Fans of 2000's Pitch Black probably need to adjust their expectations for this one. Whereas that was a nifty, low-budget suspense film, set in a sci-fi/horror/race against time milieu, this is a much broader, more straightforward sci-fi fantasy film. Its bigger in scope, with more money to play with and used well on some nice effects and grand set designs. The only carry over from the first film (not essential for newcomers) is in the characters of Riddick, Jack and the holy man Imam.
The film catches up with Riddick on the run, chased across planets as a payday for bounty hunters. His attempted capture leads him back to Imam, the man he trusted with his whereabouts, now apparently his betrayer. Finding him to exact rough justice embroils him in an inter-galactic conflict between peaceful residents of planet Helion Prime and a war-mongering race known as Necromongers whose leader has found a gateway to another dimension - Hell? Heaven? - and is enslaving races to make his journey complete.
Its all a bit light on plot and heavy on exposition, but never less than interesting or entertaining. There are some nice action set-pieces - a prison break out and subsequent race against a 700-degree sunrise takes up much of the film's middle act - and some fairly brutal fight sequences, though nothing too bloody. And underneath it all, if you look hard enough, is a subtext about the master race and the thwarting of apparently "evil" regimes, even slavery. And the performances are fine. Vin Diesel clearly owes a lot to the machismo of mid-eighties action heroes, and he seems to be trying to out do them with his gruffer than gruff, bassy tones and unmovable physicality. Judi Dench, if a little out of place in something this fantastical, works wonders with some tough, Obi-Wan-esque dialogue and Karl Urban, having offed orcs in the Lord of the Rings and fought against Jason Bourne in his second film, is becoming a recognizable and very watchable addition to action across all genres. Even Thandie Newton, who is often hit and miss, makes a bid for Lady Macbeth-style, string pulling menace and pretty much pulls it off. Finally, there is some lovely eye candy for the lads in the shape of Alexa Davalos, playing the renamed Jack character, Kyra. Yummy.
In the end, its perhaps not the action spectacle it seems from the trailers, but it looks great and manages to establish a new sci-fi universe fairly adequately. As such, it slips comfortably into the sci-fi middle ground previously held sway over by Star Trek and the like and a sequel would not be an unpleasant prospect. In truth, when all is said and done, it feels very much as though this film's main purpose is to broaden our understanding of the Riddick character and his past and set up his and the universe's future for a further installment. Diesel has said that that will happen, despite the film not really setting the box office on fire this summer. So, the best part of the film for me was the denouement, which lifted what had gone before to something slightly grander and asked a question which only a sequel could really answer.
Lower your expectations and go expecting some nice visuals and you may well be pleasantly surprised. Its not as well-established as the similar (in scope) Star Wars franchise, but is far grander in scale than the shooting fish in a barrel stylings of Troy. And there are some decent punch-ups to boot.
The film catches up with Riddick on the run, chased across planets as a payday for bounty hunters. His attempted capture leads him back to Imam, the man he trusted with his whereabouts, now apparently his betrayer. Finding him to exact rough justice embroils him in an inter-galactic conflict between peaceful residents of planet Helion Prime and a war-mongering race known as Necromongers whose leader has found a gateway to another dimension - Hell? Heaven? - and is enslaving races to make his journey complete.
Its all a bit light on plot and heavy on exposition, but never less than interesting or entertaining. There are some nice action set-pieces - a prison break out and subsequent race against a 700-degree sunrise takes up much of the film's middle act - and some fairly brutal fight sequences, though nothing too bloody. And underneath it all, if you look hard enough, is a subtext about the master race and the thwarting of apparently "evil" regimes, even slavery. And the performances are fine. Vin Diesel clearly owes a lot to the machismo of mid-eighties action heroes, and he seems to be trying to out do them with his gruffer than gruff, bassy tones and unmovable physicality. Judi Dench, if a little out of place in something this fantastical, works wonders with some tough, Obi-Wan-esque dialogue and Karl Urban, having offed orcs in the Lord of the Rings and fought against Jason Bourne in his second film, is becoming a recognizable and very watchable addition to action across all genres. Even Thandie Newton, who is often hit and miss, makes a bid for Lady Macbeth-style, string pulling menace and pretty much pulls it off. Finally, there is some lovely eye candy for the lads in the shape of Alexa Davalos, playing the renamed Jack character, Kyra. Yummy.
In the end, its perhaps not the action spectacle it seems from the trailers, but it looks great and manages to establish a new sci-fi universe fairly adequately. As such, it slips comfortably into the sci-fi middle ground previously held sway over by Star Trek and the like and a sequel would not be an unpleasant prospect. In truth, when all is said and done, it feels very much as though this film's main purpose is to broaden our understanding of the Riddick character and his past and set up his and the universe's future for a further installment. Diesel has said that that will happen, despite the film not really setting the box office on fire this summer. So, the best part of the film for me was the denouement, which lifted what had gone before to something slightly grander and asked a question which only a sequel could really answer.
Lower your expectations and go expecting some nice visuals and you may well be pleasantly surprised. Its not as well-established as the similar (in scope) Star Wars franchise, but is far grander in scale than the shooting fish in a barrel stylings of Troy. And there are some decent punch-ups to boot.