Riddick (also known as Riddick: Rule the Dark) is a 2013 American science fiction action film and the third installment in the Riddick film series. Produced by and starring Vin Diesel as the title character, Riddick is written and directed by David Twohy, who previously wrote and directed the first two installments, Pitch Black (2000) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).
To sum it all up, Riddick was rollicking good B-movie fun! What else do you need to know?
Well, after the critical and commercial mauling that the previous movie Chronicles of Riddick received, writer/director David Twohy and star/producer Vin Diesel had to re-think and brought the franchise back to basics. Meaning that this is more a sequel to Pitch Black (2000) than anything else.
Thus, we have our cast of characters marooned on a savage wasteland of a planet, a gang of mercenaries, vicious alien creatures , a feisty blonde (this time it’s Katee Sackhoff from BSG fame) and ultimately, our anti-hero Riddick coming out on top. But what is particularly enjoyable is that Twohy allows the movie to set itself out nicely without feeling the need to rush the narrative at any time.
Although it must be said that there were moments where the plot sagged somewhat in the middle, especially that sequence where the merc chief Santana tries to rape Dahl (Sackhoff) and the action inexplicably goes off-camera. Also, don’t expect much nuanced characterizations as well. However, these flaws did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the movie, too much.
Riddick gets its R-rating (M18 in Singapore) for its language (loads of ‘what the fuck’), extreme violence (there’s a scene where someone’s head is cut in half to reveal brains!) and nudity (Sackhoff contributes as well, with a side boob exposure) and none of it is too gratuitous and part of what makes the movie rather enjoyable. Recommended!
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
…still there’s more…