Starring Vin Diesel, Katee Sackhoff
Directed by David Twohy
Cashing in on the sci-fi cult following generated by 2000s Pitch Black and 2004s The Chronicles of Riddick, director David Twohy returns to helm action star Vin Diesel in his mysterious, futuristic ex-con role as Riddick.
This time around, our anti-hero is left for dead on a desolate planet and must contend with all manner of fierce alien creatures. The only way off the hostile environment is for the renegade to activate an emergency beacon that alerts a band of dangerous mercenaries, all looking to cash in on a hefty bounty for his head, and a mysterious man from Riddicks past with a personal score to settle.
Twohys latest installment may satisfy a B-movie crowd looking for cheap thrills but overall, despite some imaginative conceptual design, the entire affair is dull and rather lifeless.The main issue stems from the derivative writing, which strives for a film noir motif, but never takes off thanks to Diesels one-dimensional acting and perpetually monotone delivery. In fact, most of the actors in Riddick either seem not to care theyre in the movie or are cartoonishly over the top.
The special effects in the film leave a lot to be desired with heavy reliance on dated CGI that fails to provide any sense of real tension or immersion in setting. There is no question of Riddicks fan-generated appeal; what is really disappointing is that Twohy seems completely disinterested in taking audiences of a different journey and offering something a little more original.
