Riddick: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick (Vin Diesel) finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick’s past.
Ever since The Chronicles Of Riddick I’ve been waiting for the Riddick character to get back to what he was in Pitch Black and it seems like that’s what we got. The story in this film is reminiscent of Pitch Black in the sense that it takes place on a desolate planet and in a way this was the best for this franchise at the moment. It almost feels like a reboot without actually being a reboot. The good thing about the film is that it gets right to the action with little to no setup which with a guy like Riddick you kind of already know what kind of personality he has. The film isn’t as good as the original is but it’s plenty of fun. It has some excellent action packed moments that grab you attention with some of usual Riddick banter that the character is famous for. With that being said, it did look as if the CGI lacked a bit in spots and didn’t seem as solid as I’m usually used to but that definitely doesn’t mean it was all bad. I think this was probably the best way to go considering that the previous film was a bit too over the top so it was pretty much acceptable. The action sequence with the scorpion-esque creature was great and I thought it had some really cool moments like the knee slide knife slash. I also liked the fact that they included a link to Pitch Black in there which brought the franchise to a full circle. The one thing that I didn’t like was the inclusion of a “pet” for Riddick. I know they were trying to make things a bit light and gain some heart for the character but that’s not who he is. He’s a tough as nails guy with a bit of a conscience and I think it should be kept that way but like I stated previously, the film was fun and was a really good continuation to the franchise. Diesel has basically established an anti-hero with an attitude that people love to root for and has set an expectation for the character that I feel was truly delivered. The ending to the film was one that left it wide open to push the story further, I just hope they don’t take it back to what Chronicles of Riddick was. This is a pretty good popcorn action flick to check out, especially if you liked Pitch Black.
Special Features:
Unrated Director’s Cut – This cut offers up 8 minutes extra to the film but those extra moments make this the version to see. There’s even a Karl Urban cameo in there.
The Twohy Touch – Twohy and crew talk a bit about how this installment came about and the attraction to the franchise.
Riddickian Tech – A look at various weapons and vehicles that Riddick uses along with some of the tech that he comes across along the way.
Vin’s Riddick – A feature on the ever-evolving character that Riddick is.
Meet the Mercs – This feature shows a bit about the mercenary crew that is on Riddick’s heels the entire film.
The World of Riddick – This one lets us take a look at the planet that Riddick is left on to fend for himself.
Riddick: Blindsided – A pretty cool 5 minute motion comic.
