Review of Riddick (2013) by Tyler R — 08 Jul 2014
It's been almost ten years since Riddick was on the big screen. And the last time he was, it wasn't anything to write home about. The Chronicles of Riddick focused a lot on universe building, but sacrificed the tense, gritty, survival horror that made the first one a fun flick.
Flash forward nine years and we literally have a film that goes back to its roots. Riddick gives us a beaten and betrayed Riddick as he tries to get off a desolate planet while surviving bounty hunters, the law, and vicious creatures.
Right from the get go, this film makes it clear what type it wants to be: Survival. We're given a beaten and vulnerable Riddick. That being said, it sure doesn't take long for the bullets and blood to fly.
Once the action kicks in, it's a mixed bag. The lower budget becomes extremely noticeable. Some of the visual effects are impressive, but some of them are bad. Almost Syfy bad. But the film never tries to hide them, which is a good thing, because it also never takes itself seriously.
Speaking of not taking things seriously, the acting is cheesy, and painfully so. Everyone outside of Vin Diesel plays it up like a comedy, and in comes Diesel to ground it, only adding the slight bit of cheese to keep things from getting too serious.
By the time it ends, a sequel is set up, the audience and fans are satisfied, and 100 minutes was put to good use. Not a bad return.
This review of Riddick (2013) was written by Tyler R on 08 Jul 2014.
Riddick has generally received mixed reviews.
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