The Chronicles of Riddick

Vin Diesel's Riddick was first introduced in the cool low-budget sci-fi flick Pitch Black, which started out strong enough that even some of the ridiculous plot points that were later revealed couldn't derail this high-speed, high-action train. A bigger budget should have made for a better movie then, but here director Twohy has made so many changes and reveals too much about Riddick, an anti-hero that maintains his coolness because he is a mystery, and the universe in which he resides that the spirit of Pitch Black is eradicated. Anyway, it's five years later and Riddick's self-imposed exile ends when a bounty hunter (Nick Chinlund) discovers his whereabouts. Returning to "the light" to settle a score, Riddick finds himself alongside Pitch Black's two remaining survivors (Keith David and Alexa Davalos) in an attempt to prevent the bloodthirsty, warmongering Nekromangers from conquering everything. As the budget increases, so do the sets, moving from a movie where the action took place on one nearly featureless planet to a universe-wide adventure of epic proportions. Too bad the fairytale Elementals and the Borg-like Nekromangers are familiar fantasy/sci-fi conventions, and the cheese factor of the Elementals counters the dark sci-fi feel of Pitch Black. At least Riddick gets some great one-liners and the chance to get down and dirty during many great action sequences. The unrated director's cut features 15 minutes of extra violence and exposition, the latter helping to clear up a few issues. The special features — deleted scenes, commentary and featurettes — only scratch the surface, with the exception of "Visual Effects Revealed." Still, if you're looking for a movie with some kick-ass ass-kicking, The Chronicles of Riddick delivers in spades. (Universal)