlers is starting to become a noticeable habit in his films.

To be released on September 6, 2013, "Riddick" has so far been receiving positive reviews (it currently has an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes) but overall reception will likely be mixed. While the weekend after Labor Day has almost always been the worst of the year for the box office, there's a chance that this film will buck that trend. No, it won't be earning $100 million; however, the early buzz should push it toward being a midlevel hit. "Riddick" has its fair share of problems but they seem relatively insignificant when you have a star like Vin Diesel in the lead. It's still a derivative B-movie, albeit one made with passion. Let's hope it does well enough so that Diesel and Twohy can finally wrap up the storyline.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"Don't know how many times I've been crossed off the list and left for dead."