"There’s tension, thrills, excitement and the muscle-power of Diesel, and for many that may be enough." Louise Keller URBANCINEFILE "A virtuoso exercise in world creation, a plot-heavy epic that's like a breath of fresh air in a time when movie stars and high concepts pass for science-fiction." Eugene Novikov FILM BLATHER "He's the ultimate badass with the ultimate chip on his shoulder and I couldn't get enough of him." JoBlo JOBLO'S MOVIE EMPORIUM "A crackerjack B-movie sci-fi adventure." Chauncey Mabe SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL "Good, dirty fun" Eric Lurio GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE

"The Chronicles of Riddick is many things, but it's never dull." Bill Muller ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Aside from a sticky clunky beginning, in which the audience must be taught the rules of this sci-fi adventure, the film shows great discipline in pace and intensity." Ross Anthony HOLLYWOOD REPORT CARD "...fans won't be disappointed by this big-budget sci-fi opera." Guylaine Cadorette HOLLYWOOD.COM "An enjoyably pulpy sci-fi saga that has rough patches." Gary Dowell DALLAS MORNING NEWS "The Chronicles of Riddick may not be a fully intentional success. But it travels in uncharted waters, and it's a garish, nutty, virtuoso entertainment just the same." Jake Euker F5 WICHITA KANSAS

At A Glance

"The title gives us a clue to the filmmakers’ aspirations: ‘chronicles’ are more than just a story. There’s grandeur to chronicles, something worth savouring, something written in a larger font. Certainly the production designer has taken this notion to heart, crowding the frames with a combination of old world Earthy elements (from rustic – and rusty - industrial to Middle Eastern) and futurism by way of weapon design." Andrew L Urban URBANCINEFILE

