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The Chronicles of Riddick as a Sci-Fi Movie
Riddick does everything a sci-fi film should to prove its genre. You get
to witness various spacecraft, various locations, various cultures, and
various planets; the coolest planet being the prison planet, Crematoria,
where Riddick gets sent [a rescue operation?]. During the night, the planet
Crematoria is hospitable and can support life on the surface. However, during
sunrise, the planet becomes a scorching hell where only a few seconds left
exposed can mean your end. While this planet was a cool [hot] place, the
movie spent way too much time here. It seemed that the story kind of went
on an extended pause because of Crematoria.
Lets get back to the plot outline before I dive into this 'problem.' The
film begins with Riddick [Vin Diesel] being hunted by bounty hunters on
some icy planet for an unknown reason. The coolest part to the beginning
was seeing Diesel with long, slightly dreaded, hair. Riddick quickly dispatched
this group and steals their craft. Riddick receives information on the planet,
Helion, he was suppose to be taken to immediately knows that it is Imam
[Keith David] who has sent for him.
The next stage of the story involves Riddick re-uniting with Imam and learning
of the planets distress. There is a group called the Necromongers, a ruthless,
fascist, military race, that goes from one planet to another in an attempt
to destroy civilization and kill or convert all of the inhabitants of each
planet; obviously, these are the bad guys of the story. Soon after, Helion
is under attack from the Necromongers, which results in an easy victory
for Lord Marshal [Colm Feore], the head of the Necromongers; a man that
legend says is half dead, half alive. Lord Marshal not only controls the
Necromongers, but he is also the creator of their faith. A faith that promises
an Underverse [heaven... or hell] to the faithful. Riddick shows how kick-ass
he is by killing a few Necromongers and then easily gets himself captured
by the same bounty hunter, named Toombs [Nick Chinlund], one that he encountered
at the beginning of the film. And just like that, he is taken away and off
the planet of Helion [where the real story is occurring].
Karl Urban as Vaako, you may remember him as Eomer from LOTR
Riddick is now on the prison
planet of Crematoria where his hunters and captures negotiate a settlement
on his head. The time spent on this prison planet is LONG. Too long, I was
counting the minutes to get Riddick out of this place. Every scene on this
planet was played out to the fullest. The extended time spent on the prison
planet is what hurt the film the most for me. Too much of a distraction
from the real story presented at the beginning of the film. What could have
been a small rescue operation seemed to take half of the running time. The
only cool parts to the scenes on the prison planet are when the planet ignites,
the fight with the Necromongers, and when Riddick learns more of himself
and his abilities.
After the planet Crematoria, Riddick FINALLY returns to Helios to settle
some dues with the Necromongers. This is where the Riddick re-claims
the trail it initially set out on at the beginning of the film and ends
with a pretty solid finale.
To Sum Up Riddick
First, the most important aspect is that I did enjoy The Chronicles
of Riddick. The film entertained and had some pretty good special effects
to boot. There were also some principles laid down by the Necromongers that
were able to come to the forefront by the end of the film; which I appreciated.
Again, I can completely understand how some people can rave this film as
the ultimate sci-fi thriller while others can shit on it. I am going to
change it up and take the middle route.
Final Judgment: The Chronicles of Riddick is a good sci-fi film
that would have been even better without an enormous speedhump along the
way. What started out as great pace on a great idea takes a sudden detour
for a sizable portion of the film only to get back on track right near
the end. Oh yeah, Diesel will always be a badass
Score:
 
[out of five cans] |
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