Riddick Trilogy (Pitch Black/ The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury/ The Chronicles of Riddick)

Amazon.com

Pitch Black
Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts.

A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and it's populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory.

What sets the movie apart is Twohy's developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, they're chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohy's got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his character's development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. --Jeff Shannon

Dark Fury - The Chronicles of Riddick (Animated)
Taking a page from The Animatrix, Dark Fury is part of a new trend of bridging theatrical sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of Pitch Black already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. The film--indeed the series--is indebted to animator Peter Chung, who brings his techno style from his Aeon Flux series. His smooth animation for Riddick doesn't reinvent the character as much as give him a new, appealing fluidity. As anime goes, there's nothing really new here--plenty of action, cool killers, and dramatic spurts of blood--but it's a building block for how this genre might enliven movie series and sequels in the future. --Doug Thomas

Description

Journey to a remote, hostile planet with a group of marooned passengers who learn that escaped convict Riddick isn't the only thing they have to fear in Pitch Black. Then, see him battle ruthless soldiers of fortune and vicious creatures in renowned animator Peter Chung's The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury. And finally, Riddick finds himself humanity's unlikely champion in the special effects-fueled The Chronicles of Riddick. Join Riddick in three times the action, three times the adrenaline and three times the adventure as the Riddick Trilogy makes complete one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time!

Customer Reviews:

NBC Universal is a joke........2007-09-14

These are three really bad movies. If it shows anything, it is that NBC/Universal wants to make money, and they will make the very worst products to do it, wither it is this, or the political trash they do on MSNBC.

Best buy, IMHO.......2007-09-10

...cause it costs only 9.99 and includes all three movies. That's good. And plenty of addons... that's also good.

Well done science ficition.......2007-08-03

The third movie is production wise the best for me, but all 3 are for lovers of action movies a la alien, matrix, etc...

awesome awesome awesome.......2007-07-09

I finally got around to seeing "Chronicles" on cable, not being a big Diesel fan, and loved it. So I picked up this collection, and it's great plain great.

Now we need a pre- and post-Riddick trilogy..........2007-06-05

This big winners in this series were Crematoria, Elementals, the Under-verse, Necros, and Riddick as a surviving Furyan. Anything that helped in understanding these five essential elements of the Riddick Trilogy were greatly appreciated. The rest was just...entertaining.

I watched and read The Chronicles of Riddick (III) before watching Pitch Black, although I had read the book Pitch Black. The Chronicles was a better film than Pitch Black, but I know Pitch Black helped make sense of some of The Chronicles. There were a number of ah-ha moments... Riddick's relationship with the Imam and "Jack", why he is on the run, "Jack's" statements that were repeats of what she learned and heard in Pitch Black, and more.

Dark Fury is an animated short that really does a number of neat, but non-essential things: introduces Toombs the merc, demonstrates Riddick's fighting abilities, and explains the tightness of him, Imam, and Jack.

The Chronicles of Riddick (III) was great. As I mentioned, the concept of and cinematography "on" Crematoria was worth the price of the movie.

There's what is missing. We really need to know more about the pre-Pitch Black portion of Riddick's life. What was Furya really like... a futurist Sparta? And then, given that Riddick got to "keep what he kills," what does he do with the Necros when he becomes Lord Marshall? What happens to their search for the Under-verse?

Oh, right... this is fiction, science-fiction. But I still want to know what happens next!

Average customer rating:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!
A Late Review For One of My Favorites
RIDDICK
Riddickulous
What a painful movie

The Chronicles of Riddick [HD DVD]
Starring: Vin Diesel , Colm Feore , Thandie Newton , Judi Dench , and Karl Urban
Director: David Twohy
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000E1ZK4Q
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Customer Reviews:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!.......2007-09-07

it's hard for a sequal to get anywhere near as good as the first one, or in some cases surpass it as well. well this one almost did for me. pitch black and the chronicles of riddick are both so different, but are still along the same lines. the chronicles was very good, i didn't think it was going to be such a big deal, but i'm glad i was wrong. vin diesel, does what he does best. the big action hero, with an "i don't care about anybody but myself" attitude returns for some more. he's a great actor, and these are the kinds of movies he should do, because all eyes are on him the whole time. the follow up story was good as well. a few years later he's back and only he can save the world. he meets up with an old friend, and together they must beat this leader of the half dead necromongers. he finds love, but at what a cost. in the end good must prevail over evil. great movie, fantastic scenes, and riddick does it again. i want more.

