The Chronicles of Riddick DVD Review:

After five years in a self-imposed exile, Riddick (Diesel) is forced out of isolation when a team of mercenaries, lead by old foe Toombs (Chinlund),
come looking for him. After easily dealing with the hired help, Riddick steals their ship and heads back to civilization to find out why Iman (David), the only man who knew where he was, portrayed him. When he arrives on Helion Prime, he finds that the planet is on the verge of invasion by the Necromongers, an army like no one has ever seen who take over planets and destroys them, if they don't covert to their cause.

Escaping from a planet of monsters in his previous adventure, Riddick now takes on a whole army, as his story continues. The problem is that we don't
really learn anything more about him. Pitch Black was a Sci-Fi sleeper hit that introduced the world to the very cool anti-hero and launched Vin Diesel's leading man career. It was a low budget, high concept piece that was very good science fiction. For the sequel writer/director David Twohy leaves the monsters behind and takes the character in a different direction. This is a change from your usual sequel path and a welcome one but the problem is that he doesn't really know where it is going.

The second adventure doesn't really advance the character of Riddick as much as it should do. Here Twohy had the chance to tell you more about the
character's backstory like where did he come from, why does he have such a murderous disposition and is he finally feeling any guilt for his actions.
Instead all we find out is that he is a Furian, with no explanation as to what these people are or where they came from.

This is just one of the many large plot holes that have no explanation. The performances are fine however. Vin Diesel gets back into his best role
with ease, finding again that menace and darkness that made the character so memoriable in the first place. This is the role that was made for him to
play and he is what makes Riddick such a watchable anti-hero. Karl Urban continues his run of bringing good, strong, attention grabbing characters to the screen. As Vaako he exudes a dark foreboding presence, even if the character does have a silly mullet. Colm Feore always plays the bad guy with skill, making him instantly dislikeable and always memorable. Nick Chinlund also excels in the bad guy stakes as Toombs, the mercenary with a grudge against Riddick after their first meeting in the animated sequel/prequel Dark Fury. Alexa Davalos proves again she is a young actress to watch as she demonstrates that she is extremely good at action (Anyone who has seen the Angel TV series will already know that).

Thandie Newton and Dame Judi Dench don't fair so well however as each of them has very underdeveloped characters. Newton's Dame Vaako motivation for power is never really explained and goes against the Necromonger religion and the brainwashing that each new disciple goes through. Judi Dench's Aereon is even more lacking, as you don't even know why the character is there, other than to provide narration. She might be elemental but that seems to be her only purpose.

The Chronicles of Riddick is a visually stunning piece of science fiction but with today's modern computer technology, that is only to be expected.
What the film is is a wasted opportunity that has a very incomprehensible story in parts that needs much more backstory and character development to improve its clarity. The Riddick character is a good one that could have had many stories to tell but after this outing it looks like we won't get to see
any of them, however dark it gets.

Star Rating = * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is an excellent transfer, as you'd except from a modern
film. Director David Twohy's science fiction world is vividly realised with a marvellous DVD transfer. The picture quality is first rate, crystal clear throughout and the sound quality is equally as good, especially during the energetic action sequences.

BONUS FEATURES

Virtual Guide to the Chronicles of Riddick (7.40 mins) Toombs, Dame Vaako, the Lord Marshal, Kyra, Imam and Aereon inform you about
the Conquest Icon, Crematoria, Elementals, Helion Prime, Planet U.V.6, The Lord Marshal, the Necromongers, the Necropolis, New Mecca and the
Quasi-Deads.

Toombs' chase Log (9.58 mins)
Mercenary Tombs details his 92 day pursuit of Riddick, revealing how he got his crew together and the clues he uncovered to track the most wanted man in the Universe down.

Riddick Insider: Facts on Demand
As you watch the movie, interesting titbits about the production of the movie, the cast, the characters and the world that Riddick inhabits are
shown on screen. Visual Effects Revealed (6.02 mins) Writer/Director David Twohy, visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang and Rhythm and Hues digital effects team members Sean McPherson, Mike O'Neal and Mike Wassell reveal the secrets of bring the world of Riddick to life on the silver the screen. This short featurette details how the Crematoria, Hellhounds and Elemental effects where produced.

Riddick's Worlds

Vin Diesel's Guided Tour (3.11 mins)
Riddick himself, Vin Diesel takes you on a guided tour of the sets for New Mecca, Crematoria, the Basilica, the Quasi-grotto and UV Planet.

Interactive 360o View of the Sets
Take an interactive tour of the Basilica Centre Floor, Helion Fountain Square, Crematoria Main Hanger, The Lord Marshall's Throne, Imam's Living
Room, Quasi-grotto, Planet U.V.6 and the Slam Centre.

DVD ROM
Place the DVD in your PCs DVD ROM player to open up more information about the Chronicles of Riddick.

Trailers
Watch previews of The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black SE, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, Van Helsing, The Bourne Supremacy and Billy Elliot:
The Musical

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Place the DVD in your X-Box console and you will be able to play a complete level of the highly acclaimed game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.

OVERALL

A film that was a bit lacklustre receives a very average DVD release. While the North American release also included a director's cut of the film that
had an extra 15 minutes worth of footage, the Region 2 release has the same extras but without the extended scenes. The inclusion of the director's cut would have appeased European fans for the uninspiring extras, that does not even include a commentary track or a decent making of documentary.

DVD Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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