DVD: The Chronicles of Riddick

A fugitive from the law is drawn back to the people he saved on another planet, to find out why they have placed a bounty on his head. He finds himself caught up in an attack by the Necromongers – an invading force that converts people to its religion or kills them, wiping out whole planets as it moves through the galaxy. If the prophecy is correct, his involvement may not be accidental...

Vin Diesel reprises his role as Richard B. Riddick, who was last seen going toe to toe with alien monsters in Pitch Black. This time he’s running from bounty hunters, leading him back to the survivors from the first film – the holy man Imam (Keith David) and Jack, (Alexa Davalos), who is now calling herself Kyra. It’s the film’s need to shoehorn in characters from the first film that creates problems with the story. If the scriptwriters had decided to go with the character of Riddick as the main focus and ditch all the other baggage, it would have saved a lot of time and wasted scenes.

The other main problem is the change of style between Pitch Black and Chronicles. The epic scale of the second film has traded the atmosphere and ingenuity of the low-budget Pitch Black for grand sets and lashings of CG effects. While it looks beautiful, the edgy thrills and dark humor have been lost along the way.

Some thought has gone into the DVD extras, with good use of the bounty hunter Tooms in his chase log and a full level of the Riddick Xbox game if you put the disc in your console. The Insider Facts – which can be turned on to pop up on the screen as you watch the movie – impart some great information for fans of the series. A tour of the sets, an interactive guide and trailers complete the extras.

With all the money thrown at this project it can’t help but look good. Unfortunately, the script and character problems that affect too many Hollywood blockbusters are evident here once again.

Buy The Chronicles of Riddick on DVD at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com