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Written by: Jim Wheat & Ken Wheat (story), Jim Wheat & Ken Wheat and David Twohy (screenplay)
Directed by: David Twohy
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel, Keith David
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A transport ship crashes and leaves its crew stranded on a desert planet inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures that come out during an eclipse.
Verdict
It's a budget sci-fi movie that competently uses tropes and provides a few surprises for an enjoyable enough movie. The desolate and deadly planet is nothing new, but the anti-hero Riddick provides an intriguing character to tie the plot together. Their mission is constantly in jeopardy which keeps the tension high.
It depends.
Review
This is a sci-fi movie Vin Diesel did before his breakout role in The Fast and the Furious. I'm guessing Diesel's success is a big, if not the only, reason this movie spawned sequels.
As with many space movies, troublesome space debris lead to an unexpected landing. This hits a couple of space tropes early, but Fry (Radha Mitchell) having tried to jettison the cargo, which are the passengers, leads to early tension. They're stranded without much hope, and newly escaped super criminal Riddick (Vin Diesel) is also on the loose.
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| Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell play Riddick, Carolyn Fry |
It's clear this is a budget movie and the yellow color palette meant to convey how hot this planet with three suns is can be a bit distracting, but thankfully that doesn't last long. This does a nice job of building the world as they sift through an abandoned outpost. The group soon discovers they aren't alone. To escape they have to trust Riddick, but he doesn't give them much reason to do that. The alternative is to contend with the monsters lurking on this planet.
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| Radha Mitchell, Vin Disel play Carolyn Fry, Riddick |
It's convenient that this planet has what they need to escape and even a model of the solar system so they and the audience know how dire their situation is. Riddick is practically built for a situation like this with his ability to see in the dark. That's a lot of contrivance, but the tension of whether the group will survive and whether they can trust Riddick drives the plot. This movie makes it seem like no character is safe. This idea has been done better, but this is a fun sci-fi offering.
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