Chronicle of a Supporting Character
Can Riddick Stand on His Own?

Although I am a fan of sequels, I wonder about a sequel to a movie no one can remember. Such is the case with Vin Diesel's new film, The Chronicles of Riddick. As science fiction movies go, it's not a bad one. As a sequel, it's almost inconsequential. This film has nothing in common with its predecessor except the title character.

For those who never saw the 2000 science fiction/horror film Pitch Black, let me catch you up. No, really, there's no need. The only thing of consequence in that film was the introduction of the character Richard B. Riddick (Diesel) a madman criminal who has eyes that allow him to see in the dark. For the majority of the film, Riddick seemed like a secondary character, a plot complication that would eventually curse the crew of the Hunter-Gratzner -- already fighting for their lives against alien monsters. As things turned out, however, Riddick became the hero (sort of). A ruthless survivor, he killed the monsters and happened to save a couple of people in the process.

The fan reaction to Pitch Black was pretty divided. Some liked it, others didn't. But one thing came from it. Riddick entered the science fiction subculture as an anti-hero for the new millennium. Like Wolverine from The X-Men or Neo from The Matrix, Riddick exuded cool while being the ultimate tough guy. The fact that he had little or no conscience or mercy just added to his mystique.

The story of The Chronicles of Riddick picks up five years later, as a race known as the Necromongers is marching through the galaxy, destroying entire planets and absorbing the survivors as new converts to their "faith." The Necros believe that there is an "underverse" that their leader, the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), has touched. This underverse can only be reached once the entire universe is destroyed and all who remain are converted.

Of course, there's only one person who can stop them. A prophecy told of a race of Furies (of which Riddick is apparently one) who are the only people the Necros fear. Through a series of machinations, Riddick has been brought to the planet Helion to confront the Necros. But when push comes to shove, Riddick only fights long enough to escape. He ends up in the hands of some mercenaries who take him to a prison planet known as Crematoria where Riddick hopes to find someone from his past.

Special effects aside (they're pretty good), the movie plays less like a science fiction movie and more like a video game. The "science" element is merely background and window dressing. It does little to advance the story, which seems to be nothing more than "Get Riddick from point A to point B and kill everyone along the way." And when the science is somewhat interesting (as in the case of the planet Crematoria), there are so many implausible leaps in logic that it turns silly.

The characters are all cardboard -- including Aereon, played by Dame Judi Dench. How someone convinced her to do this film is beyond me. Is she trying to broaden her range by appearing in second-rate sci-fi films? Isn't her stint as M in the 007 films bad enough? The one pleasant surprise was seeing Alexa Davalos as Kyra. Davalos did a few guest shots on television's "Angel," and I thought she was attractive on the small screen. She's twice as beautiful on the big screen.

Although it is visually a blur at times, The Chronicles of Riddick is an entertaining film and better than Pitch Black. While I disagree with the PG-13 rating (it had enough violence and bad language to merit an R), I think the film was lessened by an attempt to get a lower rating. Much of the film seemed to be holding back from its true sci-fi/horror roots in order to make the film meet the summer moviegoing teen demographic. I hope the makers of Riddick release an unrated director's cut when it comes out on DVD.

MY RATING: 6 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 119 min.