A wonderful idea, criminally wasted.

Rating: Null/10 (20 October 2002)

This movie confused me, all the more so after reading other people's comments about it. It was billed by the press as "scary as hell" and by fans of the genre as an excellent sfi thriller with a great portrayal of the anti-hero Riddick, by Diesel - I found it to be neither - but it could have been. This movie was such a disappointment because it's positive aspects could have been used to much greater effect. What is it about the Alien movies (Resurrection omitted) that makes them so pant wettingly frightening, when almost every clone that has followed has not been?
*SPOILERS ALERT, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN* The film starts promisingly enough. A ship with a crew of cryogenicly frozen passengers crashes on a desert world, most of the ship's compliment is killed upon impact and the remaining survivors realise that they must first find water and then a new ship to transport them off this seemingly deserted world. They soon realize that a previous colony of settlers mysteriously disappeared during a solar eclipse 22 years ago and that they are due another - they also realize, to their horror that they are not the only lifeforms on the planet. With the light fading they turn to Riddick, (an extremely dangerous convict who was being transported on their ship) who has the ability to see in the dark, to lead them to the safety of an escape ship.
I was quite prepared to suspend the inevitable 'Aliens' comparisons and my disbelieve as to just how heroine Fry survived having a windshield explode in her face upon entry into a planet's atmosphere. Apart from that, the crash effects and near-future technology of the spaceship were impressive. Little details such as the survivors having to take in oxygen due to the planet's low levels and the washed out effects created by the shifting light colours of the planet's three suns added to my enjoyment. The vision of the aliens and Riddick was well done and intelligently used, but the preciousness of light could have emphasized more. In Alien, the psychological breakdown of the crew is superbly portrayed and their fears were shared by the audience, it is criminally underused here. The idea itself is novel, the story was originally to be the plot for the 'Alien' sequel, but it was turned down in favour of James Cammeran's - Hence Newt's line, "they mostly come out at night, mostly."??? Unlike 'Aliens' however, it was when the creatures started appearing that the film descended into mediocrity. Possibly never have i seen such dreadful CGI animation as was in this film, the very way they move is abismal and utterly fake. I amazes me how over 20 years earlier, Ridley Scott achieved a truly terrifying creature with a man in a rubber suit! The creatures were fully revealed too early and any sense of "oh my god, what the hell are they?!" is wiped out an hour before the films ending. The setting of darkness should have been used as a way of keeping them hidden -'Predator' style.
The character of Riddick was interesting and adequately portrayed by Diesel, but those of you billing him as the next Hannibal Lecter are mistaken. A much more satisfying ending would have been to have Riddick convince them he was changed, only to have him leave them in the cave, as their last flare goes out and the film fades to black. Instead we are treated to a confused and disjointed finale that is as pointless as it is empty. And do you know what - it's actually a real shame.