[By Nic Lindh on Saturday, 19 June 2004]
The Chronicles of Riddick is one of those frustrating movies that doesn’t know what it wants to be: Am I a space epic, a dark tale, a popcorn movie, or a swashbuckler? In the end it tries to be everything to everyone and falls flat on its face.
Which is really too bad, because it could have been an excellent movie if it had possessed more artistic vision and less kowtowing to 15-year-olds.
On the plus side, some of the visuals are very good, especially the architecture of the Necromongers, which is so oppressive and bleak it puts an East Bloc apartment complex to shame. The acting is good enough for this kind of movie, and Diesel has some pretty good if over-the-top one-liners.
On the downside, as mentioned, the movie doesn’t know what it wants to be, and it also suffers from incredibly epileptic editing. In most fight sequences, you know some ass is being kicked, but you really don’t know how.
Definitely one to catch on HBO some night when you have nothing better to do.