The Chronicles of Riddick: Movie & DVD Review (2004)

(Originally published 2004)

The new David Twohy movie, “The Chronicles of Riddick,” is set in Crematoria, a sun-baked planet whose blistering heat is so intense, it fries the film’s joints with one of most chaotic plots to hit theaters in years.

A loose sequel to the 2000 breakout hit, “Pitch Black,” “Riddick” is light years away from that movie, which featured Vin Diesel and company fending off death from swarms of bat-winged aliens out for blood. The film was low-budget fun, a sci-fi horror flick that created a tense mood of dread by unfolding in the dark.

“The Chronicles of Riddick,” on the other hand, wants to switch on the lights, which is fine since it reveals a movie that’s great to look at. Holger Gross’ set design, in particular, features a more-is-more sensibility that works, making the film appear more interesting than it is.

Too bad about the story.

Based on a screenplay by Twohy, Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, “The Chronicles of Riddick” is as messy as it is muscular, featuring more shaved beef than a deli.

In it, the vast army of the Necromongers, a fundamentalist group of leatherclad muscleheads led by Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), are determined to subjugate the universe by bending its inhabitants to their will. Should these folks refuse to conform, they’ll have their souls sucked out of their bodies, which is never a pleasant scene, as we learned from the Dementors in the current Harry Potter movie.

To promote their cause, the Necromongers first need to go through Riddick (Diesel), the intergalactic outlaw gangster armed with biceps the size of semis and a baritone growl that wraps itself around punchy bon mots designed to test well with audiences.

What ensues is two hours of unrelenting strife, with Riddick battling Lord Marshal, his men and the wicked Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton) in an effort to stop them cold amid the sizzling heat.

Diesel makes the most of a physical role that provides little insight into a character that remains an enigma. He certainly looks the part, though, and he is convincing in it, though that might not be considered a compliment since his Riddick has become more of a caricature than ever.

Dame Judi Dench co-stars as Aereon, a ghostly ambassador of the "Elemental" race Riddick is trying to save. When she appears onscreen and it strikes you that the actress is either slumming or has dementia, it ceases to matter. “Riddick” has already become “The Chronicles of Arthritic,” so lame that it needs a cane to lumber into its final act.

What harms the film is its script, a good deal of which seems written in code. The movie is often muddy and confusing, with not every unwieldy machination falling as neatly into place as it should have.

Grade: C-