Is it really five years since Vin Diesel starred in the sci-fi thriller ""Pitch Black""? My how time flies when you're having fun. Of course many will quickly point out that they didn't find "Pitch Black" fun at all, noting that they place "Pitch Black" in the same league of failures as "Pluto Nash" and "Battlefield Earth" when it comes to space flops. Those cinema-goers who grimmaced, squirmed, fidgetted or dozed their way through "Pitch Black" would certainly be doing themselves a big favour by avoiding Pitch Black's sequel "The Chronicles of Riddick", which once again sees Vin Diesel in the role of Richard B Riddick, space fugitive. From it's opening scenes on a frozen planet where Riddick has been hiding out for the last five years; to starry galaxies; the searing heat of Crematoria and those spectacular special effects featuring the huge battleships of the Necromongers, there is a continuous visual feast for the senses. The fact that Richard B Riddick is a hero is welcome news to all the Richards out there, after all, the name Richard is usually associated with crooked accountants, murderers, CIA agents gone bad or they're the victims of heinous crimes. All the Richards in the world will breath a collect sigh of relief because at long last, someone with the name Richard is at long last a hero. And contrary to what many have written, Richard B Riddick is a pretty cool guy. He looks good. He doesn't waste money on clothes prefering to dress in that signature black singlet, cape and fitting strides. He says little, prefering to let his actions speak louder than words. He's not aligned to the left, the right, the centre or the left of, right of centre. Richard B Riddick is his own man. That's what scares many critics. Just as Arnold did in "Conan The Barbarian" by looking the part. Come-on, you know what I'm getting at. Look a hunk, oil up the biceps, tricepts and the veins, then say little and just beat the crap out of the bad guys. Sounds cool to me. Instant anti-hero?. No, because some people want more. They just don't get it. We're not dealing with loving compassionate humans here, we're dealing with Necromongers. Yes, Necromongers who really don't have a lot when it comes to negotiating skills. The only language they understand is kill or be killed. Now you can see why we need someone like Riddick. There's no room for pleasantries in this galaxy. Be honest, if the survival of the universe depended on one person, you'd have to go with a Richard B Riddick. It's painfully obvious. Alright, don't believe me. But, according to the man who plays him, "Riddick, who has been counted out, given up on, overlooked and misrepresented, winds up being the one you are praying succeeds in saving you and everyone else in the universe." How profound is that! Almost as stunning as the response the public give to the character of Riddick. "When we hit the road promoting the film, there were always huge crowds waiting," says executive producer George Zakk. "Riddick was an anti-hero that people just related to. They would say, 'This guy’s cool. He doesn’t play by the rules. He doesn’t give a damn about anybody or anything.' But by the end of the film, he’s no longer a 'bad guy.' There’s an ambiguity to Riddick that audiences respond to and find intriguing." An audience yes, but not critics. Especially when it comes to Riddick speak. Or lack of it. "It didn’t hurt that for the first half-hour of Pitch Black, Riddick doesn’t speak, which only heightened his charisma," director and writer David Twohy explained. "And when he does speak, he is selective with his words. In Pitch Black, Riddick evolved from a killer to an anti-hero, and he retains that anti-hero status at the beginning of the new movie. The Chronicles of Riddick is more about understanding who he really is, and that he is no small player in the universe. His loner status is over." And that's not the only changes for "The Chronicles Of Riddick" is far removed from what viewers in theatres and at home experienced. "We actually started to think about a second Riddick movie when we were in post-production on Pitch Black," Twohy recalls, "and I knew the trap that other sequels had fallen into, replaying the same thing over and over again. I said that the key to a sequel is not to do the expected. Don’t go back to the same planet, don’t meet the same creatures and don’t even let it be a creature movie. We actually changed genres from horror to science fiction action-adventure. We wanted a metamorphosis rather than a re-run." The metamorphosis is stunning thanks to spectacular special effects which drive the numerous locations which the 'chronicles' is set in. David Twohy says "he was also looking “to paint on a bigger canvas” with his screenplay for the continuation of Riddick’s adventures, "The Chronicles of Riddick". Boy has he pulled it off. "David’s script totally blew everyone away," recalls producer Scott Kroopf. "We all knew we had something pretty special. I think people were kind of expecting him to do just a bigger version of Pitch Black, but were excited that David went so far beyond that, dreaming up worlds and universes. The Chronicles of Riddick does relate the further adventures of Riddick, but it’s also an exploration of a whole world with extraordinary elements and a stand-alone story." And what if you didn't see the original film? "Pitch Black fans will certainly see things paid off in the new movie," says Kroopf, "but it’s not required that you’ve seen the first film, because the characters have their own introductions." Like Aereon, played by Dame Judi Dench. Diesel showered her London dressing room with flowers and flew there to watch her perform. Why? "I’ve wanted to work with Judi Dench forever," Diesel admitted. "She’s always been the immediate response to the question of who’s my favorite actor. It was very important for me to enroll her in this. She added credibility and set the stage to attract other fine actors to the film." Now some critics have posed the question "why and what is Judi Dench doing in this film"? Well here's the answer from the consumate, acclaimed actress who has starred on stage, screen and the 'tellie'. Dame Judi says she was "terribly flattered that somebody of Vin’s age wanted me to be in his picture." And went on to freely admit that she'd "never done a film like this and never one of this magnificent scale." Having seen "The Chronicles Of Riddick" I must agree with Dame Judi's assessment. Even if you don't like Vin Diesel, the granduer and scale of it all is worth seeing at least once. And, you may see more in "The Chronicles Of Riddick" than the so-called experts! Crew Bytes "The Chronicles Of Riddick" was .......
directed by David Twohy ["The Arrival", "Pitch Black" and "Below"]; screenplay by David Twohy ["Terminal Velocity", "Warlock", "Impostor", "Pitch Black" and "The Arrival"]; characters by Jim Wheat ["Silent Scream", "Lies", "The Return", "After Midnight" and "Pitch Black"] and Ken Wheat ["After Midnight", "A Nightmare On Elm Street 4", "The Fly II" and "Pitch Black"] costume design by Michael Dennison ["Oh, Heavenly Dog!" and "Mona Lisa Smile"] and Ellen Mirojnick ["Fatal Attraction", "Wall Street", "Black Rain", "Basic Instinct", "What Women Want", "America's Sweethearts" and "Unfaithful"]; production design by Holger Gross ["A Walk on the Moon", "Stargate", "Broken Arrow" and "Windtalkers"]; set decoration by Peter Lando ["The 6th Day", "D-Tox", "Insomnia" and "The Santa Clause 2"]; director of photography Hugh Johnson ["White Squall" and "G.I Jane"]; original music by Graeme Revell ["Dead Calm", "Bride of Chucky", "Blow", "Daredevil" and "Out Of Time"]. "The Chronicles Of Riddick" was produced by Vin Diesel ["Strays", "XXX" and "A Man Apart"] and Scott Kroopf ["Terminal Velocity", "Jumanji", "Runaway Bride", "Le Divorce" and "The Last Samurai"]. Casting About "The Chronicles Of Riddick" stars .......
Vin Diesel ["Saving Private Ryan", "Boiler Room" "The Fast and the Furious" and "Knockaround Guys"]; Colm Feore ["Face/Off", "City Of Angels", "The Insider", "Chicago" and "Paycheck"]; Thandie Newton ["Flirting", "The Young Americans", "MI2" and "The Truth About Charlie"]; Karl Urban ["Heaven", "The Price Of Milk", "Ghost Ship" and "Lord Of The Rings I & II"]; Alexa Davalos [The Ghost of F. Scott Fitzgerald"]; Keith David ["Platoon", "Men At Work", "Armageddon", "Where the Heart Is" and "Agent Cody Banks I & II"]; Linus Roache ["No Surrender", "Siam Sunset", "Hart's War" and "Beyond Borders"]; Nick Chinlund ["The Ambulance", "Leathal Weapon 3", "Eraser", "Training Day" and "Tears of the Sun"]; Roger R Cross ["Free Willy 3", "Double Jeopardy", "The Void" and "X-Men 2"] and Dame Judi Dench ["The Third Secret", "A Room with a View", "Mrs. Brown", "Tea With Mussolini", "Iris" and "Die Another Day"] as Aereon. The Story

