Riddick

Over the years, the Riddick franchise has amassed a cult following and while it’s been nearly a decade since the last film in the series, the universe’s ultimate badass has never truly receded into the darkness. After the disappointing The Chronicles of Riddick, Vin Diesel aims to return the series to its franchise roots with the darker and more visceral Riddick.

Riddick’s reign as the leader of the Necromongers is short lived when he is betrayed by Vaako (Karl Urban) and left for dead on an unknown planet. The film opens with Riddick showing off his superb survival skills as just about everything on this unknown planet attempts to kill him. He quickly adapts to the new terrain and even manages to tame one of the jackal-like beasts as a companion. The first 30 minutes of the film feels a bit too long as it acts like an introduction to his character for new audiences who missed out on the first two installments. We know that Riddick is a widely feared predator but we don’t need to watch him play Boy Scout for half an hour.

Things get interesting when a group of mercenary bounty hunters arrive to collect the massive reward that has been placed on Riddick’s head, which is doubled if he’s brought back dead. That alone should alert you to just how dangerous he is. One by one Riddick picks them off until an even more dangerous threat is on the horizon that will require the cooperation of everyone if they are to survive.

Riddick is very similar in its plot to Pitch Black. A group of bounty hunters want to bring Riddick in, only to have their plans foiled by the fearsome creatures lurking within the darkness and why he isn’t the one you should be worried about. This planet’s danger comes in the form of giant scorpion-like creatures that paralyze and then devour their victims. They’re not as intimidating as Pitch Black’s flying hunters, but they pack a punch nonetheless. The action actually feels quite sparse. It’s known that Riddick’s fights never last that long to begin with and there are some gruesomely satisfying deaths to look forward to, but I couldn’t help but want a little something more.  

The film is very much a service to fans and does an excellent job at connecting the trilogy. As it turns out, one of the bounty hunters is the father of William J. Johns from the first film and has been tracking Riddick for quite some time looking for answers to his son’s death. It’s these little moments that make me happy to see the franchise survive after all these years. Has it been worth the 10 year wait? Not particularly. But it’s still awesome to see Vin Diesel return to one of his defining roles. Riddick has always been an interesting anti-hero and Vin Diesel fits the role like a glove.

While Riddick doesn’t quite reach the quality of the original Pitch Black it introduces the character to a new generation of audiences that might have missed it the first time around. It’s a by-the-book sci-fi action romp that doesn’t push the envelope, but will leave you satisfied enough to want more.