20 years later, a completely underrated sci-fi film is getting a massive upgrade

When was the last time someone released an original sci-fi blockbuster franchise that wasn’t based on pre-existing intellectual property? The most appropriate contemporary examples are probably the Quiet place series, John Krasinski’s Alien Invasion trilogy and Avatarin which the gap between the 2009 original and the 2022 sequel was no obstacle to its enormous box office success and critical acclaim

13 years is a long time. 20 years is even longer because 2004 was the year David Twohy started The Chronicles of Riddickthe sequel to his sleek, mean vehicle from Vin Diesel Pitch blackpublished in 2000. The Chronicles of Riddick made big promises about the future of Diesel’s mischievous and rugged antihero. Due to dismal box office performance, that promise went unanswered. Yes, Twohy and Diesel released a sequel, Riddickin 2013; No, this film’s back-to-basics delights weren’t a sufficiently satisfying consolation prize The Chronicles of Riddickis cult.

However, it turns out that we live in a fair and just world, and although 12 years is a long time to wait, there is a fourth chapter in this series. Riddick: Furyabegan production last August. (That’s 12 years at least; It is currently unclear when the film will be released in cinemas. Rejoice! Then tide yourself over until then Riddick: Furyais the future theatrical release with Arrow Video’s luxurious new 4K release The Chronicles of Riddick.

This CD is a treasure trove for Twohy fans, as it contains both the 119-minute theatrical version and the 134-minute director’s cut. Riddick: Furya That said, it’s also a reminder of how damn close we came in the 2000s to making a sci-fi franchise all of a piece, rather than stitching it together from the threads of previously established works. Luckily, the melancholy only lasts until you press play on the CD and is replaced by the thrill of reliving Twohy’s meaty Edgar Rice Burroughs riff. Pitch black is a comparatively isolated film that reveals little about its setting, but The Chronicles of Riddick This attitude catapults to a level of performance that remains astonishingly unrecognized 20 years later. Twohy packs an entire universe into every frame of the film, conjuring a strange and silly universe, but one that he and his cast are so committed to that these details become features to be celebrated, not mocked.

And yet it is ridicule that greeted the film when it was released in 2004. Audiences rejected Diesel’s work as Riddick, as well as Twohy’s vision and the sight of Linus Roache dissolving himself in sacrificial winds. They said “no” to Keith David, an actor whose presence enhances every film he appears in. Most importantly, they said “no” to anything. Originaleven before the industry’s decision at the end of the 2000s to rely entirely on IP with integrated viewership.

The Chronicles of Riddick is a slice of Limburger reminiscent of the era of star Wars, Conan the BarbarianAnd Heavy metal. The film’s reference points are clear and yet it is never referential. Diesel plays Riddick with such comfort that it’s easy to imagine him playing the character in a homegrown D&D campaign, and there’s an underlying familiarity The Chronicles of RiddickNarration and plot in a very unique context. He likes to play Riddick. He appears to identify with Riddick’s nature as an instinctive survivalist on a primal level, while bonding with him on a human level through strong empathy. Riddick displays his apathy convincingly. He is connected to the freedom afforded by his lack of personal ties and motivated by perseverance. It is these qualities that instill in him an aversion to authority, turning him from “anti-hero” to plain old “hero.”

There is a certain logic and intelligence behind it The Chronicles of Riddick This is belied by his dumber qualities. Twohy saves most of the former for Diesel, David and Karl Urban (who plays the supporting villain Vaako with his trademark, dominant stockiness). The director blames Judi Dench and Thandiwe Newton, who play the air elemental Aereon and Dame Vaako (the scheming Lady Macbeth to Vaako, well, Macbeth), respectively, for the film’s silly material. Your job is to give the film seriousness and being seriouswhich is not the same as taking the material seriously.

Twohy makes the impossible possible while simultaneously managing to integrate that impossibility into an equally otherworldly creative vision. He overwhelms the ill-advised details of his script by the strength of its broader foundations. The Chronicles of Riddick is a messy film, as imperfect an example of blockbuster genre cinema as anything the American studio system has produced in the last two decades. It’s a ride. Twohy gives the film full throttle from the start. He shows no hesitation. He’s overconfident that his hands will stay steady on the wheel, and rightly so, because they do Do. At its silliest, the story maintains its determined pace, progressing at breathtaking speed to one epic set piece after another; At its best, the characters race madly across the surface of a volcanic planet in a desperate attempt to escape the sun.

In another film, this would also have been just another stupid decision on a pile of stupid decisions. But inside The Chronicles of Riddickthis moment, among countless others, triumphs over any inherent stupidity through sheer force of will.