The Chronicles of Riddick

Plot synopsis:
Richard B. Riddick has been in hiding for five years, evading bounty hunters and mercenaries sent to capture him. After killing a crew led by Toombs and stealing his ship he heads to New Mecca in the Helion System, after Toombs reveals his bounty originated there. Riddick is reunited with Imam, a man he rescued in the first film. Imam believes Riddick is a Furyan, a race of warriors long thought extinct, and wants to know about his homeworld and if anyone other than himself is left. Imam believes Helion Prime is the next planet to be conquered by a mysterious force crusading across the stars. Aereon, an Air Elemental, identifies the army as the Necromongers, religious fanatics who seek to convert everyone and kill those who refuse. The Necromongers attack, and take control of the capital in a single night. In the battle, Imam is killed and Riddick escapes.
The next day, the Necromonger high priest called 'The Purifier' coerces the populace into converting, except for Riddick, who kills the man who killed Imam. Intrigued, the Lord Marshal orders Riddick be scanned by the Quasi-Dead, half-dead telepaths, who determine that he is indeed a Furyan survivor. Lord Marshal orders Riddick's death, but Riddick escapes only to be recaptured by Toombs. Riddick is taken to Crematoria, a harsh subterranean prison moon, where Jack, a girl Riddick rescued, is also held.
The Lord Marshal sends Commander Vaako to hunt Riddick down. Vaako's wife speaks to Aereon, who reveals that Furya was devastated by the Lord Marshal after he was told a child from that planet would kill him. Dame Vaako and her husband determine Lord Marshal wants Riddick dead, as he may be the child of said prophecy. On Crematoria, a disagreement breaks out between Toombs and the prison warden over what Toombs is owed for Riddick's bounty. Word about the Necromongers has reached the prison warden, who deduces that Toombs has stolen a prisoner from the Necromongers. Meanwhile, in the prison, Riddick finds Jack, now named Kyra, and they eventually reconcile.
The guards kill the bounty hunters, take the reward money and prepare to leave before the Necromongers arrive. Riddick leads several prisoners across Crematoria's volcanic surface to steal the ship. The guards reach the hangar, just as the prisoners arrive to find the Necromongers have cornered them there. All of the guards are killed and Riddick is incapacitated by Vaako. With the approach of the vicious sunrise (from -300 to 700 degrees in seconds), Vaako leaves Riddick to die; Kyra is captured by the Necromongers.
However, Riddick is saved by the Purifier, who tells him that if he stays away from the Necromongers, the Lord Marshal promises not to hunt him. The Purifier then reveals that he too is a Furyan before committing suicide by walking out into the scorching heat after encouraging Riddick to kill the Lord Marshal. Meanwhile, Vaako reports Riddick dead and is named heir apparent by the Lord Marshal. Riddick flies back to Helion Prime using Toombs' spacecraft.
Riddick infiltrates the main hall; Dame Vaako sees him but encourages her husband not to warn the Lord Marshal, but to let Riddick strike first and pave the way for Vaako to kill the Lord Marshal and take his place as leader. When Riddick attacks, the Lord Marshal presents Kyra, who appears to have been converted. Riddick fights the Lord Marshal one-on-one in front of his army, who prevails with his supernatural powers. When it appears that Riddick is about to be killed, Kyra stabs the Lord Marshal in the back with a spear. The Lord Marshal responds by punching her into a column of spikes, mortally wounding her. Vaako attempts to strike the wounded Lord Marshal, but misses. The distraction however, provides Riddick with the opportunity to deliver a killing blow. The film ends with Kyra dying in Riddick's arms just before the Necromongers, including Vaako, kneel before Riddick as their new leader.

Tags: violence, action, dark

Review:
Those who found the movie itself disappointing, I would guess would be: 1) Hardcore sci-fi, or action movie fans who spent way too much time making mental comparisons to their favorite storyline/universe, or acting star during a movie to actually just enjoy the movie.
If you spend all of the time during the movie making comparisons, then you might not give the movie the full attention it deserves.For any who enjoy a good sci-fi action movie with a little thought behind it, and don't have some holy grail to compare it with, I would highly recommend this one..
I was surprised at the depth of the story line, almost inspiring me to go read the books (except I don't have the time :) Sure, some of the one-liners were corny, but Vin Diesels usually similar style actually fits the role of Riddick quite well.One caveat, I went in with low expectations which may have boosted my overall impression.
