Film review: Riddick (5 out of 10)

There’s a few months before we hit Christmas but I’ve already endured a couple of turkeys!
Vin Diesel is RiddickVin Diesel is Riddick
Vin Diesel is Riddick

I thought last week’s You’re Next was particularly low-key (although I noticed other reviewers waxed lyrically about it) and Riddick is also disappointing.

This is the third in the Riddick franchise and sadly probably the least interesting.

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Director and writer David Twohy created the main character back in 2000 in Pitch Black, an innovative, fairly low budget and exciting sci-fi horror with Vin Diesel in the lead.

Vin Diesel is RiddickVin Diesel is Riddick
Vin Diesel is Riddick

Its success led to lots of money being thrown at the 2004 The Chronicles of Riddick which had its moments but lost the magic and intensity of the original.

So here we are with the third effort which attempts to mix elements of the first two movies.

The films just about follow on from each other and Riddick (still Vin Diesel) has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet full of unpleasant predators.

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We watch as he struggles to live on this desolate place, even making friends with a cute dog-like creature.

However, once he is fully fit he looks for a way off the planet and activates an emergency beacon which brings two spacecraft - one full of mercenaries and one that includes a man linked to Riddick’s past.

The film only starts to get interesting when Diesel’s character attempts to get to one of the ships and head for freedom. Of course, the planet’s inhabitants have their say as well.

Among the other humans are some interesting actors, including Katee Sackhoff (best known for a strong role in the TV series Battlestar Galactica), former Rugby League player Matt Nable, actor, director, painter and writer Jordi Molla and wrestler Dave Bautista.

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To be fair they all act tough and swear a lot as you’d expect. But to be honest I wouldn’t have been too bothered if the whole lot had ended up as alien dinner.

There’s been all sorts of Riddick spin-offs so there’s likely to be another movie. However, it’s unlikely the magic of the first film will be captured again.

Film details: Riddick (15) 119mins

Director: David Twohy

Starring: Vin Diesel, Jordi Molla, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff

Screening courtesy of Cineworld Crawley