A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: The Chronicles of Riddick

Date of original theatrical release: 2004

Details:

Vin Diesel

Colm Feore

Thandie Newton

Judi Dench

Karl Urban

Alexa Davalos

Director: David Twohy

Score: -

The Review: Vin Diesel in a downward spiral; even Pitch Black was better than this. Come to think of it, Pitch Black was its prelude -- same character.

It's the distant future, and mankind has spread across several solar systems, perhaps the entire galaxy -- it's not too clear. There are probably other races, or other alien cultures, but the focal conflict is between the marauding Necromongers -- an aggressive galactic invasion that seems human but may not be -- and the current planet they're trying to either subdue or crisp. Why are they doing this? Something to do with a commanding death-religion and the myth of avenging Furians, but it's not too clear. Of course, Riddick (Diesel) is caught in the middle of the action, even though he seems to be an escaped convict with a troublesome and pursuant past, but this is not too clear either. There's some curious scenery and SFX, but whether Necromongers or Furians, this almost seems like a travelogue across the galaxy of semi-settled stellar systems. But there are not many attractive destinations, so the screen-time gets wasted. Clear as mud.

Whatever positive values come with the occasional action and unusual planetary landscapes, it is woefully unbalanced by wooden -- or, to be more accurate, absolutely leaden -- and dull acting. This includes Thandie Newton doing her Lady Macbeth imitation. It's not clear why she wasted her talents, or Dame Dench's, or Diesel's, for that matter, on this bomb.

On DVD, this was the director's (unrated) cut, albeit not obviously worth the extra material.

(24-Jan-05)

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