Chronicles of Riddick, The (2004)
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

The Unrated Director's Cut -- Includes 15 minutes of footage not shown in theaters!

Tagline: All the power in the universe can't change destiny.

Vin Diesel (XXX, The Fast and the Furious) stars in this electrifying, special-effects-fuelled action spectacular! After years of outrunning ruthless bounty hunters, escaped convict Riddick suddenly finds himself caught between opposing forces in a fight for the future of the human race. Now, waging incredible battles on fantastic and deadly worlds, this lone, reluctant hero will emerge as humanity's champion - and the last hope for a universe on the edge of annihilation. Powered by groundbreaking visual effects and pulse-pounding, thrill-a-minute action!

User Comment: ridgerion • Looking at these comments, its obvious that opinions are very mixed, some hailing TCoR as an amazing film, some saying its just okay, and some calling it a suckfest.

The fact of the matter is that TCoR is 100% pure science fiction, and hasn't been "Hollywood-ized". I think the reason many folks claim that it makes no sense and is just a lot of effects with no backbone are ultimately not comfortable with having almost every aspect of known existence given a crazy spin.

That's the risk when writing science fiction or fantasy pieces: if your imagination takes it to the extreme, people will in general lose interest, as they don't know how to rationalize the bizarre new concepts in ways they're used to. This is especially so when you're thrown right into the thick of it, with little or no explanation. It takes a bit of time to orient yourself, and many folks don't even bother, just dismissing it as a mess.

Also, TCoR is about 10,000 steps forward from Pitch Black in terms of complexity. Watching Pitch Black and then TCoR is like going from watching paint dry to watching an alien land his spacecraft on your house, walk out of it, and poke you in the forehead with a suction-cup finger.

TCoR is through and through a sci-fi masterwork. The story and characters are intriguing, the locales are breathtaking, the vehicles are mesmerizing, and the otherworldy concepts are mind boggling.

If I have anything negative to say, it'll be about the acting, which is B-grade at best. Vin Diesel is great as Riddick, but most of the supporting cast is just adequate, and Thandie Newton just hams it up as Dame Vaako. I might have gone a different way with some of the dialogue as well, but for the most part it was good. Also, the little Riddick tune from Pitch Black is present, but I think its slightly changed. Each time I heard it, I was waiting for the right note to come up, but it never did!

All in all, TCoR is a must-own for any true sci-fi fan. I hope they make the sequels :)

Summary: Awesome Hardcore Sci-Fi

--- JOYA ---

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