By Tanya Batson, Freelance WriterIT IS a truth universally acknowledged that the best heroes are villains. When heroes wear black and muddy the idea of villainy, the result is always good. Richard B. Riddick is one such hero. He makes being bad, look so, so good.
The Chronicles of Riddick is a planet hopping adventure in an alternate universe. It combines fascinating creatures such as Necromongers, Furions and Elementals; it takes you from frozen planets to ones where the denizens of hell go to summer. As with most science-fiction, The Chronicles of Riddick works on ideology that guides our own world. In this case, there is the question of religion, as like all great villains, the Necromongers try to take over the world. However, writer/ director David Twohy largely ignores the ideological issues that seem to be at the heart of the The Chronicles of Riddick.
The ideological questions are hardly given room to stand, much less sit, in the face of the many fights of Riddick. While this is something of a shortcoming, it is by no means a crippling one. It would have the story more than just a good action flick, however. The Chronicles of Riddick is action heavy flick, packing great fights and stunts from beginning to end. Despite the action focus, the movie allows itself time to develop. One gets a chance to understand some of Riddick and his motives, so that even if one had missed Pitch Black one loses nothing.
One of the best elements of The Chronicles of Riddick is that it combines the brute force of Vin Diesel (Riddick), the stately grace of Dame Judi Dench (Aereon) and the seductive talent of Thandie Newton (Dame Vaako). Thandie Newton's consummate skills as an actor are yet to be fully acknowledged, but at the rate she is going one day and one day soon it shall be.
Newton plays Dame Vaako beautifully. An extremely talented actress, she makes her beauty seem like a living, evil thing. She is calculating and cruel and you love watching her. Dame Vaako was crafted from the same mould as Lady Macbeth, then she broke the mould out of sheer spite. Her husband, Lord Vaako (Karl Urban), is far less impressive. It is not that he does not do a good job; he simply pales against the glittering menace of his wife.
Vin Diesel is perfect as Riddick. He is deadly enough to make Rambo seem like a child and the combination of his overly muscled shoulders and deep gravely voice are the stuff that dreams and nightmares are made of. The camera makes the most of him, giving the perfect image of a wonderful, deadly animal. Colm Feore (Lord Marshall) makes a fairly decent villain, but Riddick is one of those few heroes who do not need a great villain to make them look good.
He is bad enough for hero and villain both.
The movie's cinematography is also quite impressive, with some intriguing landscapes. Costumes are wonderful and the supporting cast can carry their weight. However, with all the time spent on the build-up of the story, the climax was slightly unfulfilling, because it just did not seem to be over.
Of course, that's probably because it isn't.
