I first saw Pitch Black in one of my company bosses' apartment in China where I stayed 4 years ago (and even then it was already way past its theatre run, having been released a year back). With all the rampant piracy in China (cough, cough), its a treat to find some movie you ignored when it was released (whether for lack of interest or money) and only have to shell out time to watch it. Even better, you could get all the movies you want for peanuts. But I digress.
Pitch Black was a little film that could, a little sci-fi tale that got by, by word of mouth and good notices, and before you even know it, launched Vin Diesel into the road to multi$$$ filmstar. He was perfect in the role of Richard Riddick, badass criminal, and the only hope of a group of stragglers who crash-lands in a planet inhabited by ... some flying creatures. Flesh-eating flying creatures.
The film tells us that Islam will survive in the future, and is not at all invoked by terrorist creatures
To add thrills to an otherwise run-of-the-mill tale, these creatures only appear and hunt in the dark. Despite the 3 suns that bathe the planet in marvelous light, the human survivors could not have timed their crash-landing any better - an eclipse was just about to occur. And so how could one badass, no matter how ruthless he might be, be the only hope? Well, Riddick's eyes have this little advantage of seeing in the dark ...
Riddick the badass stalker
The supporting roles were also solidly casted - Radha Mitchell as the ship's pilot, trying to lead a group looking up to her and fighting her own fears; Cole Hauser as the man supposedly hauling Riddick back to jail but has his own demons; and Keith David as an imam on the way to a hajj to New Mecca but now forced to to tend to a new flock. Riddick all gets under their skin, and you can just feel smugness radiating from Diesel, relishing the character he seemed to have been born to play. But in the end they are forced to work together just to get off-planet intact. Creepy effects, and enough poppy dialogue and snappy pacing to hook you for a couple of hours. And an anti-hero to remember.
"Your eyes opened wide, as I looked your way ..."
4 years later (5 years in the story), Riddick's on the run again, having seemingly known no life except to escape bounty hunters (whether man or animal). This time, a bunch of mercenaries are trying to capture him for certain people in some planet called Hellion Prime. Having turned the tables on the gang, he goes to Hellion Prime himself to seek out who wants his head, and it turns out, its the Imam he saved in Pitch Black.
Of course, all is not what you think it is, and its not like the Imam has Riddick's number on speed dial. Certain extreme circumstances have forced the holy man to retrieve Riddick by any means necessary to ask for his help. The extreme circumstances being, a race called the Necromongers are slowly subjugating all known planetary systems in their quest to convert everyone to their belief system of reaching and being reborn in the UnderVerse (ok, if your brain just froze, rub and massage it for a few seconds - this is obviously no chick flick).
"I hate this party - the food is boring and we all dress the same!"
Well, these zealots' intentions are really pretty simple - join us or be damned. 'Be damned' meaning 'your ass is grass, and we're gonna smoke it'. Led by the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), who has otherworldly powers due to his being the only person who has seen this UnderVerse up close, the Necromongers have just invaded Hellion Prime, and Diesel, er, I mean Riddick, is suddenly forced to make a reluctant decision to stand and fight. He actually does not - not directly, as he is sidetracked by the knowledge of the other survivor in Pitch Black, a young girl named Jack, lost her way in life and hooked up with the wrong crowd (after Riddick disappeared). Jack used to idolize Riddick, and now with the lack of a role model (see, more life lessons), ended up in jail planet called Crematoria (cool name. actual comment in film: "If I owned this place and Hell - I'd put this up for rent and stay in Hell.").
"Breaking rocks in the hot sun, I fought the law and the ... law won."
Riddick ends up in Crematoria first, to rescue Jack (now passing herself off as a short-tempered curvy chick named Kyra) - and be the role model all prisoners need (he seems to be the only to have brains around, as he's able to concoct an escape plan in barely 24 hours in the prison). The fly in the ointment - flies actually - are the Necromongers themselves, pursuing Riddick, as they have discovered his true heritage: he is the last of a race called the Furyans (the descendants of the Aryans? but we already have a master race in the film subjugating all the others), and this Lord Marshal (he doesn't even have a menacing name) just missed finishing him off when he was a baby, prompting the requisite "its gonna bite you in the ass later" prophecy. Shades of Herod and Jesus. Waiting in the wings are a couple of high-ranking Necromongers, Lord Vaako (Karl Urban, a poor man's Brad Pitt, in an 80's hairdo) and his scheming wife (Thandie Newton in a more annoying character than her role in E.R.).
Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can ...
The Chronicles of Riddick ends up more as an action vehicle for Diesel (absolutely - he co-produced) more than a sci-fi thriller. But it delivers the goods and I pretty much got interested and enjoyed it. It had enough of a backstory, testosterone, and sensibilities to appeal to its target audience. And with the finale's twist ending, there could be more Riddick in our future ...
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