The Chronicles of Riddick - 2004

Universal Pictures, Radar Pictures, One Race Productions

Directed by David Twohy

Cast:

• Riddick – Vin Diesel
• Lord Marshal – Colm Feore
• Dame Vaako – Thandie Newton
• Aereon – Judi Dench
• Lord Vaako – Karl Urban
• Kyra – Alexa Davalos
• The Purifier – Linus Roache
• Toombs – Nick Chinlund
• Imam – Keith David

Story: Riddick, the escaped murderer from the movie Pitch Black, is being pursued by mercenaries on an isolated planet. He avoids their attempt to capture him and instead strands the survivors on the planet to pursue the man who sent them: the Imam, one of the two others to escape the dark planet. When he finds him, he learns of the Necromancers, a race of conquerors traveling across the universe to convert all humanity to their faith. Riddick learns he is from the planet Furya, a planet already destroyed by the Necromancers. At first, Riddick is unwilling to get involved, but soon it becomes apparent he must fight or die. He allows himself to be captured by Mercs to rescue the girl Jack, now known as Kyra, from a maximum security prison, then returns to the planet to face the Lord Marshal to test their creedo: “You Keep What You Kill”.

Review: Once again Vin Diesel brings to life the vicious, calculating anti-hero Riddick, the convict who prefers to kill instead of negotiate. Riddick is living a life of arduous survival, preferring the isolation of the frozen planet to the company of humans. When he learns the Imam is the man who has set the bounty for him, he journeys to discover why. Keith David recreates the Imam from Pitch Black as if he had never left the role, and introduces us to Aereon, the elemental being in the form of Judi Dench, whose powerful acting and presence adds both drama and authenticity to the film. Nick Chinlund excels in a role custom made for him, and Colm Feore is magnificent as the Lord Marshal, the holy half-dead who has seen the Underverse. Linus Roache, in one of two films he has worked on with Diesel (the other, Find Me Guilty, perhaps led to his role as the Assistant DA on Law and Order), and while his role is not as big as I would have liked, his presence and eloquence as the Purifier adds significantly to the film. Karl Urban, who has appeared in other fantasy roles (Priest, Star Trek), presents a more powerful, controlled soldier of the faith, while Thandie Newton as his ambitious wife provides the right balance to the struggle for power within any authoritarian regime. Alexa Davalos is excellent as Kyra, defiant and deadly to the last. Even the extended version is rated PG-13 for language and violence, but little sexual content. Since Vin will be recreating Riddick in a third film next year, I would say this is a collectible if you are a fan of the first two, or just a fan of good science fiction.