Review

Review Date: 13-June-04
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

David Twohy is inordinately in love with Richard Riddick, but he has reason to be. Before the unexpected success of "Pitch Black" (2000), which introduced moviegoers to the character, Twohy was perhaps best known as the guy who co-wrote "Waterworld;" which is to say he was making a lot more money than I do but wasn't exactly at the top of the heap. Now, with a high-profile, big-budget movie that puts his brainchild (and star Vin Diesel) squarely in the spotlight, Twohy may be partially excused for trying to put Riddick on a pedestal in the pantheon of sci-fi heroes. Too bad his writing and directing don't match the level of his adoration.

"The Chronicles of Riddick" shoots for the stars but achieves only a moderate glimmer. On the plus side, Twohy employs some tried-and-true elements of legend that set the stage for decent summer escapism. The stronger first half of the picture introduces an elaborate universe of planets in the thrall of viral, fascist, death-worshipping Necromongers, who have a fondness for baroque architecture and are led by a magical lord (Colm Feore) and his tortured right-hand man (the gorgeously glowering Karl Urban, who could bend me to his will any day). An old-fashioned prophesy links this evil empire to the protagonist, a convicted murderer whose struggle for autonomy and peace actually justifies more than one movie. The notion of a reluctant hero, a man who thinks he's a lone animal but is fated to be the people's champion, has a lot of potential, and Riddick makes a fitting rival to a race whose mandate is assimilate or die.

But Twohy's (or the studio's?) insistence on establishing a tagline-spewing tough guy dampens the impact of the character. (Diesel's single, bland expression and gravelly monotone don't help either.) Unlike in "Pitch Black," Riddick is now both invincible and insipid, which is not a favorable combination. In fact, it leads one to start noticing all the other absurdities of the tale, like how buff and healthy Riddick's fellow death-row inmates are (and noble, every one); how inconsistently Riddick needs to shield his surgically-enhanced eyes; and how clichéd and superfluous all the women in the story are, including Judi Dench as a seeress, Thandie Newton as a sexy shrew, and Alexa Davalos as a returning character from the original film (sort of). As soon as the focus shifts from the Necromongers to a prison breakout, Riddick becomes nothing more than muscle and machismo, and the tension of the story is lost. His relationship with his old friend is unpleasantly ambiguous (is it romantic or strictly a father-daughter thing?) and is relieved only by a series of confusing fight scenes heading into the clumsy finale. What begins as a sci-fi fantasy with psychological and moral undertones ends as a dumb action flick whose background is only an excuse for conspicuous special effects.

Conspicuous too is how "The Chronicles of Riddick" prepares us for another sequel, which, in light of the way this one crumbles, might be overly hopeful. But with Riddick's future now highly complicated, maybe he still has room to grow. If Twohy could idolize his character by making the bombast serve instead of engulf him, he could get back on track.

Copyright © 2004 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.