A Late Review For One of My Favorites.......2007-08-24

At the outset I will admit that I am really late with this review of this movie. I won't go into all the detail about the movie, as there has been many others who have already done that. What I can tell you is that this is the kind of movie that people either really love or really hate.

If you are expecting a completely fast paced action movie, this is not that kind of movie. If you are expecting part 2 to be exactly like Pitch Black, this is not that kind of movie. What this movie is would be best summed up as a continuation of the lives of the 3 characters who survived the events of Pitch Black. I liked it as a sequel as it didn't get into revisiting the alien planet, but instead you now see what the universe from this time period is like. You also see more of what drives the characters as they interact with each other.

I had a friend who didn't like this film mainly because he wanted them to go back to the alien planet from Pitch Black. He essentially wanted them to do the Alien and Aliens franchise. Based on Pitch Black doing something like that would have made no sense. So I for one am glad that they did not try to remake Aliens. I like the idea of taking the same characters and continuing on, since it is more realistic that their lives would not revolve around a planet where the aliens would only come out when it was night.

I liked this movie as an adventure more than just an action movie. Thus the additional scenes in the Director's Cut seem to explain things that wouldn't make sense without the additional 15 minutes that were added. I never saw the theatrical release, but based on the director's commentary the missing scenes really helped the movie. I also liked the special effects with the environments, since they looked really good and played into the mood of the movie. I also felt that this movie was more character driven and was also similar to the Greek tragedies. This is especially true in the context of Riddick not really being a typical good guy, but more of an anti-hero.

Some people say they didn't like the movie because it had no plot. To each their own, but I felt it had more plot than Pitch Black. I liked Pitch Black, but I wouldn't want to see a part 2 with the same Aliens and the same planet. Also, Chronicles to me had various plot elements found in Greek tragedies. It also can related to those who study Roman history as the Necromongers almost resemble elements of the Roman army. Also, this is a sci-fi movie so when people say certain parts of the movie are unbelievable, the question becomes how many sci-fi movies are actually believable?

You may have to rent the Chronicles of Riddick, Dark Fury cartoon in order to transition from Pitch Black to the Chronicles of Riddick. There are events that are somewhat explained in Dark Fury that help understand this movie. There is also a video game called Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay that explains things for both Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick.

I have watched this movie a number of times and I still enjoy watching it with the slow build up to the main point of the movie. This may not work for everyone, but it really did for me. I felt myself feeling connected to the characters, even the bad ones. The last fight scene is interesting in that it is different in terms of execution from typical action movies i.e. good guy mops the floor with bad guy for most of the fight. Watch it and see how Riddick transitions from being the one in control, to not having control, and at the very end gaining more control than he expected at a heavy price.

I really hope they make another Chronicles of Riddick. This type of movie has the potential to do a number of additional films or such.

RIDDICK.......2007-08-19

I must confess, this movie is a guilty pleasure. I mean just to see Diesel and the great Judy Dench in the same sceen is worth the DVD purchase. This movie is very well done, the special effects are first rate and the story is fascinating. I had not seen Pitch Black so i was a bit lost at first, but the movie gets you up to speed quickly. I didnt go into this movie expecting much, so i was shocked at how well i liked it. The DVD extras are good, they explain some of the back ground on the characters and locations, which i appreciated, because the movie moves fast. Highly recommended, especially if your into sci fi, though frankly if you are, you've probably seen this movie a million times, verdad?

Riddickulous.......2007-08-13

If you're looking for a truly entertaining and well developed sci-fi movie, watch Pitch Black, the first movie in this series. The first film explores an alien world with lethal creatures and pits survivers of a crashed space ship against them and one another. Great characters, visuals, and story. Chronicles doesn't hit even close to the high marks of the first film.

Chronicles can most easily be summed up as a brainless sci-fi action adventure popcorn flick. Even the impressive visuals cannot save this film with its sub-par acting, bad dialogue and terrible story. It's just too over the top and ridiculous, and if you don't feel that way by the time Riddick & crew are running from the scorching sunlight on Crematoria, then there is just no use debating films with you.

This movie might have had a chance if they had just left out the whole Crematoria story arc completely and just focused on New Mecca instead. But even then it would probably have been average at best. All in all, very disappointing.

What a painful movie.......2007-07-23

I saw Pitch Black in the theaters when it came out, and was blown away by the character development and story, I thought it was the best sci-fi movie since Alien. Intelligent and engaging, two words that can never describe this mess.

