Looking back at the past few months, it would seem that all of my reviews (film or DVD) for this board have been hands-down positive (most really, really positive).  So, I was all set to see "Riddick" and have a film to give "Thumbs Down" to.  But...  

Don't get me wrong; I loved "Pitch Black" and was really looking forward to this one after seeing the fantastic trailers.  To me, the idea of making an indirect, straight-up sci-fi sequel to a mostly straight-up horror flick was actually quite original and fresh.  That is until Friday morning when I began to read the (mostly) negative reviews (one even it called it the "worst film of 2004") and finally the reviews on aintitcool.com, calling it "kinda cool... though, dissapointing."  Now, I'm wondering if I saw the same film...

Riddick is a badass.  That should be evident to anyone whose seen "Pitch Black" or even the trailer to this.  What makes him so cool is that he is the pure definition of an anti-hero.  He fights for good... his good.  He fights evil... his evil.  He looks out for... himself, and only himself.  And this is how "Chronicles" begins.  Of course, once those pesky Spartan-esque soldiers from another world show up, things have to change.

I think that this is where a lot of "Pitch Black" fans will be dissapointed.  In "Pitch," Riddick really doesn't care about anyone else.  This is certainly proven at the end (for those who have seen it, you know what I mean).  In "Riddick," a change occurs.  Our would-be hero becomes a full-fledged super hero.  To me, that's what made this film special.

Where the film begins to tumble is simply in how it is executed.  I do not think that this is Twohy's fought, but rather Universal's.  I get the feeling that it was the studio that was really vying for that "PG-13" rating.  This is evident through some strange editing techniques as well as the semi-tacked-on ending.

I trust director Twohy too much to think this was it.  I have a very good feeling that like "Pitch Black," this one will have a very healthy shelf life as an R-Rated (Un-Rated?) DVD.  Still, as is, this will probably go down as the most under-rated film of 2004.

*** out of ****

As a bonus, to those with an X-Box, I highly suggest you check out the video-game, even if you have no previous knowledge of the films.  Easily the best graphics, voice-acting, writing, and directing I've ever seen in a game based on a movie ("Lord of the Rings," eat your heart out).  Certainly worth a buy, but at least a rent.

Chronicles Of Riddick

Don't worry; there are no spoilers below. I'm actually kinda proud that I won't spoil the film for you, because you really need to go in cold. It's the only way that you'll be taken in by a film that will surprise you for the entire running time, simply by being far better than anyone had any right to expect.

I want to officially start this review by saying that I am not a Vin Diesel fan. No disrespect to Mr. Diesel, who has a cool name and seems to do the whole grunting and male posturing thing to the best of his abilities. Just that I tend to like to see acting in films (though it helps if the film with acting isn't a Lars Von Trier style experiment, i.e. Dogville.) I suppose before this film, Vin Diesel could take heart in the fact he hasn't really been challenged (NB: Must watch Boiler Room.)

The gist I got from Pitch Black was that: Vin Diesel is one bad mother******. Not much was said about the acting. Truth be told, I actually enjoy watching action films featuring a bad mother******, especially if they also have a lot of loud explosions, and are science fiction in some way, shape or form. But this film surprised me. It had the requisite action (the slow realization of which actually worked strongly in it's favour), but it had more than that. The film had Heart. Real Heart. The thing that allows you to connect to the characters, and actually give a damn whether they live or die.

Without this connection, films lack an emotional resonance. Even action films need you to give a reasonable damn about the characters. Air Force One might lack any kind of character arc for Harrison Ford, but it does manage to make us feel for his character – the time honoured wrong guy, in the wrong place, at the wrong time cliché that writers try to dust off and reinvent every couple of years.  

The Heart of this film exists between Vin Diesel’s Riddick, and Alexa Davalos’s Kyra. Both may be eternally damned for what they’ve done, but the innocence of Kyra makes us care about the character. It’s in her face, her movements, even her balletic fight sequences (hats off to Writer/Director David Twohy and the Second Unit Team.) We are gradually brought to care about her as Riddick is, a slow-burning relationship that allows us to assert a deeper connotation to the film than: BAM, BAM, I AM THE MIGHTY VIN DIESEL – AND YOU WILL BOW TO ME… and the assorted bull**** posturing that was XXX and The Fast and The Furious.

There is, however, one thing for me that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is the introduction of Shakespeare’s Ghost to proceedings. No literally of course (Miramax would sue Universal’s ass of for messing with Shakespeare… especially after Gwyneth blubbed her way to an Oscar… though Affleck was the bomb.) Not just in the shrewd casting of Judi Dench, for which we must thank Vin Diesel, but also the nods to Shakespeare’s MacBeth.

Obviously, you can only compare the Bard to a Vin Diesel for so long because the cracks in that theory appear, but it did provide some welcome diversions. It also opened the story up to reach more dramatic levels than you’d expect… which in turn leads to an ending that is both initially baffling, but begrudgingly presents a realm of new story ideas for hinted sequel: The Underverse.

Congratulations to all involved in this film. It manages to not just be the best science fiction film released this year, but also one of my top five films of the year so far.

****/*****

Next week: Hellboy

It seems to me that  every ACTION film Vin makes is just to show off the fact that he was a stuntman before he was an actor.  Whatever is lacking in story and dialogue is easily made up in action and stunts.  Now, I like action and explosions as much as the next guy, maybe even more- but I'd rather watch action in a movie that can back it up with story.

***/*****