Hey folks, Harry here -- I like these reviews we're getting on CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK -- They're not orgasms, but at the same time there is an enthusiasm that I dig going on here. That old trailer still has the look of bad Sci-Fi channel Mini-Series... but I think that's because it was so early - that hardly any of the "money-shots" were in the can yet, but it sounds like the film has some great stuff in it, and that Twohy has done a damn good job. We'll see. Watch out for Spoilers...
Hairyman,
Just caught 'Riddick' at the Richfield 11! Went with my partner in crime, Samurai Susan. I like a good sci-fi wannabe epic, she likes a good Vin Deisel. Worked out for us both.
Saw some other reviews on your site, had a maybe yes maybe no feel to them, so let me toss my shit into the ring right now. I come down maybe yes. 'Maybe' cuz the movie ain't done yet, and they tell you that straight up. Some special fx still have these green screens back there, and other fx still look black and white and cheese-a-delic at times. But other fx look dope, and you sit there just praying that they all turn out that good. Like when the bad guys conquer this world and park their ships all in a row .and then the faces on the ships appear and then the ships start *BOWING* to their Mr. Badassedness. Oh, yeah Gimme more of that shit. Straight into the veins, please.
But let's back up. First a little about me: Pitch Black liked a lot. Dune (original) liked a lot. Dune (TV) liked a lot less. Blade Runner, immortal, baby - own it on tape and DVD. Hellboy, good if you're stoned. Independence Day, good if you're brain-dead.
Vin Diesel's been up and down lately, but he's large here. Samurai Susan never lost faith though I was iffy for a while. But if you dug him in Pitch Black, you'll dig him here, even if it is a very different movie. Is it a big monster mash? Nope but we do get some new creatures. In 'slam' there's some dog/hyenna/porcuepine critters that work like guard dogs, chowing down on any prisoner who gets caught out. They're cool, but not what the movie is about.
So what IS 'Riddick' about?
Well, Riddick's a bad mother, of course, but seems theere's some WORSE bad mothers out there, and they're called Nekromongers. They're doing the crusade thing through the universe, picking up converts along the way and bumping off planets behind them. Not the most original there, but the STYLE that the movie does it in is what makes it watchable very watchable.
Kinda like in Matrix, sometimes you didn't understand what it was you were watching but it was cool to watch anyway. The scene where Riddick gets his mind can-opened up by some twitching corpses comes to mind. The invasion of the bad guys about a half an hour into the movie is a little confusing, too whose doing what to who? but it's kinda spooky that way, like what you'd could really experience in an invasion. And then there's the creepy dudes in purple facemasks. SS's best guess is that they're like Nekro hound-dogs, sniffing out the enemy. If you figure it out, call me, okay? Anytime after noon will be fine.
David Keith from the first Pitch Black is back for awhile. They bring back 'Jack' too, but it's four or five years later, you see, and now she's named 'Kira'. All I can say is, she grew up good. Real good. The relationship between her and Riddick works because she's turned into kinda the Mini-Me version of Riddick, and she blames him for how messed up her life turned out.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. 'Fuck relationships. Does it kick some butt-age?'
Thumbs up on that count. Some other review mentioned the tea cup + kill. Got cheers from the crowd tonight. But that's just one moment. Better scene is the prison breakout when Riddick has to chop his way through a small army of Nekromongers as he's trying to reach a getaway ship as this Death Sun is coming up fast on his ass.
Many more thoughts, no time to pass them all along, gotta get up early and fill out a tax return. Pathetic, I know. But short answer possibly Deisel's best flick to date. Some weird-ass shit goin' on, but it's a GOOD weird. If they got more planned, count me in.
Double T out.
