Better than I expected

This film was much better than I expected it to be, it was an allegory if I ever saw one. Vin Diesel seems to be getting better as an actor through films with more depth than merely explosions but this at least has something for everyone in it. I say give it a shot.

From Criminal to King

I didn't think a movie like pitch black would ever have a sequel, but they pulled it off. The Chronicles of Riddick is a sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, at first I was like, another stupid sequel, but after I saw it, I was hooked, I must have watched this movie 70 or 80 times since I got it back in September. Vin Diesel delivers an explosive performance as Riddick, awesome fight scenes, a must have for your personal movie library. I'm hoping there will be a part 3: "Riddick Takes Over". But until then I'll continue to watch this one till I learn all the words.

Doesn't Look Clear

I don't know what happened here. Aside from some dumb things, I really thought Pitch did a nice job revamping a tired cliche'. You go out into space and land on a planet you shouldn't be on - mean aliens show up - said aliens eat lots of your friends - You get away and maybe, just maybe take a cat or two other people home with you. Then you do it again in the sequels. Pitch Black did all that well, except the sequel part.

Our man Riddick is running for his life because he's still a wanted man and bounty hunters all over the galaxy want to bring him in. In fact, so many are after him, we only get to meet one of them.

Riddick finds a man from the past who helps him get onto the road toward 1) finding the person who put the bounty on his head (the LAW, maybe???) and 2) going back to jail to find the grown up version of Jack, a young woman who wanted his Predator eyes so badly that she killed some people to get arrested and thereby "EYED." Riddick wants to find her to....what? Say he's sorry? Offer an explanation? Explanation for what? For being a bad guy and it was her fault for idolizing a bad guy?

During the silliness, I will admit that there are some things that I probably missed. But, there are lots of things I didn't!

1) When we have to HEAR Riddick's thoughts, that's when things get hokey. It was like when Leslie Nielsen asked himself questions in "Naked Gun" and we thought it was funny. Vin isn't funny.

2) Why did the cute black chick have uneven makeup? We see her doing her eyes in one scene and then for the rest of the scene she parades around with one eye more made up than the other. If that was on purpose, the idea person behind that should be fired.

3) Riddick should not star in a movie like this. His charm in Pitch was that he was an unknown quantity thrown at us when we viewers were supposed to root for the good guys. But he was so cool, did we have a choice NOT to root for him? Well, in this film, bad guys vs. bad guys goes flat - especially without the aliens.

4) Call me a sentimentalist, but how much cooler would it have been to just write Jack a break and give her the freakin' eyes already?!?! She killed people! She went to jail! Give her the eyes! It wouldn't have taken much away from Riddick either because it's Rid's movie. So, don't even try that excuse.

5) the alien dog cg was really lame. they were so cartoony. and they had Riddick's eyes. Geez....a dog can have the eyes, but Jack can't?? The writer's care more about the dogs??? And the fact that the dogs have eyes means that Jack's excuse that there was no doctor there to EYE her (but he was there for the dogs) is really lame. Plausible, but lame.

6) the tea cup scene was unbelievable and foolish. A sharp tea cup would have been better. But I looked good at that cup. Riddick likes his cups dull.

7) Why did Rid always have to take off his goggles every fifteen minutes? I could buy it in real life, but it's a movie. We don't need so much with the goggles.

8) the escape was so silly. Is this a prison or what? And didn'tt the cops have a big head start?

9) Riddick has like a million bucks on his head. Let's say the year is 2200. And I'm being generous with all the "Next Generation" advancement. But wouldn't a million bucks be pennies by then? "Riddick! I'm after the $75 on your head, pal!"

10) When a movie has silly robot men with their own religion who wear armor that isn't the least bit knife-proof, leave the theatre.

11) And finally, there was nooooooooo reason - NOOOOOOOO REASON why, other than to adhere to hollywood cliche'd garbage for the second Furian to kill himself. I won't say who it is, but it SUCKED! He had a RIDE!!!!! He could have SURVIVED!!!!!!!!!! LAME!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm done. I won't even deal with the over-the-top characters who were lousy but could have been cool - like Diane Wiest the elemental or the far-fetched thing about how Riddick can escape any trap but it never looks cool when he does. Or not confusing like the thing on the rope. This movie has one redeeming quality: Nice planetary CG. Gorgeous scenery, and that's where they put all the money. Heck, I'll throw in an extra star because it's not "Battlefield Earth."

Wow. Remember when Riddick said "Looks clear" in Pitch? That was not only funny as heck, but good writing. You won't find that here.