I have been invested in Vin Diesel's Riddick since first experiencing Pitch Black and I find it hard to believe that it's been 13 years since it was released. The duality of this character or I should probably say multi-faceted character is fascinating and the journey to understand who he is and why he is this enigma of a perpetually reluctant hero has consistently been engaging. Initially, I was unable to truly discern from the trailer if the story took place pre Pitch Black or post Necromancers, but it appeared that he was wearing Necro attire which would place the story at some point after he commenced his reign from the edict that 'you keep what you kill. What I could discern from the trailer was that he was in another situation that was wrought with a deadly collection of monsters all of which were extremely dangerous. The how of what places him on planet Notfurya, which I prefer to call Predatorium was a fairly brief recollection of events by Riddick. The thing that took something like forever was the opening credits and his odyssey to adapt to this hostile environment. This story provided a connection to both predecessor films and was more like the first, than Chronicles. The special effects that delivered the aircrafts, the landscape of the planet and the carnage were first rate. The creature special effects could have been improved upon, the scorpion-like baddies were too similar to the creatures in Pitch and the canine's movement was too animated to ever truly believe that they were real. I was intrigued by the casting, I don't know what fountain of youth this guy is drinking from but Bokeem Woodbine (Moss) is simply ageless, I still see Joshua from Jason's Lyric and that was nineteen years ago. He is an actor that I feel should be given some serious recognition for his talent, he is always convincing no matter what type of role he plays. The only thing that I can say about Keri Hilson's (Prisoner) memorable acting debut is 'wow', she has a bright future as an actress. I will continue to follow Riddick on any and every future adventure but to date Chronicles is still my favorite, I have and can watch it repeatedly and am always entertained. I had high expectations for Riddick and it was more like Pitch black recycled with a splattering of some Die Hard with a Vengeance. Nevertheless, it was still entertaining and should be seen on the big screen for the effects. I give it an amber light.
Review of Riddick
