The Chronicles of Riddick

David Twohy does an outstanding job with this big-budget production – the film is visually captivating, the camerawork is excellent and the compositions are worked out in detail. It’s obvious that it cost a lot to make this movie. However, the characters and the story are not up to par. The simplicity and clichéd nature of the plot evoke comparisons to Soldier rather than Pitch Black. (09/08/2004)

Instead of the lightness of Pitch Black, there is a heavy pompous spectacle without a shred of vision. I wouldn't have minded the inspiration from Star Wars or Dune if they had at least worked a little more on the script. Some of the lines that came out of the actors' mouths were ear-splitting. I have nothing against the mythology, but Twohy's is pretty uninteresting, if he'd thrown it out (subversion and other such kidz) and just left Riddick and his escapades in the galaxy, he would have done better. It’s a real shame that Twohy was unable to keep the level of Pitch Black. There is power in simplicity. I doubt there will be a third installment, worldwide box office returns were very poor and the film didn't even half pay for itself. (01/19/2005)

I can't shake the impression that a lot of money has obscured the minds of both Twohy and the screenwriters (especially the screenwriter). The Chronicles of Riddick is a film pressured by the desire to create Star Wars mythology, but as a result the only thing that remains is a cheap pomp of effects and a damn sparse and worn-out idea with the destroyers of worlds, led by a very poorly coordinated "Lord Leader" (the Czech translation is both good and bad). David N. Twohy failed to maintain the directorial invention of Pitch Black and is literally drowning in visual gluttony. The film is sometimes confusing and messy, as if it has epilepsy. Certain dialogues are far beyond B-movie debility, which the first Riddick did not include. The atmosphere is, let's say, coldly academic, the tension not very strong. Nevertheless, this sci-fi is watchable. It runs on quality Diesel. The new American hero could no longer maintain the great moral ruggedness (the script did not give him the chance to), but he is still rough as quartz and has typically sharp humor. Everything is at its best on the planet Crematoria, where one almost wonders why they didn’t just stay with this imaginative variation on Pitch Black. However, after dealing with all the nonsense and the lack of originality of the main "epic" line, The Chronicles of Riddick is a decent film that is easy to watch. Yet compared to Riddick's first adventure, it is a mere "almost-successful" attempt. But what I cannot forgive the film for is that Riddick will probably remain a "man on the throne" forever. The handcuffs suited him better... (10/13/2006)

Excellent Diesel, some decent ideas and a few solid scenes. Against that, an obvious attempt at a grand Star Wars-style saga, which the filmmakers failed badly. Especially the attempts to create a mythology of the universe are at times downright embarrassing; they unnecessarily relegate the film to the rank of guilty pleasure. (08/07/2004)

I have only seen the first 13 minutes so far of Pitch Black, the film that The Chronicles of Riddick emerged from, after which I had to retreat to a small room for a long time due to certain urgent reasons, where everyone goes alone... Nevertheless, the beginning confirmed my belief that it was a typical B-movie with a very low budget. Thanks to its commercial success, however, the production studio decided to pour in some dollars and planned to shoot several sequels. However, the reception of The Chronicles of Riddick by the fans was very cold and the film became a painful flop, which probably meant the end for any potential future installments. The budget is noticeable in the film, the special effects shots are comparable to successful sci-fi films of recent years, the colors are compositionally coordinated, and Vin Diesel delivers his rough catchphrases, but... It is filmed without personal passion, the script is uneven, the characters are mostly flat and their potential is wasted. Moreover, purely personally, I am not fond of these fantasies with pompous mythology that disguise themselves as sci-fi. Overall impression: 50%. (12/31/2007)

From average sci-fi, it became a classic American blockbuster with dodgy mythology, packed with visual effects literally in every second, though it doesn't feel so cluttered, unlike Van Helsing, for example. Vin Diesel may have charisma, but that is not enough for a better rating. Also, the action is almost always a sequence of confusingly edited shots without a hint of taste or visual sensitivity. (08/30/2004)

Space fighters swoop in and then an aerial dogfight over the city rooftops. The destruction of entire planets. The murder of an entire airliner by one man using only two knives. An underground prison on a planet that's about to be hit by a wave of fire. Assholes versus bastards. Killing with a soup mug. Hellhounds. A shootout in a post-industrial setting. The hero's escape from the crash of a giant transport ship. An all-conquering race. A contest for the best killer. Blades on boots. Vin Diesel... (08/12/2004)