Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 136 mins – 2004 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.40: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

When Pitch Black turned out to be sleeper hit in 2000 it was obvious that a sequel was in the works. The Riddick character had major franchise possibilities, and star Vin Diesel knew this was his ticket to the A-list action club. The Chronicles of Riddick didn’t become the monster hit it was expected to be, but it’s definitely tries hard. Now available on Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment, Riddick, the big bald bad ass is back in action.

THE MOVIE

The Chronicles of Riddick takes place five years after Pitch Black, with Riddick (Vin Diesel) still on the run as a determined bounty hunter attempts to bring him in. He traces the source of who put the bounty on his head to the planet New Mecca where he finds Imam (Keith David), one of the few survivors of the alien desert planet from the first movie. Riddick discovers that the situation is deeper when he lands smack in the middle of a battle between two races who are attempting to wipe each other out, the Furians and the Necromongers. Riddick, believed a Furian, is seen as the only man who can stop the Necromonger leader known as Lord Marshall (Colm Feore). Trusting no one, Riddick plays all sides in his favor including Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton), in an attempt to save the galaxy from being taken over.

The main problem with The Chronicles of Riddick is that it attempts to be bigger than it needs to be. Whereas Pitch Black was a straightforward action film, Chronicles is oddly attempting to have a message layered within. Yes, a sequel should take a step up from its predecessor, but in this case it may have gone way off track and lost the audience who really dug Pitch Black.

Director and screenwriter David Twohy returns to continue Riddick’s adventure, but with a plot that feels scattered in places, Riddick himself just seems to get lost in the mix. There seems to have been three times the money pumped into the production than the first time around, and there are some incredible sets and costumes for eye candy.

Overall, The Chronicles of Riddick is entertaining, but most may feel letdown because it may not exactly be what they expected. Talks of a new Riddick film have been rumored to re-vamp the character, and if this happens let’s hope they return to the action hero premise that made the original so appealing.

VIDEO

Presented in full 1080p in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, The Chronicles of Riddick looks fantastic. With set design that rivals anything from Flash Gordon and amazing special effects, this Blu-ray is absolutely the best way to experience this movie. Images are crystal sharp and the details are so lifelike that some scenes are literally like looking through a glass window. This one’s a visual winner for Blu-ray in every way.

AUDIO

Offering a Dolby DTS-HD Lossless master audio 5.1 mix, Chronicles sounds as great as it looks. Dialogue sounds crisp and the sound effects during the action scenes will rock your speakers. Graham Revell’s excellent musical score should satisfy anyone who enjoys soundtracks that pump a film into an epic mode, and if you have a good sound system, this one will give your speakers a workout.

EXTRAS

All of the bonus features from the original DVD and HD-DVD have been carried over to the Blu-ray, so if you want to upgrade you won’t be losing anything.

Director David Twohy provides an audio commentary along with two of the film’s stars, Karl Urban and Alexa Davalos. The actors should have sat this one out, because Twohy barely lets anyone else get a word in.

The ‘Virtual Guide to The Chronicles of Riddick,’ ‘Toomb’s Chase Log,’ and ‘Visual Effects Revealed’ are three short featurettes that barely run fifteen minutes combined, and gives a look at the basic set up and filming of the movie.

Vin Diesel’s Guided Tour has the actor giving a tour of some of the sets of the movie, and he looks like a kid in a candy store.

A few deleted scenes are available for viewing with the option of hearing the director’s commentary.

Via Universal’s U-Control you can watch behind the scenes clips featuring the casts and filmmakers. Anatomy of a Fight and Complete Chronicles let you view Picture-in-Picture background footage, as well as a detailed map of the world of Riddick.

BOTTOM LINE

The Chronicles of Riddick is not as solid as Pitch Black, but it has it’s moments and definitely gets an ‘A’ for effort in attempting to give the film epic proportions. But truthfully we’re not watching this film for its philosophy, we just want to see Riddick kick some ass. This Blu-ray offers amazing picture and sound, so this alone is the selling point if you were thinking of shelving your old DVD. The Chronicles of Riddick is worthy of your attention, but just don’t expect it to be Pitch Black.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 4.5

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 3.5