Reprising his role in Riddick, the third instalment of the franchise, is Vin Diesel, who looks like he hasn’t aged since the first film came out over a decade ago. Like the previous film, The Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick was written and directed David Twohy, and it continues where it left off. However, it does not build upon the previous two films in either plot or thrills, and in the end it has nothing new to offer to fans of the franchise or action films more generally.
At the end of The Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick had assumed power as the new Lord Marshall of the Necromongers, an alien race intent on conquering planets one-by-one. Five years later, however, he has still refused to swear the Necromonger oath. Instead, he longs to find his home world, Furya, and after being betrayed by his crew he is left for dead on an unknown desert planet with vast wastelands roamed by a oversized vultures, hyena-like beasts, and something else far more dangerous.
Being the ever resourceful badass Riddick manages to survive. However, he needs a way off the planet. He eventually finds an abandoned outpost, where he sets off the emergency beacon and broadcasts his identity as a man with a hefty bounty still on his head. Two separate mercenary crews arrive on the scene: the first, led by Santana (Jordi Mollà), want to see Riddick’s head in a box, whilst Boss Johns (Matt Nable) has more personal reasons for seeking out Riddick. What follows is a drawn out game of cat-and-mouse, with Riddick eluding capture whilst trying to secure one of their ships.
Riddick offers very few surprises for audiences because Twohy does not use the film to develop the franchise in any new direction, instead setting up for what will likely be yet another sequel. The action scenes were more thrilling in Pitch Black, and the plot was developed further in The Chronicles of Riddick. Instead, Riddick feels more like a backwards step. It plays out like one lengthy, protracted escape scene, complete with predictable set-ups and dialogue. There are also the sporadically successful requisite attempts at humour, with Molla deserving most of the laughs and Diesel showing us yet another creative way to kill someone. Ultimately, however, Riddick is another mediocre action film which is forgettable on most fronts.
Riddick is in Australian cinemas from 12 September through Roadshow Films.
