Trailer Review: Riddick

Pitch Black was an excellent sci-fi movie and it showed what you could do with a limited budget. It was also one of the first films to give Vin Diesel a leading role. The film cemented his reputation as a decent action hero and he has starred in a few action films since then. Riddick, the fugitive from justice is probably one of Diesel’s best roles and certainly one of the roles he will be most remembered for. His career has stalled recently as he hasn’t done much work apart from his role in the Fast and Furious films. Maybe his return in this new sequel will help to push him back into the limelight.

The sequel to Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick was an entertaining film that expanded on the lore and universe established in the first movie. Sadly it didn’t do so well at the box office but it is liked by some fans of the genre.  The film had some good ideas and a nice cast including Judi Dench and Thandie Newton.

Riddick is the new sequel in the series and it looks like it may have the same dark tone as Pitch Black. The teaser trailer shows Riddick himself on a dark planet that appears to be overrun by aliens. Adopting the same tone is probably a good thing as it worked very well in the first film which had lots of atmosphere. David Twohy directed the first two movies and he returns as director for this film. Karl Urban’s character Vaako from Chronicles of Riddick also returns which is interesting. He is a warrior from a race of imperialists known as the Necromorphs. The Necromorphs would invade other planets and convert or kill the inhabitants. Plot details about this movie are scarce at the moment so Vaako’s role is unclear. Katee Sackhoff from the Battlestar Galactica TV series will also appear in the film.

The alien creatures in the trailer are only shown in brief glimpses but the trailer has some nice atmosphere and leaves the viewer wanting more.  The planet shown looks a bit like Mars and appears rather barren and hostile. Riddick is seen in action and also chained to a wall  talking to an off-screen character. The special effects are also well made and the creatures look pretty good although the viewer doesn’t see them too much. The teaser works well as it leaves a nice impression it and will excite fans of the genre. There are rumors that the director is working with a limited budget compared to what he had for the second film. That would explain why Riddick looks more like the original film and appears to be smaller in scale. That actually might be a good thing as fans of the series prefer the first movie with its minimalist plot and survival horror elements.

Riddick will be released on September 6th. Have a look at the teaser trailer and share your thoughts.