This movie is so painful to watch in light of the superior Pitch Black. A clunky storyline, with some of the most embarrassing lines ever to stain a movie. The FX is very good most of the time, but good FX does make for a good movie.

The "plot" has been rehashed over and over so I will spare you. Riddick was a very interesting character before this movie. In this movie, he is turned into a shallow superhero with a bad attitude. Yeah, I know he changed at the end of Pitch Black because of "the captain", but this is not the same character at all.

If you are in the mood for a mindless action flick, this will probably serve you well. If you want a well written, interesting movie, look elsewhere.

The Chronicles of Riddick (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!
A Late Review For One of My Favorites
RIDDICK
Riddickulous
What a painful movie

The Chronicles of Riddick (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Vin Diesel , Colm Feore , Thandie Newton , Judi Dench , and Karl Urban
Director: David Twohy
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002VEUV2
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Customer Reviews:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!.......2007-09-07

A Late Review For One of My Favorites.......2007-08-24

RIDDICK.......2007-08-19

Riddickulous.......2007-08-13

What a painful movie.......2007-07-23

Dark Fury - The Chronicles of Riddick (Animated)

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly good
Good segway
Dark Fury
Good animation.
good but short

Dark Fury - The Chronicles of Riddick (Animated)
Starring: Vin Diesel , Rhiana Griffith , Keith David , Roger Jackson (VI) , and Tress MacNeille
Director: Peter Chung
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001O3YA8
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Amazon.com

Taking a page from The Animatrix, Dark Fury is part of a new trend of bridging theatrical sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of Pitch Black already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. The film--indeed the series--is indebted to animator Peter Chung, who brings his techno style from his Aeon Flux series. His smooth animation for Riddick doesn't reinvent the character as much as give him a new, appealing fluidity. As anime goes, there's nothing really new here--plenty of action, cool killers, and dramatic spurts of blood--but it's a building block for how this genre might enliven movie series and sequels in the future. --Doug Thomas

Description

Extend The Chronicles of Riddick experience with this all-new, visionary animated film that bridges the incredible stories of Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick . Starring Vin Diesel as the voice and likeness of Riddick and created by Peter Chung (The Animatrix, MTV's "Aeon Flux"), one of the world's most revered animators, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury delivers thrilling sci-fi adventure that takes Riddick, Jack and Imam on a death-defying confrontation with an intergalactic bounty hunter.

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly good.......2007-07-09

I really didn't expect much going in, not being a huge fan of anime. But since I really liked both movies, I figured I'd give this one a shot, and it fits into the story line very well.

Good segway.......2007-05-19

This movie is supposed to be a "filler" between Pitch Black Pitch Black (Unrated) [HD DVD] and Chronicle of Riddick The Chronicles of Riddick (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut). The story isn't bad, and it continues in the Riddick tradition. I was sad it was not longer, but I was fairly happy with the story. It was interesting to see some of the behind the scenes commentary which helped paint some of the Riddick universe's picture.

Dark Fury.......2007-04-11

This was gift for my husband who loves the whole chronicles of riddick thing.He loves it so i gave it 5 stars for that reason.I have not seen it nor do i plan to so if he loves it i love it.

Good animation........2007-03-08

Story line was good. Covers events between "Pitch Black" and "Chronicles". However it was too short and may have been better if live action instead of animime.

good but short.......2007-02-07

I am an anime fan and I love this movie. It is very short but I always think of it when I am watching cronicles of Riddick. I love the animation of Peter Chung it is brilliant and beautiful, not to mention the awesome fight scenes. I wish there were more of these to enjoy, 35 minutes is not enough for this amazing and inventive story.

The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

ANOTHER REASON TO BE SCARED OF THE DARK!!!
amazing movie
Excellent Movie
Director's log
Great movie even better on HD-DVD

The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Vin Diesel , Radha Mitchell , Cole Hauser , Keith David , and Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Director: David Twohy
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001O3YD0
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plot's logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but it's definitely fun while it lasts.

