I never would have thought that the best character from a sub-par “horror” flick would be brought back in order to exploit the popularity of the person who played them. I should have, but a sequel to Pitch Black seemed as unlikely as a sequel to Gigli. I was wrong though. Chris Twohy is back, Vin Diesel in tow, to bring back one of the more interesting characters average movies has ever seen, Riddick.
The story is a little strange, taking place five years after the original movie. It involves a religious, half-dead army, called Necromongers, who are moving across the universe in search of Under-Verse, a nirvana of sorts. However, a prophecy tells of a Furian survivor who will kill their leader. That Furian, is out beloved Riddick. The only connection to the original Pitch Black is the return of the three surviving characters: Riddick, the Holy Man, and Jack (who is now called Kyra). It’s a little weak, and a bit of a stretch to take seriously; however, it serves its purpose of providing a reason for massive fight scenes. The fight scenes are actually very good. There is a lot intense action. However, one fight loses its credibility as wrestling moves are thrown in. It really took away from the scene.
Vin Diesel scowls a lot, fights a lot, scowls some more, and has some great one liners. The rest of the cast is competent, but no body really stands out beyond Vinny-D. I blame the script though, which is incredibly inconsistent. Riddick has some great lines. Short, but his delivery makes them pretty amusing. The rest of the writing is very cliché, weak, and overall boring. The weak writing, along with poor pacing hinder what could have been a really good movie. But those were the same problems with the original movie, so I guess it is to be expected.
It’s… well… a movie. Nothing, except the fights are really worth mentioning. This year’s Vin Diesel movie, much like the last two, is nothing spectacular. It’s good to see a unique character return, but he’s not strong enough to carry a movie by himself. Save your money for Spiderman 2.
1.5 Out of 4 Stars
In conclusion- eh…if you like Vin Diesel, go see it. If you like fight scenes; maybe go see it. But warning, if you have epilepsy; DO NOT SEE THIS FILM. They use strobe effects like crazy.
The story is a little strange, taking place five years after the original movie. It involves a religious, half-dead army, called Necromongers, who are moving across the universe in search of Under-Verse, a nirvana of sorts. However, a prophecy tells of a Furian survivor who will kill their leader. That Furian, is out beloved Riddick. The only connection to the original Pitch Black is the return of the three surviving characters: Riddick, the Holy Man, and Jack (who is now called Kyra). It’s a little weak, and a bit of a stretch to take seriously; however, it serves its purpose of providing a reason for massive fight scenes. The fight scenes are actually very good. There is a lot intense action. However, one fight loses its credibility as wrestling moves are thrown in. It really took away from the scene.
Vin Diesel scowls a lot, fights a lot, scowls some more, and has some great one liners. The rest of the cast is competent, but no body really stands out beyond Vinny-D. I blame the script though, which is incredibly inconsistent. Riddick has some great lines. Short, but his delivery makes them pretty amusing. The rest of the writing is very cliché, weak, and overall boring. The weak writing, along with poor pacing hinder what could have been a really good movie. But those were the same problems with the original movie, so I guess it is to be expected.
It’s… well… a movie. Nothing, except the fights are really worth mentioning. This year’s Vin Diesel movie, much like the last two, is nothing spectacular. It’s good to see a unique character return, but he’s not strong enough to carry a movie by himself. Save your money for Spiderman 2.
1.5 Out of 4 Stars
In conclusion- eh…if you like Vin Diesel, go see it. If you like fight scenes; maybe go see it. But warning, if you have epilepsy; DO NOT SEE THIS FILM. They use strobe effects like crazy.
