Monday, September 23, 2013

Movie Review ... Riddick

 

riddick-poster1Good things apparently come in threes.  Movie trilogies are highly sought after.  Nothing says ‘success’ than an on-going franchise with several lasting the distance.  But for every ‘Men in Black 3’ there’s a ‘Godfather Part 3’ with the money-spinning aims not always hitting the target.  ‘Riddick’ generally avoids this as it adheres to the qualities making its first entry so memorable.  Having a more compelling story than its first sequel, the Riddick’ series returns with a spring in its action-packed step.

Abandoned on a desolate planet, wanted criminal Riddick (Vin Diesel) yearns to return home.  In between surviving on a harsh terrain he seeks a way out.  This he finds at an outpost where he sends an emergency signal.  What he thinks is help arriving turns out to be two ships full of bounty hunters.  Among them are Santana (Jordi Molla) and Boss Johns (Matt Nable) who are determined to obtain the price on his head.  With the hunter becoming the hunted Riddick sets out to eradicate his enemies with ferocious zeal.

‘Riddick’ goes for a ‘back to basics’ approach discarding its predecessor’s complexity.  It’s a straight down the line action flick unapologetic in its aims.  It mostly works with Diesel conveying some genuine conflicted emotions in his anti-heroic character.  ‘Riddick’ is certainly not an acting piece but it at least makes a good attempt in making the protagonists appear three dimensional.  Even the so-called villains may not be what they seem with some surprises arising.

David Twohy’s direction generally keeps events moving. Whilst occasionally slow, the narrative picks up once the bounty hunters arrive.  A little more explanation in how Riddick came to be in his predicament would have helped but overall ‘Riddick’s has a solid story.  The CGI is suitably eye-popping which is amazing given ‘Riddick’s small budget.  Using a dash of ‘Alien’ and ‘Bladerunner’, the production team ensure the money is shown on screen with the action scenes their major and excitement calling card.

‘Riddick’ is a great improvement on the last film.  Tense and fast moving it cements Diesel’s place among the action heroes he has tried hard to emulate.

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Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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1 comment:

  1. Had a fun time with this movie, even if it was very dumb. Nice review Graham.

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