Customer Reviews:

ANOTHER REASON TO BE SCARED OF THE DARK!!!.......2007-09-04

man this movie was hard core, since the first time i watched it, and even now after many many times of seeing it. it's still a good one for me. man especially since vin diesel was up in there. my hero. movie does him justice. he's great, his acting, and his skills. let the world know who he was. he's been unstoppable since. another one of my favorites is cole hauser. i give him props. this was a thrill ride. you never know what's in the dark. there's always a scare of the unknown. don't venture in the dark alone. "i'm not the one you gotta worry about", nicely spoken. riddicks not the bad guy here, he's going to turn out to be the hero, the leader, their hope. good movie, if you haven't seen it you definitly should.

amazing movie.......2007-07-25

pitch black makes you love the bad guy and want the "good guys" to die. not many movies can do that. pure badassery...

Excellent Movie.......2007-07-07

However, not widely viewed prior to the release of Chronicles of Riddick. This is a sci-fi thriller! People marooned on a desert planet with a surprise when the sun goes down ("Pitch-Black). Riddick as always is a tough guy whose character you will like and want to see him in more movies. The choice of characters was very good. You develop distinct feelings towards each one and the writers did not let those emotions go to waste. Excellent cinematography. You will be on the edge of your seat waiting for the boogey men!

Director's log.......2007-05-02

(Pitch Black) is an unrated movie about transporting forty passengers and one Furian murderer. The ship gets caught in a meteor shower, kills the captain. The ship crashes on a baren desert planet. Soon the as lights go off, the only one they can trust is the murderer,because he's the only one who can see in the dark so I hope you're not afraid of the dark.

Great movie even better on HD-DVD.......2007-03-24

The extras are sparse, but the transfer really shows how much better HD-DVD looks over DVD. I have both and side to side you can see the lifelike coloring of the flashlights in the dark, details are clear. The movie is one of my wife's favorites and one of Diesels best.

The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Full Screen Unrated Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

ANOTHER REASON TO BE SCARED OF THE DARK!!!
amazing movie
Excellent Movie
Director's log
Great movie even better on HD-DVD

The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Full Screen Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Vin Diesel , Radha Mitchell , Cole Hauser , Keith David , and Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Director: David Twohy
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001O3YEE
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

ANOTHER REASON TO BE SCARED OF THE DARK!!!.......2007-09-04

amazing movie.......2007-07-25

pitch black makes you love the bad guy and want the "good guys" to die. not many movies can do that. pure badassery...

Excellent Movie.......2007-07-07

Director's log.......2007-05-02

Great movie even better on HD-DVD.......2007-03-24

The Chronicles of Riddick (Theatrical Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!
A Late Review For One of My Favorites
RIDDICK
Riddickulous
What a painful movie

The Chronicles of Riddick (Theatrical Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Vin Diesel , Colm Feore , Thandie Newton , Judi Dench , and Karl Urban
Director: David Twohy
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002VEUTY
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Customer Reviews:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!.......2007-09-07

A Late Review For One of My Favorites.......2007-08-24

RIDDICK.......2007-08-19

Riddickulous.......2007-08-13

What a painful movie.......2007-07-23

The Chronicles of Riddick (Theatrical Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!
A Late Review For One of My Favorites
RIDDICK
Riddickulous
What a painful movie

The Chronicles of Riddick (Theatrical Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Vin Diesel , Colm Feore , Thandie Newton , Judi Dench , and Karl Urban
Director: David Twohy
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002VEUTO
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Customer Reviews:

RIDDICK RETURNS BETTER THAN BEFORE!!!.......2007-09-07

A Late Review For One of My Favorites.......2007-08-24

RIDDICK.......2007-08-19

Riddickulous.......2007-08-13

What a painful movie.......2007-07-23

The Chronicles of Riddick (Unrated) (UMD Mini For PSP)

Average customer rating:

Decent sci-fi flick, better as a Director's Cut
Mediocre Mediocre Mediocre
A Mediocre Sci-Fi Epic
I'm not afraid of the dark -- just this sequel.
The Best Version So Far

The Chronicles of Riddick (Unrated) (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Nick Chinlund , Robert Daly , Keith David , Judi Dench , and Colm Feore
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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Product Features:

Vin Diesel (XXX, The Fast and the Furious) stars in this electrifying special-effects-fueled action spectacular! After years of outrunning ruthless bounty hunters, escaped convict Riddick suddenly finds himself caught between opposing forces in a fight for the future of the human race. Now, waging incredible battles on fantastic and deadly worlds, this lone, reluctant hero will emerge as humanity

ASIN: B0009NJFP4
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Amazon.com

Bigger isn't always better, but for anyone who enjoyed Pitch Black, a nominal sequel like The Chronicles of Riddick should prove adequately entertaining. Writer-director David Twohy returns with expansive sets, detailed costumes, an army of CGI effects artists, and the star he helped launch--Vin Diesel--bearing his franchise burden quite nicely as he reprises his title role. The Furian renegade Riddick has another bounty on his head, but when he escapes from his mercenary captors, he's plunged into an epic-scale war waged by the Necromongers. A fascist master race led by Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), they're determined to conquer all enemies in their quest for the Underverse, the appeal of which is largely unexplained (since Twohy is presumably reserving details for subsequent "chronicles"). With tissue-thin plotting, scant character development, and skimpy roles that waste the talents of Thandie Newton (as a Necromonger conspirator) and Judi Dench (as a wispy "Elemental" priestess), Twohy's back in the B-movie territory he started in (with The Arrival), brought to vivid life on a vast digital landscape with the conceptual allure of a lavish graphic novel. But does Riddick have leadership skills on his resumé? To get an answer to that question, sci-fi fans will welcome another sequel. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Decent sci-fi flick, better as a Director's Cut.......2005-07-27

Just a quick review here to offset the previous review.

Chronicles of Riddick is campy, plain and simple. I can see where some people would be put off by that. Its a space opera, not unlike the novels of David Weber or William Dietz. One man faces terrifying odds to fix what's wrong with the universe. Its improbable and sometimes illogical, but its entertaining and goes places that most made-for-the-screen sci-fi simply won't go.

Its a shame that "Riddick" flopped at the box office. This is, by far, Vin Diesel's best character. He was born to play Riddick. And Twohy is a great action/spook film director (check out "Below" to see what I'm talking about).

This **could** have been a wonderful series of films. If you've seen this through to the end, you know what I'm talking about. That ending yielded many possibilities.

"Riddick" is not without its flaws. The pacing of the Director's Cut is a little uneven, but not ponderous. You get much more backstory than the theatrical release. Karl Urban is in total camp mode (his haircut is simply criminal). You gotta wonder what drew Judi Dench to this project. She gives more grace to her underwritten role than it deserves, although I suspect her character would've been expanded had "Riddick" yielded a sequal. Thandie Newton, doing her best Lady MacBeth impression, is just terrible. Her scenes with Dench are a study in opposites. Colm Feore is somewhat menacing, but why do I keep remembering him from "Chicago" while watching this movie? And Nick Chinlund is always good for a laugh.

For all of its flaws, "Riddick" is a fun, imaginative space romp. I'd love to see more like it, but the audience just isn't there. Maybe Diesel will further expand this alternate universe like he did in his company's exceptional video game, "Escape from Butcher Bay".

Mediocre Mediocre Mediocre.......2005-07-08

This fil is as I say Mediocre if you like Vin Diesal buy this DVD. if you like Action buy this DVD if you like Entertainment

DONT BUY IT!!!

A Mediocre Sci-Fi Epic.......2005-02-19

Vin Diesel returns as the character Riddick introduced in the earlier sci-fi film "Pitch Black". The film is grand in terms of concept and special effects, but its script and direction is less than stellar.

Unfortunately, Riddick's character is one-dimensional: there's no change or revelation in his character which is the basis for solving any sort of mystery or riddle. This is the typical theme structure of an epic narrative/movie. The film's epic status attempts are evident in the plot structure. Our hero is an outcast or in the shadows; people come to him as their last hope to save the world; he has to face an unknown threat alone; he overcomes the threat because of some revelation/transformation and becomes a changed man. The film's plot fails to carry such a theme because Riddick doesn't change as a character and doesn't really seem to be challenged too much. The film actually follows more a comic-book structure where the protagonist is simply an out-of-the-box perfect superhero who goes into a grand finale with an arch-villain and wins.

In short, the film has an interesting story line and great special effects but fails to live up to its potential. The plot is weak and supports only an incomplete theme that's based on a one-dimensional character.

I'm not afraid of the dark -- just this sequel........2004-12-16

You know, when you hear they're making a sequel to a movie like Pitch Black (which I loved), your first reaction is, "Cool!" and then you think, "I hope they don't screw it up." Well, they screwed it up.

"Pitch Black" had a simple plot, believable characters, and an element of tension that never let up. This movie had cool costumes, nice scenery, a simple plot made needlessly confusing in an effort to be "important," one-dimensional, stereotypical characters and really, really bad names for things. And Vin Diesel, of course.

Once again, he's our anti-hero Riddick, pursued by bounty hunters then enlisted to take on the evil invading "Necromongers." The Necromongers capture him, realize he's dangerous and, naturally, have to take him into the heart of their flagship to have a closer look. Yeah, that's what I'd do with a dangerous enemy if I were a one-dimensional comic book villain. Not.

They have to bring him into their ship to be examined by some kind of giant beetle-like creatures whose purpose is never explained and which you barely get a clear look at (because when you can see them clearly, they probably look a lot like big fake rubbery giant beetles). The bugs declare Riddick dangerous indeed and, since they can communicate in that annoying hissy echo-whisper voice the movies use to indicate that evil creatures are speaking telepathically, they insist that he must be destroyed!

But, before that edict can be carried out, Riddick somehow escapes and gets whisked away by the bounty hunters again. This time, they take him to the prison world "Crematoria" for the sole purpose of having him get sweaty during some "Pitch Black" style cross-country racing against time. (This was the best part of the movie, by the way. Too bad about the other 9 hours worth of misery.) Only this time, the enemy is the sun. Seems the planet's surface heats up to 700 degrees in the daylight, immolating anyone who doesn't happen to be standing in the shade or just inside the mouth of a cave. Apparently, convection doesn't work on this planet.

Finally, Riddick has to get back for his eventual showdown with the bad guys. I won't tell you how that turns out because you'll need a reason to stay awake once the interesting bits on "Crematoria" are over with. That and the fascinating action sequences where the camera wobbles around and everything gets blurry so you have to really pay attention to tell what's going on. Man I loved those.

I could complain more (about the campy-vampy ambitious chick, for example, or Judy Dench's weird character who seemed to be there only to add the illusion of class to the film), but I've already wasted enough time on this movie. I'm going to watch "Pitch Black" again to remind myself how much I really liked it, and try to forget I ever saw this mess.

The Best Version So Far.......2004-11-05

The director's cut for Chronicles of Riddick truly fleshes out the characters and add more depth to the plot. It full of large and minor changes including dialogue and scene replacements. Overall, this Director's Cut adds at least 15+ minutes of extra footage. I feel this version works best compared to the thin plot the theatrical version has to offer. The show is somehow darker now and Riddick seems cooler and more mysterious like he did in the first movie. I was also happy they reinstated scenes showing Riddick's 'special power' and some unrated action. This should have been the version that released in the cinemas but instead they go for a more action oriented version with a PG rating. This IS the best sci-fi film 2004 has to offer. I highly recommend this Director's Cut DVD to any movie fans out there.

Average customer rating:

2 great movies!

Serenity/The Chronicles of Riddick
Starring: Vin Diesel , Colm Feore , Thandie Newton , Judi Dench , and Karl Urban
Director: David Twohy , and Joss Whedon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000E6TW68
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Customer Reviews:

2 great movies!.......2006-05-16

The 2-in-1 cd pack includes Chronicles of Riddick and Serenity.

Chronicles of Riddick, the sequel to Pitchblack, is a Sci-Fi movie with a Mad Max feel. It is very different movie from the original, Riddick is of course, still Riddick: hard-edged and full of attitude. Chronicles Of Riddick takes place after Riddick's escape from the planet where Pitch Black takes place. It starts with his recapture after being in hiding for many years and propels us intot the futuristic universe of the story where a large sect of religious fanatics called Necromongers are taking over, moving from planet to planet, converting the willing to their faith and killing those who will not convert.

Necromongers are borg-like half-machine half-man beings from many different original planets. Unlike Borgs, they retain their individuality when they are converted. Riddick gets caught up with the Necromongers after he is taken to the prison planet of Crematoria. Crematoria is a sort of reverse to the world of Pitch Black. Here daylight, not nightfall, is the killer. Overall, this is a great movie for action fans.

In Serenity, Joss Whedon expands the Firefly Universe in the same way that his brilliantly unique series pushed the boundries of Television and Movies. This is a good sci-fi flick set in a world ruled by the "Alliance" (think the Imperials from Star Wars). The plot was well constructed, with a progressing storyline and characters who became more developed as the movie continued.

The crew of Serenity, also the name of their ship, are an eccentric mix of people including war veterans, a priest, a mercenary, a pilot, a mechanic, and a doctor and his strange sister who is being who are both wanted by the Alliance. When the crew learns of a secret Alliance project, they feel there is only one right thing to do, and at any cost. The genius that is Joss Whedon, created a thouroghly enjoyable movie that is watchable whether you are familiar with the show that spawned it or not.

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