Today’s quick review: Riddick. Vin Diesel stars as Richard B. Riddick, the last of a dead race and the toughest convict in the universe. His passing flirtation with civilization, begun at the end of the last film and continued in the interim, is abruptly cut short when he is betrayed and left for dead on a savage alien world. Forced to survive his injuries, the harsh environment, and a variety of deadly beasts, Riddick builds himself back up and prepares for his escape. The arrival of two rival teams of bounty hunters to collect the bounty on his head offers Riddick a way to get off the planet as well as a well-armed obstacle to leaving. As the weather worsens on the planet and countless alien beasts stir, Riddick and the bounty hunters lock horns in a desperate fight for survival.
Riddick is a fun sci-fi flick with plenty of action. Riddick is the third film in the Riddick series, after Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick, and is easily the best so far. Where Pitch Black suffered from a defecit of world-building and Chronicles of Riddick arguably pushed too far in the opposite direction, Riddick strikes a nice balance between a wider established universe and the immediate goal of survival. Its plot is lifted almost directly from Pitch Black: Riddick is stranded on a deserted planet with a hostile group of humans and must strike an uneasy alliance with them to survive a bestial menace native to the planet. The revisited concept takes the series back to its roots after the plot-heavy Chronicles of Riddick without compromising on scope or world-building, an impressive feat after two good films that went in fairly different directions.
The execution of Riddick is perfect for its genre. Vin Diesel’s character was designed for him: an unflappable convict with a deeply-buried moral streak who views life as a cruel struggle. The defining characteristic of Richard B. Riddick is his ability to dominate any scenario he finds himself in. Even when chained up and barely capable of moving, he’s a threat to those around him, and his calm, pointed dialogue deliberately humiliates and manipulates those who make the mistake of listening to him. Seeing him operate offers a visceral sort of joy, and his skills are at their peak in this entry in the series.
The supporting cast is a nice mix of bounty hunter personalities. One team is run by an impulsive and unprofessional bounty hunter whose men underestimate Riddick. The other team consists of well-equipped, consummate soldiers who pose a real threat to Riddick’s survival. The conflict between the teams gives the movie a steady stream of low-level humor, while Riddick’s own interactions with the bounty hunters serve a similar purpose. The actors do a good job of establishing themselves as tough enough to go toe-to-toe with Riddick while still being outclassed by him. Dave Bautista in particular distinguishes himself as both a source of humor and a truly impressive fighter when it becomes time to go toe-to-toe.
The setting is surprisingly rich given the film’s straightforward action sci-fi plot. The universe built up over the last two movies serves as a backdrop in the third. The film begins with the fallout of Riddick’s encounter with the Necromongers in Chronicles of Riddick, particularly his search for his lost homeworld of Furya, and the broader universe pokes its head in here and there throughout the plot. Despite its connections to the last two movies, Riddick is perfectly watchable without having seen them; its references are to stories that just as easily could have taken place offscreen, and they mostly act as bonuses to fans of the series.
Overall, Riddick is a great choice when you’re in the mood for sci-fi action with a moderately high level of violence. The quality of its execution rates it as more than just a popcorn flick, but don’t expect a particularly deep plot or characters. Where Riddick excels is in setting up dangerous situations for its main character, who overcomes them using violence, cunning, and balls. Those who enjoy action and unabashedly tough protagonists will have plenty to look forward to in Riddick. Those who dislike violence or prefer their protagonists a little more heroic should probably skip it.
6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I’d rate it higher for pure enjoyability, from 7.5 to 8.0 depending on mood.