THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (2004)

MORGAN'S RATING

Vin Diesel reprises his star-making "Pitch Black" role of enigmatic anti-hero Richard B. Riddick in the new science fiction action-adventure epic, The Chronicles of Riddick. Riddick has spent the last five years on the move among the forgotten worlds of the outskirts of the galaxy, eluding mercenaries bent on collecting the price on his head. Now, the fugitive finds himself on planet Helion, home to a progressive multicultural society, which has been invaded by the Lord Necromongers. Exiled to a subterranean prison where extremes of temperature range from arctic nights to volcanic days, Riddick encounters Kyra, the lone survivor from an earlier chapter in his life. His efforts to free himself and Kyra lead him to the Necromonger command ship, where he is pitted against the Lord Marshal in an apocalyptic battle with possibly the fate of all beings-both living and dead- hanging in the balance.

Vin Diesel (Riddick), Colm Feore (Lord Marshal), Thandie Newton (Dame Vaako), Judi Dench (Aereon), Karl Urban (Vaako), Alexa Davalos (Kyra), Linus Roache (Purifier), Yorick van Wageningen (The Guv), Nick Chinlund (Toombs), Keith David (Imam), Mark Gibbon (Irgun), Roger R. Cross (Toal), Terry Chen (Merc Pilot), Christina Cox (Eve Logan), Nigel Vonas, Shawn Reis, Fabian Gujral, Ty Olsson (Mercs), Peter Williams, Darcy Laurie, John Mann, Adrien Dorval (Convicts), Alexander Kalugin (Slam Boss), Douglas Arthurs, Vitaly Kravchenko, Ron Selmour, Raoul Ganeev, Mark Acheson, Shohand Felber, Ben Cotton (Slam Guards), Kimberly Hawthorne (Lajjun), Alexis Llewellyn (Ziza), Charles Zuckerman (Scales), Andy Thompson (Scalp Taker),

ALL THE POWER IN THE UNIVERSE CAN'T CHANGE DESTINY!

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: David Twohy (Pitch Black). WRITERS: David Twohy, and based on the characters created by Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat.  PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel and Scott Kroopf. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ted Field, David Womark and George Zakk. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Graeme Revell. DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures.

QUOTES

Vaako: I am first and will always be a Necromonger commander. If you've come here to test my loyalty, you've succeeded only in testing my patience.

FACTS

Lord Marshal: It's been a long time since I've seen my own blood.

RELEASE DATE: June 11th, 2004 (USA) DVD RELEASE DATE: November 16th, 2004 (USA) BOX OFFICE OPENING: $24.2 million (USA) BOX OFFICE RESULT: $57.6 million* (USA) BUDGET: $105 million (USA) SHOOTING DATES: June 2003 -- October 2003 - Judi Dench's dress was made from crushed Swarovski crystal. - The film was shipped to theaters under the name "D Shoes". - Vin Diesel, hot off the success of The Fast and the Furious (2001) recieved a cool $11 million for this sequel. - According to the Newcastle (Australia) Herald, Australian Rhiana Griffith audtioned to reprise her role of "Jack" from Pitch Black (2000) (renamed Kyra for this film). It came down to top-level auditions. Vin Diesel was behind Griffith but told her she had to "toughen up". Griffith got a trainer and learned kickboxing but only had three weeks to prepare for auditions. Alexa Davalos got the role. Griffith did give her voice to the video game based on this film, which is intended to bridge the years between PB and Chronicles. For those worried Griffith wasn't chosen because she wasn't pretty enough (she was cast to be mistaken for a boy in PB), Griffith has done some runway modeling and is a successful actress and artist. - Vin Diesel wanted Judi Dench to play Aereon, and went to great lengths to get her. A long-time fan of Dench, he had her dressing room filled with bouquets of flowers, and also advised her that they could not begin casting the movie until she agreed to accept the role.

Riddick: It's been a long time since I smelled beautiful. Vaako: Let me show you the way.

Riddick: You know your favorite game? Kyra: Who's the Best Killer? Riddick: Let's play.

Riddick: You made three mistakes, first you took the job. Second you traveled light, only a four man crew for me, fucking insulting. But most of all...empty gun rack.

Kyra: Death by tea cup...why didn't I think of that?

Riddick: [about the universe] It had to end sometime.

Lord Marshal: [to Riddick] Convert now...or fall forever.

CRITICAL COMMENTS

"Whereas Pitch Black served up witty, elegant suspense, the new one is dull, blunt gun-and-run." -- Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Essentially a long winded excuse for action sequences and Diesel making menacing faces, mostly over his left shoulder." -- John Anderson, Newsday

"Although The Chronicles of Riddick offers its share of solidly entertaining moments, it doesn't hold together as a single, coherent motion picture experience." -- James Berardinelli, Reel Views

"Despite a few goofily entertaining moments that are so over the top they are instant camp, the movie suggests that the hero's name derives from 'ridiculous.'" --  Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

"A hodgepodge of Lord of the Rings, Starship Troopers, and the more recent Star Wars films." -- Ty Burr, Boston Globe

"A big, cheesy sci-fi flick tailor-made for young male audience looking for things that go boom." -- Paul Clinton, CNN