Review of The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004) by Edward B — 04 Sep 2013

The premise of Dark Fury is the most intriguing of the entire "Chronicles of Riddick" franchise. Narrowly escaping the creature-infested planet, the escape shuttle carrying Riddick, Jack, and Imam is abducted by a larger merc (slang for mercenary) vessel. Here, Riddick is pitted against a psychotic captain who collects the most evil of criminals, freezing them in a strange form of cryosleep that keeps them awake.

Peter Chung of Aeon Flux and The Animatrix fame has crafted a great concept here, with lavish visuals and cool looking animation. Add to that the voices of Vin Diesel, Keith David, and Riana Griffith and it's a shame that Dark Fury isn't a full length feature, or that the entire franchise wasn't animated. Where Dark Fury stumbles is in its lost potential. There are moments here that could have been extended to develop not only Riddick's character but his relationship with Jack and Imam. Not to mention the introduction of Toombs is severely underused. This is due to the short running time. There is enough fighting, an episodic conflict, and a quick resolution to hold interest. But this could have been a great feature length film as opposed to an enjoyable yet underdeveloped and forgettable tie-in between Pitch Black and its sequel.