The “Riddick” series is a curious anomaly. As a franchise, it has always seemed to stay at the periphery of general knowledge, just inside the circle of “cult classic” (a term that I find somewhat silly, as it sounds like a euphemism for the Necronomicon). I don’t know of many people that have actually seen the first two films, which is a real shame. “Pitch Black,” the series’ kickoff title, is still one of David Twohy’s best movies, and probably the establishing point in his career. The guy knows exactly how to blend brutal horror with exciting, visceral fisticuffs. “Riddick” is one of those movies that has its own gleeful formula, and pulls it off with remarkable grace and intelligence.
“Riddick,” first and foremost after the rather clumsy second installment in the franchise, is a true return to form. Anybody who has seen “Pitch Black” can take a guess as to how “Riddick” will play out, but they may yet be pleasantly surprised. The film has a lean, meaty screenplay that is cutthroat and bitingly clever; it assumes that its audience has seen the previous films in the series and plays with expectations well without forgoing any sense of continuity or foreshadowing. I especially appreciate that it ties itself, loosely but nonetheless inextricably, to the previous film in the series,
“The Chronicles of Riddick.” As odd and awkward as the film was, “Chronicles” is still a large part of the series’ universe, and it’s heartening to see a writer/director standing by his worldbuilding decisions.
Basically, the first half of the film is a set up for a second half, which retreads the grounds walked by “Pitch Black,” but in a fun and interesting way. Our anti-hero, Riddick (played by Vin Diesel), is betrayed—dumped on a disproportionately hostile planet—and decides to trick some hapless bounty hunters into putting down to cash in on his corpse (an average Tuesday for Riddick). But where the movie excels is in the fine details. It amazes me how Twohy is able to capture such rich development while keeping dialogue at a bare-bones, fast-paced minimum, and “Riddick” is definitely no exception.
See, the actual plot of the film takes a little while to get going; “But,” the movie says, “since you’re here, why not have some interesting character moments and significant development of the main character?” Riddick befriends a dog-like creature, raising it from a pup and protecting it as he makes his way across the planet’s desiccated surface. The scenes between Riddick and the dog are never mawkish or disgustingly noble, but are rather quite organic and touching. This is a man who is himself part animal, and it’s fascinating to see somebody so brutal able to care about another creature.
This is another thing that makes “Riddick” an absolute joy to watch. The characters, with a few minor exceptions, each have distinct voices and distinct dialogue that is simultaneously sparse and three-dimensional. The actors have great chemistry, absolutely nailing their roles and elevating their characters into relatable human beings the audience grows attached to—even if we are ultimately rooting for Riddick. What the film really gets is that horror and suspense don’t work unless we’re connected to the characters, and it spends a lot of time giving the actors room to let us either learn to love their characters or learn to hate them.
Make no mistake, “Riddick” is a film with effects rooted in the spectacularly gory ’80s action flick. By the time of the third act, the movie knuckles down and starts giving the audience what they wanted to see in the first place, and the characters start to go one-by-one. The film pulls no punches here. The final act is a gruesome, grisly, high-strung gore fest that builds on its engaging character arcs to a satisfying conclusion. If you’re the kind of person who isn’t much for blood, “Riddick” probably isn’t going to do you any favors.
The film has its share of problems. The ending is a little bit unclear as far as the main characters’ motivations are concerned. Some clarification would’ve made certain actions much more significant. Also, there’s a fairly exploitative dynamic between Diesel and Katee Sackhoff as a lesbian mercenary Riddick is able to seduce with very little set-up or interaction. Seeing an otherwise interesting female character flirting with Riddick at the end of the film is extremely hard to swallow. Entire dialogues between them are rendered vestigial and pointless.
In spite of that, however, “Riddick” is a great horror/action hybrid with a lot to offer and a lot to love. It’s definitely a movie to check out, by fans of the series and fans of dark sci-fi films in general.