There is so much back-story here, that it just screams for a sequel.Admittedly, I am a fan of Pitch Black, so I came to the theater prepared to like the movie.
However, it's not needed, and if you would like, there is an entire film dedicated quite separately to the character development of Riddick - 'Pitch Black'.
This alone makes the universe in this movie seem more connected to ours.Admittedly the talent is not taken full advantage of, but as this film was intended as part of a trilogy (as yet unmade), with 'Pitch Black' as a separate but connected tale (like 'the Hobbit' is to 'Lord of the Rings', according to Vin Diesel), it would be expected that more would be seen of these characters in later installments.
What kind of moron goes into an action movie, like the Chronicles of Riddick, expecting an Oscar winning performance?
Other great performances were given by Karl Urban (looking very anti-Eomer in his black mohawk) and especially, the bounty hunter Tooms (?).Sure, there were some plot holes, and some hammy acting (mostly Thandie Newton), but it was so refreshing to see an original "hero", one that wasn't a 100% pure teenage boy with magical powers.
Which was a good thing because it turned to be a great film.I read some opinions here at IMDb and I find out some people didn't like it because there should be something, a film, a book, a cartoon, something as an argument between Pitch Black and Chronicles.
This one has its own completely closed universe, and what a universe that is.Okay, maybe some of the story like the "messiah" part could have been in a different way, but still its a great film to watch.The plot is very good, and everything is explained to you.
In this is a science fiction thriller Riddick (breakthrough film role of actor Vin Diesel) is at an unknown planet with various suns and apparently no life and where mysterious events spread across the land , he is a survivor who is marooned on a strange location and an aircraft piloted by a bounty hunter called Toombs (Nick Chinlund) goes after him .
(Although i do prefer chronicles)If you are looking for plenty of sci-fi, some cheesy lines, action and a pretty good watch, look no further you have found your movie.
I fail too see why there is a lot of hate for this film & its star Vin Diesel, the movie itself is an amazing in both story & performance.For years this has been one of my top movies as no other movie takes you to so many different locations or offers so many clever action set pieces, the scene on cremetoria is nothing short of breath taking.As for Vin Diesel's performance i don't know how people can have a negative response when he's on the screen he IS Riddick he takes to the character so well, say what you want about his other film performances but he really does pull of this role very well.To sum up i really do think this movie needs more recognition for what it is....
I'm very much looking forward to a director's cut DVD release that shows it more the way it should be.Overall, The Chronicles of Riddick is a great movie for sci-fi fans, action fans, and most of all fans of Riddick himself.
As I'll explain below, a prequel may be a better option.The whole set-up of 'Chronicles' feels like they wanted to fit the characters ported over from 'Pitch Black' into a more elaborate framework, and asked a team of writers to construct an entire detailed universe around those characters, with every planet and race plotted out, histories and everything included.
I hate to sound obnoxious, but some fans really don't seem to discern between quality entertainment featuring spaceships, and total dreck featuring spaceships - like "The Chronicles of Riddick." I mean, really, I can't think of a single original idea in this movie's script.
Poor Judi Dench, meanwhile, is forced to flit about in special effects form and explain all the baloney rules of this particular baloney sci-fi universe.Perhaps I could forgive the movie if it looked good.
Yeah, it's visually distinctive but to be honest, it felt like a bad sci-fi novel that your Dad used to read when he was a student in the early Seventies.Hollywood's favourite forgotten meat-head Vin Diesel returns as Riddick, legendary criminal, fugitive and killer.
Five years after the events of "Pitch Black", Riddick is contacted by an ambassador of the Elemental race, Aereon (Judi Dench), who informs him that he is destined to save the universe from a war-mongering race called the Necromongers led by the Lord Marshall (Colm Feore).
But soon after, Riddick is captured by the mercenary Tooms (Nick Chinlund) while the Lord Marshall himself is unaware of the treacherous Vaako (Karl Urban) and his scheming wife Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton)...Whereas "Pitch Black" kept things simple, "The Chronicles Of Riddick" blows the back story wide open and to be frank, it appears as though a lack of imagination runs through it.
In truth, it feels like two movies cobbled together - Diesel's escapades on Crematoria (see what I mean about lack of imagination) don't fit in with the grandiose universe-saving of his conflict with the Necromongers.I guess if you're looking for an action-filled sci-fi blast then this might float your boat but to be honest, what's wrong with the likes of "Aliens" or "Predator"?
"The Chronicles Of Riddick" is not a good film as it's devoid of any original ideas or thought besides the look of the thing.
I have watched a lot of Science Fiction movies but very few have made me think about being in each characters shoes like The Chronicles of Riddick did..
The only shame is that we only get to see a small part of this grand universe.Riddick is played in typical bad-a** style by Vin Diesel, and his one-liners make the movie worth watching all by themselves.
The "good guys" (nobody is really "good" in this movie)are all kick-a**, and they definitely make you root for them and almost feel sorry for anybody who gets in their way, especially people who mess with Riddick.If you were looking for another thriller like Pitch Black then you probably did not like this movie.
Both are great films, but they also cannot be compared with each other, as Pitch Black is a small-time thriller and Chronicles of Riddick is a sci-fi epic.Another objection that people have to this movie is that we don't see enough of the characters and that they are not developed properly, but the only way to do that would have been to do a Lord of the Rings-style 3 1/2 hour movie, which is clearly out of the question.
I say just enjoy the characters as they are, especially Diesel's Riddick, and you find that this is probably the best film to have come out this year, and maybe even the best sci-fi epic since the original Star Wars trilogy.If you are a sci-fi fan, especially a fan of Battletech books, Star Wars movies, Starcraft games, etc., you should love this movie.
this is a nice dystopian, fantasy, sci-fi, film noir alike action movie.i like the style of the necromongers who could just jumped out of a hr giger sketchbook, the parts with the mercenaries, the prison planet, the visuals, the cast, the atmosphere, the story..the end is also very nice and its so sad that due its bad critics it couldnt make quiet enough money at the box offices to convince the studios of a big budget thrid part..this could go so well..nothing against part 3, but you know what i mean..overall its a solid 8 in my eyes.
Like I imagine almost all viewers were at the end, I came out thoroughly entertained by a science fiction epic that is about as good as it gets.As the title suggests, the plot follows the adventures of Riddick.
It is very hard to think of any criticism of Chronicles of Riddick that doesn't come down to it's very nature; it essentially is as good as it ever could have been without making it an entirely different film.The cast is superb.
With the likes of Judi Dench and Karl Urban also in major roles, the performances of all the major characters are very strong and I was easily absorbed for the majority of the film.I can see why it may not be to everybody's tastes, as I imagine you have to be partial to your sci-fi to really get lost in Chronicles of Riddick, but if you do then you'll have a very fun time..
(the Directors CUT DVD will be much longer) However the story has plot holes and the character development is not as god as in "Pitch Black".But the Visual Effects are great and the Sets are really amazing!
The Chronicles of Riddick may seem like a cool movie but behind all the special effects, it isn't.
There's only action here,there's not a lot of story and if you didn't watch "dark fury" before you won't even understand why everyone seem to know Riddick as most of the characters are introduced in the animation movie.
I personally think that the evil necromongers had a great design but looked far too weak for an army that would conquer the universe or maybe it was Riddick that was a little bit too good, anyway they looked very easy to beat and this won't make them remembered.If you want a good action-packed entertaining movie Chronicles of Riddick is great if you are looking for more you'll be disappointed..
I was looking forward to this movie before it came out, as much for the presence of the director (David Twohy) as its big name actor (Vin Diesel, returning as "Riddick").
Great costumes, believable Riddick and lots of action makes this movie one that most will enjoy but not really rave about.
Shes kinda like your mom - cool, calm, collected, and explains everything to you, but your kinda intimidated by her at the same time.My favorite parts were-obviously the action scenes where Riddick just unleashes hell on everybody,-I loved how the girl from Pitch Black is all grown up and she has turned into a vicious killer,-theres a hilarious part where Riddick kills a guard with a teacup and then threatens the survivors with a little sardine key and they run off (I wasn't expecting to really laugh, but I did a lot -- which was a good thing),-the bounty hunter - Toombs - is so cool (why are bounty hunters always the coolest characters?) and realy funny,-but my favorite part was how the movie ended...
Chronicles of Riddick, which I just got back from seeing was perhaps one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and this is coming from someone who loves Science Fiction a great deal.
Pitch Black was above average sci-fi/action/horror movie and it had very interesting main character called Riddick.
I have nothing against fantasy films but to me it seems that the whole world of Riddick went through the looking glass sometime during those five years and it just doesn't make sense.Second problem was that I obviously wasn't part of the target audience - the movie felt very childish with all the WWE fight scenes, illogical series of events that doesn't deserve to be called a plot, lack of graphical violence while being an action movie etc.
Riddick, A Real Man's Man. Riddick returns after 4 years in abyss and oh my was it worth the wait!Having not seen pitch black for a long time before watching this movie, I felt I would not enjoy watching this film however Vin Diesel portrays the part of Riddick incredibly!
I thought Pitch Black (2000) was a competently made movie and though it didn't exactly blow me away it did impress me to an extent.Cashing in on it's popularity seemed like good business, but ironically that was literally the opposite of what it turned out to be.The Chronicles of Riddick is one of those strange beasts that was pretty much critically acclaimed and has masses of fans, but financially it bombed and bombed big time.The movie see's our oddly eyed hero on another adventure, this time with the fate of billions at stake and possibly a foe from his past rearing their head.With a stellar cast and a budget of just over 100 million this should have been something considerably more impressive than it was.Riddled with cliches, over-acting and hammy performances from the likes of Diesel and the usually excellent Feore, and honestly very little going for it I was astounded just how crappy the film looked in places.
A great sci-fi \ action epic, but the Riddick character is poor compared to Pitch Black..
The first time I heard about this film, I was expecting a twisted thriller on space like Pitch Black.
This is a very bad movie from director David Twohy, who previously made the low-budget sci-fi Horror Pitch Black, which made Vin Diesel a star.The story for The Chronicles of Riddick is so bad that you wonder why they got such actors as Judi Dench to appear.
And also allows for a totally 'Riddick-ulous' fight between him and Riddick.Riddick has been a hunted man for 5 years and he has a bounty on his head, so when he gets captured he gets sent to a planet called Crematoria, which happens to be the place where a girl he likes is, this storyline has absolutely nothing to do with the Necromongers, its just an excuse for Vin Diesel to be covered in sweat and run away from a really badly designed wall of fire.Some of the special effects are quite good, and they are the only reason why anyone would enjoy this film, the big statue that has four sides and four faces is quite impressive but there isn't much else that is good.Judi Dench and Thandie Newton are completely wasted in very small roles, Aereon (played by Dench) seems to have some super powers but we then find out that she is a prisoner, and the development of the characters is none existent.The fight scenes in this are just wrestling matches fought on big sets, that are only there because of the big budget, Riddick is supposed to be an unstoppable fighting machine, but he looks like he's just watched wrestling on TV and he thinks that it might help him win fights.Overall, it is a bad movie with OK effects, terrible acting from Vin Diesel, the characters are pathetic and the script is even worse.
The effects while decent do little to change the fact that this movie's script sucked, I shudder to think that any actor would have read it and said "Hey this looks good!"Several holes are left throughout the story and the whole thing just felt like Hollywood trying to capitalize on a big epic themed movie, ala LOTR but, you know, without all the meaning and depth.Don't EVER SEE THIS FILM UNLESS you want something to throw your popcorn at..
By the time you know the main characters, you know who'll die and who won't.OVERALL: An unoriginal sci-fi/action movie, whether you compare it to 'Pitch Black' or not, and whether you're an avid sci-fi fan or not.
The Chronicles of Riddick is a great movie with a good storyline and a great cast.Many people didn't,but I thought this movie was a lot better than Pitch Black, the cast felt more professional this time around and the characters felt more lively,Vin Diesel really matured as an actor within the four year gap of these two movies,and also adding Judi Dench to the cast was without a doubt a great decision,she is an outstanding actress who can pull off any type of character she plays and suited her character in this very well.I think fans of Pitch Black will definitely be impressed with Chronicles of Riddick,also it's worth a watch for people who enjoy action and sci-fi.Set 5 years after the events of Pitch Black,Riddick (Vin Diesel),lands on a planet ran by Necromongers,an alien army that want to convert all human life,and kill any human that they can't convert..
As far as the costumes, sets and visual effects, Twohy does some great stuff, though strobe-lighting in the earlier action sequences is a bit frustrating.Still, the film's strength, much like that of "Pitch Black" lies in its titular character.
Vin Diesel's been the star vehicle in several action films, but he's at his best as Riddick.
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK is a far cry from the tight, original, exciting B-movie PITCH BLACK, and not necessarily in a good way.
The Chronicles of Riddick ditches all the horror aspects of its predecessor and focuses much more on otherworldly fantasy and sci-fi action; it finds itself more at home among films like Dune or Star Wars than it does with Pitch Black.