Review of The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) by Adrianna M — 04 Sep 2009

Absolutely enjoyable. I never realised Judi Dench did any sci-fi, but how delightful is she as the narrator! Just hearing her voice leaves me begging for more. Costume design, sets - all wonderful. I don't fancy myself a great judge of science fiction genre, but as far as the invention of fascinating, new worlds goes, I am hooked. My lack of familiarity with Pitch Black allows me to avoid the prequel syndrome, and I welcome this opportunity to shamelessly enjoy the backstory of a well-known and loved character with arms wide open. Vin Diesel is exceptionally good in this movie, but it is still the character of Vaako that I find most compelling. At first I thought his haircut was rather riddickulous, but it grew on me, as did Karl Urban's tense yet spare characterisation.

All of which leaves me wondering - if this film was slaughtered by critics five years ago, which direction is Hollywood going now? I don't know if it's just my memory playing tricks on me, but it seemed the first half of the first decade of the noughties wasn't nearly as abundant in silly summer comedy flicks as this half of the decade is. That is some material for a rant, and I can see people giving Riddick a 10/10 in the future if certain executives don't get a grip. I'm not the one against light entertainment, but things seem, to me, a little out of proportion just now, and quite literally so - too much entertainment, too little quality. I dare not accuse Riddick of being an example of just that - an underlying warning about the dangers of religious extremism and lust for power suffices for a message in my books.