There are nearly 100 reviews on IMDb for this title so why one more? I want to decry the trend of remaking one story over and over.
Riddick is a rehash of the tension and plot elements of Pitch Black. In fact, Riddick expands what was basically a 5 minute sequence at the start of Chronicles--namely Riddick stranded on a (frozen) planet and escaping using the bounty hunter's ship into a two hour bloated yawner. Nuff said.
Riddick does not advance the plot/saga in any substantial way. The first third of the movie with its Robinson Crusoe riffs was easily the best part of the two hour runtime. But the movie is utterly ruined with the arrival of the bounty hunters. After nearly 80 minutes of running around there is no closure at all. The one character who is villainous was dispatched spectacularly. But that sequence was included in the very first trailer for the film!!! When the money shot is in the trailer and in the film it occurs with 20 minutes left, there is no place for the movie to go but down and fast.
The creatures are nasty for sure ... are they in the caverns below the surface or are they in a dehydrated state? Should we care? They show up in vast numbers and then not at all and then again in an inconsistent manner (Pitch Black did not suffer from these sort of inconsistencies). They are unable to eliminate one character who makes it back unaided to ensure that the Riddick saga continues! This is a huge plot hole (maybe they will make a movie out of that...)
An unfortunate attempt to introduce element of sexual tension in the film fails utterly. Riddick's declaration of lust for the one surviving female character is spectacularly at odds with the internal dynamic of the story and of Riddick's own character development to this point in the saga. If you want argue that this is simply lust at first sight, how can it NOT be anything less than objectification of a beautiful woman?
My thinking is that the film has undergone significant trimming and reorientation during the editing process. There is probably more story and additional advancement of the plot involving the necros left on the cutting room floor. There must have also been more scenes between Riddick and Dahl to justify Riddick's subsequent declaration of his intentions for her.
Its number one at the box-office. The bad news is that for people like me who demand story/tension/internal logic and some originality, this bodes ill since the movie's success vindicates what I detest in this film. The good news is it portends installments 4 and 5. Apparently the creators have already plotted out the trajectory of the next films in the saga. Hopefully no rip-offs are in the offing....
Riddick is a rehash of the tension and plot elements of Pitch Black. In fact, Riddick expands what was basically a 5 minute sequence at the start of Chronicles--namely Riddick stranded on a (frozen) planet and escaping using the bounty hunter's ship into a two hour bloated yawner. Nuff said.
Riddick does not advance the plot/saga in any substantial way. The first third of the movie with its Robinson Crusoe riffs was easily the best part of the two hour runtime. But the movie is utterly ruined with the arrival of the bounty hunters. After nearly 80 minutes of running around there is no closure at all. The one character who is villainous was dispatched spectacularly. But that sequence was included in the very first trailer for the film!!! When the money shot is in the trailer and in the film it occurs with 20 minutes left, there is no place for the movie to go but down and fast.
The creatures are nasty for sure ... are they in the caverns below the surface or are they in a dehydrated state? Should we care? They show up in vast numbers and then not at all and then again in an inconsistent manner (Pitch Black did not suffer from these sort of inconsistencies). They are unable to eliminate one character who makes it back unaided to ensure that the Riddick saga continues! This is a huge plot hole (maybe they will make a movie out of that...)
An unfortunate attempt to introduce element of sexual tension in the film fails utterly. Riddick's declaration of lust for the one surviving female character is spectacularly at odds with the internal dynamic of the story and of Riddick's own character development to this point in the saga. If you want argue that this is simply lust at first sight, how can it NOT be anything less than objectification of a beautiful woman?
My thinking is that the film has undergone significant trimming and reorientation during the editing process. There is probably more story and additional advancement of the plot involving the necros left on the cutting room floor. There must have also been more scenes between Riddick and Dahl to justify Riddick's subsequent declaration of his intentions for her.
Its number one at the box-office. The bad news is that for people like me who demand story/tension/internal logic and some originality, this bodes ill since the movie's success vindicates what I detest in this film. The good news is it portends installments 4 and 5. Apparently the creators have already plotted out the trajectory of the next films in the saga. Hopefully no rip-offs are in the offing....