Riddick: A Lone Wolf’s Struggle for Survival
Betrayed by his own subjects, whom he had acquired at the end of “The Chronicles of Riddick,” the galactic criminal Richard Riddick (Vin Diesel) is forced to survive alone on an uninhabited, semi-desert planet. When he discovers an abandoned interplanetary beacon, he activates it, summoning bounty hunters. They believe Riddick will be easy prey, enticed by the massive reward for his capture. However, the protagonist hopes to seize one of the mercenaries’ ships and escape to search for his home planet, Furya.
During the casting of “Riddick,” Vin Diesel was so busy with other projects that Katee Sackhoff had to attend her final audition at midnight at the actor’s home.
From Unexpected Hit to Revived Franchise
The modestly budgeted sci-fi horror-action film “Pitch Black” was one of the “sleeper hits” of 2000. The film doubled the investors’ expenses, catapulted Vin Diesel to action-star status, and inspired Universal Studios to invest in a large-scale space saga about Diesel’s character, “The Chronicles of Riddick.” However, the new film was not a hit, and Riddick only appeared in video games afterward. Then, Vin Diesel, as both actor and producer, revived the fading “Fast & Furious” film cycle and used his newfound influence to create a third film about the dark-seeing, ruthless but fair criminal. Unlike “The Chronicles,” “Riddick” was filmed with a modest $40 million budget, resulting in a gritty, R-rated production rather than a “soft” PG-13 film. Hello, moderate nudity (Katee Sackhoff fans, rejoice!) and bloody murders!
The film was shot entirely in pavilions. The director had planned to film on location in Canada, but due to production delays, filming began in winter, and there was no snow in the script.
A Trilogy Within a Single Film
In essence, “Riddick” is three films in one. The film begins as a space-based Robinsonade, where the protagonist settles on an unfamiliar planet, battles its monsters hand-to-hand, and even acquires a “dog.” Then, mercenaries appear, and the film transforms into a slasher, where Riddick engages in psychological games with the bounty hunters, killing them one by one as he tries to reach the power blocks locked in a safe – the ignition keys for the spaceships. Finally, the finale of “Riddick” is an imitation of “Aliens” and “Pitch Black,” where the protagonist and the surviving mercenaries join forces to fight off the poisonous scorpion-like monsters that have flooded the planet (these creatures live in the mud and only come to the surface during the rainy season) and escape to civilized worlds.
Missed Potential
The film’s plot diversity and its atmosphere of dark space adventure could have made “Riddick” an undisputed hit if a more talented person than director and screenwriter David Twohy had worked on it. Unfortunately, the author, who began his career with the scripts for “Critters 2” and “Warlock,” has always been a second-rate Hollywood figure, capable of constructing an entertaining narrative but unable to turn it into a genre masterpiece. This is evident in “Riddick.” On the one hand, there are successful script ideas, the charisma of the stars, and the impressive masculinity of the protagonist, who performs surgery on himself without anesthesia, turns a barely familiar planet into a giant trap, and doesn’t lose his composure even when someone tries to cut off his head. On the other hand, there are not always convincing computer effects, insufficiently colorful supporting characters, banal lines instead of bright phrases, weak staging of some fights, and the absence of a final epic battle in the spirit of the fight with the Queen in “Aliens”… And a measured, sometimes even peaceful action instead of the constant build-up of tension that the laws of the genre require.
Final Thoughts
The latter is especially unfortunate because drive could have hidden many of “Riddick’s” flaws, at least during the first viewing, when viewers form their opinion of the film. Twohy allows the audience to peer and ponder what is happening on the screen, and the film suffers from this, especially compared to the more intense “Pitch Black,” whose success the director and producer tried to repeat. However, fans of space fantasy these days don’t have much to choose from. Although this genre is now gaining momentum (we are waiting for “Ender’s Game” in October!), harsh and emphatically masculine space films like “Riddick” are still rare. So, if you are interested in the genre, it is worth watching the film. The main thing is not to expect too much. The less you expect from the film, the more enjoyment you will get.