Home

image by Veronica V. Jones

Riddick? Cool! Chronicles? Tepid.

 Vin Diesel as Riddick.

We just saw The Chronicles of Riddick, and while Riddick the man was as badass as ever, the movie was just kinda ‘there’. As compared to the truly excellent Pitch Black, Chronicles foolishly swapped characterization for special effects, and in the end, merely provides a splashy backdrop for the main character.

While the visuals were truly fascinating — if a bit monotone — they were a poor substitute for a fleshed out villain. The mercenary captain who appears in the first minute of the movie seemed more dangerous and real than the big bad of this story. The ‘Necromongers’ had a funny name, were too Borgish, and suffered from severe stormtrooperitis — they kept ranks and marched good, but were completely ineffective in the art of war.

The only relationships that actually mattered to Riddick were well established in Pitch Black. Without first seeing the earlier film, it would be difficult to understand Riddick’s motivation for nearly anything that he does in this movie. It was great to see Riddick talk the talk and walk the walk, but I think I’ll watch Pitch Black again, just to see something more than a character portrait in action.

Written by in June of 2004. Last edited July 2021.

Related Features

The Torturous Turns of The Prestige

Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier / The Great Danton / Lord Caldlow. Christian Bale as Alfred Borden / The Professor / Bernard Fallon. Scarlett Johansson as Olivia Wenscombe. Piper Perabo as Julia McCullough. Michael Caine as John Cutter. David Bowie as Nikola Tesla.

Jeff Axer

A human-dragon hybrid in a futuristic uniform flashes a V sign. A white-haired girl in futuristic clothing stands with her arms crossed.

Thanos Tsilis

A group of angry warrior women overrun armored men. A woman with red hair and a long black coat rests a katana on her shoulder. A man stands before a large bubble-enclosed futuristic bust of a large woman.

Terror and Triumph Beget Children of Men

Clive Owen as Theo and Claire-Hope Ashitey as Kee. Clive Owen as Theo. Julianne Moore as Julian. Claire-Hope Ashitey as Kee. Michael Caine as Jasper.

Are You Missing out on Knowing?

Nicolas Cage as Joh Koestler and Rose Byrne as Diana Wayland. Strange silent men surround the Koestler house. Chandler Canterbury as Caleb Koestler watches a firestorm approach his window.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *