The Chronicles of Riddick (Spoilers)

[Admiral_Young]

I just watched the film last night and enjoyed it as I have in the past but can understand why people didn't like it as much as Pitch Black. I think the main problem was that in attempting to explore Riddick's unverse David Towyer (or however his last name is spelt, I think I missed an H) tried to create a mythology and have a one dimensional character bring it down. This movie should have been epic, it certainally looks and feels epic, I love the cinematography in this film, its beautifully shot. It lags in a few parts. It's like a Dune-light. In saying that though visually this is as close to how I would want the new Dune film to resemble. It has that look and feel. I love the ending though...with Riddick crying over the death of Kyra on the throne (for some reason it reminds me of King Conan).

I'd love to see a sequel, I keep hearing that there are plans to start production on one next year and that they're going to explore the Underverse (I hated this idea) and I hope they keep Riddick as the new Lord Marshal. Or at least explain it if he's not.

 

[BigFoot]

Personally I've always enjoyed both Pitch Black and CoR. And yeah, I'm definitely up for a new movie set in the Riddick-verse.

The director's name is David Twohy btw (pronounced Tuey).

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yeah Thanks for the correction.

 

[BigFoot]

No problem.

 

[broberfett]

I enjoy the director's cut better than the theatrical cut. The fight in front of the hanger is so much better on the director's cut.

 

[BigFoot]

Yeah I also prefer the DC.

 

[davejames]

My problem with the movie is they took this really cool character and dropped him into what felt like another bloated and dull Phantom Menace. There was just way too much going on, and none of it was particularly interesting.

 

[Pingfah]

I think this film is very underrated, it's extremely imaginative, and I agree that the DC is better.

And Christina Cox is really beautiful.

 

[Trubinator]

Love Riddick here too ... got Pitch Black and CoR on DVD, as well as Dark Fury and Escape from Butcher Bay (the game). It's an excellent mythology to my way of thinking.

 

[Deckerd]

Diesel said a new script was being written on Wossie a few months ago.

 

[Pingfah]

Diesel said a new script was being written on Wossie a few months ago.

They've been cheewing a sequel over for a while noe. Apparently, although a big flop at the theatres, the film has done very well on DVD. But financing a project that was such a major flop in the cinema is going to be hard.

Whatever happens, it's going to be much lower budgetted I think.

 

[backstept]

I've heard it was going to be closer to Pitch Black in scope

personally I think Butcher Bay was a phenomenal game and is the best Riddick story of the lot
he's the badass we all know and love, and he fights his way through the prison to escape, and along the way he gets his eyeshine, and how can you not love Xzibit as a B.A. prison guard
they kind of remade it with Dark Athena, but I haven't played it (is it even out yet?) so I don't know much about that one

 

[coolghoul]

I actually loved TCoR. I found it a very enjoyable beginning. It had it's own universe with weirdly gothic (?) architecture and crazy physics all it's own - (Can you laugh at crematoria while wishing each other "May the Force be with you"?!! ). I don't understand what a Necromonger is or what an Underverse is - but I did understand that it would be explained in later movies and that was an awesome ending to it. Thandie Newton was HOT and so was the new overtly female Jack. This is one movie where I actually liked Vin Diesel (XXX - not so much) - I guess I accept a bad-ass character in a fictional far-removed universe much more easily than something close to the James Bond one. It had Furyans (they're tough but why are they so special to the Necromongers?) and Elementals ( absolutely adored Dench in that one). I read with interest that Vin lobbied hard to get Judi Dench for that role and I agree with him - the mentor figure for a hero *must* be cast well! Otherwise it just doesn't work.

I am a little worried tho' that they may be in re-plan. Twohy had said that he already had the script outline in his head for the next two in his trilogy. If they are in replan, that might mean that they are changing things - and if it's the budget I just don't see how they can go on from the point where TCoR ends - Vin Diesel is "King of the Universe".

How did y'all think the next two movies would go? I thought that somehow he would realize that Jack could be brought back to life if he makes a deal with the Lords of the Underverse or something like that. Cos it makes no sense to kill off Jack.

 

[clint g]

they kind of remade it with Dark Athena, but I haven't played it (is it even out yet?) so I don't know much about that one

Not only is it out, you can often find it in the bargain bin, which is a shame

 

[Trent Roman]

My problem with the movie is they took this really cool character and dropped him into what felt like another bloated and dull Phantom Menace. There was just way too much going on, and none of it was particularly interesting.

I actually feel the opposite. I really enjoyed the universe they constructed, that they were trying to put together a new and quite stylish far-future mythos; and Chronicles has the best planetscapes outside of Star Wars. Not sure how well it ties into Pitch Black, which didn't seem to be that distant, but whatev'. There was a lot of stuff in that setting that I would have gladly learned more about.

But Riddick himself annoyed me, in his super-badass persona. In Pitch Black, Riddick was a brawler--skilled, but not invulnerable; he got his ass beaten down. In this film, he's untouchable, superior to every foe in all respects, to say nothing of eternally confident, always with a plan, and exuding such animal charisma that even his mercenary guard tries to mount him. And, of course, is a child of prophecy. It gets repetitive fast. I imagine some of that was to make the ending, where he finally shows vulnerability and uncertainty, all the more shocking, but I think they could have achieved that without Riddick being quite so superhuman throghout the rest of the movie.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Trubinator]

I've heard it was going to be closer to Pitch Black in scope

personally I think Butcher Bay was a phenomenal game and is the best Riddick story of the lot
he's the badass we all know and love, and he fights his way through the prison to escape, and along the way he gets his eyeshine, and how can you not love Xzibit as a B.A. prison guard
they kind of remade it with Dark Athena, but I haven't played it (is it even out yet?) so I don't know much about that one

I tend to think of Dark Athena as an add-on to Butcher Bay. It only lasts a few hours, so you can really blow through it. The multiplayer modes were quite fun though ... worth checking out.

 

[Base_Delta_Zero]

Dark Athena is good game, though light on my favorite Riddick baddie, Johns. Riddick as a character is so blatantly Conan in Space, it's not funny, but I love Conan, so no problems there.

People that can't accept that characters might have different types of adventures throughout their careers(horror-survival in PB, prison escape and vengeance in EFBB & AODA, combo escape/actioner/horrorish adventure in DF, actioner space opera epic in COR), need to read more. Sure, he survived horror once and could have survived a different one the next go around, but why? Been there, done that. At least Twohy explored the universe he created instead of rehashing a "winning formula" ad nauseum.

Did we really need to see Riddick crash land on another alien world where the trees were out to get him or something? Come on.

Other franchise tend to have the opposite problem. Aliens (one of my favorites, for instance). They keep thinking they need to redo Ripley vs Aliens, when they should have been thinking "What would be an interesting story to tell in this universe? Does it make sense to include Ripley? Do we even need the Aliens?"

The games and some of the books had some great storylines that branched off from the initial events of the movies and didn't involve any of the film characters.

Anyway, that's kind of a tangent.

 

[davejames]

People that can't accept that characters might have different types of adventures throughout their careers(horror-survival in PB, prison escape and vengeance in EFBB & AODA, combo escape/actioner/horrorish adventure in DF, actioner space opera epic in COR), need to read more. Sure, he survived horror once and could have survived a different one the next go around, but why? Been there, done that. At least Twohy explored the universe he created instead of rehashing a "winning formula" ad nauseum.

I have no problem with placing Riddick into a different kind of story. But a dull and pretentious Dune knockoff isn't exactly the kind of thing I had in mind. lol

Just like with the Matrix and Pirates sequels, they took a cool and simple idea and muddled it up beyond belief.

 

[Hyperspace05]

I love COR... And I confess the world-building they did for it was a major factor. It is not often we see whole new space opera universes imagined and shown as well as COR did. To just dare go balls to the walls out with such different look from ST/SW, and pull it off so well - it should be applauded.

If it was a failure, it was at least an ambitious failure. And those are always the interesting ones.

As for all the people dissing the film completely... They are probably the same people that every now and then on this forum post the typical thread about "why is there no space-based SF on TV or in the movies"? Well, no shit sherlock - You do your best to tear it down whenever it appears. (The same kind of reaction appears to be happening for Avatar)

I swear sci-fi "fans" must be the most fickle and idiotic out of all genre fans.

 

[Immolatus]

I enjoyed both movies, but felt like they were in different universes. Other than Riddick, didn't feel the same and even then Riddick was superman in the 2nd film