"In this busy universe, Riddick is the classic lone ranger (only nastier), the saviour, the stranger, the man with no name, the anti hero we have to have in post modern cinema." Louise Keller URBANCINEFILE

After five years on the run, hidden away on the frozen Planet U.V. 6, Richard B Riddick has been flushed out by bounty hunters. Turning the table on them and taking their space craft, Riddick heads for the Helium Galaxy to confront the Holy Man Inman who has betrayed him. Here Riddick discovers the truth. The bounty hunters were sent by Aereon who sees him as the universes last hope in the fight against the ruthless, loathsome Necromongers who invade planets and offer the inhabitants two choices; conversion or total annihilation. Riddick is the last surving Furyan, a race feared by the Necromongers. Both Aereon and the Holy Man fail to convince Riddick. Nor does the arrival of the Necromonger warships commanded by the Lord Marshal. Riddick isn't interested in saving anyone. Except himself. And news that Jack, the young charge he was protecting is on the planet Crematroria sets Riddick on a different course. Until the bounty hunters turn up again. It appears Riddick will get his wish as the bounty hunters are heading for Crematoria where a large ransom awaits them. The Verdict "Little dialogue but spectacular, stunts, action and probably the most imaginative special effects you've ever seen. Vin Diesel puts in a solid performance as Richard B Riddick, continuing the role established in "Pitch Black". This is pure escapism and will almost certainly become a cult classic as did "Pitch Black". If you love films centred around an anti-hero, special effects and heaps of solid action then check out "The Chronicles Of Riddick". If you don't like the genre, go just to see the special effects." The Cast

Vin Diesel Colm Feore Thandie Newton Judi Dench Karl Urban Alexa Davalos Linus Roache Yorick van Wageningen Nick Chinlund Keith David Mark Gibbon Roger R Cross Terry Chen Christina Cox

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Riddick Lord Marshal Dame Vaako Aereon Vaako Kyra Purifier The Guv Toombs Imam Irgun Toal Merc Pilot Eve Logan

The Crew Directed by David Twohy Written by David Twohy Characters created by Jim & Ken Wheat Produced by Vin Diesel & Scott Kroopf Executive Producer David Womark & George Zakk Original Music by Graeme Revell Cinematography by Hugh Johnson Film Editing by Tracy Adams/Martin Hunter/Dennis Virkler Casting by Anne McCarthy and Mary Selway Production Design by Holger Gross Art Direction by Kevin Ishioka/Mark W Mansbridge/Sandi Tanaka Set Decoration by Peter Lando Costume Design by Michael Dennison & Ellen Mirojnick Run Time minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Universal - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved