Review Roundup: Vin Diesel Stars in RIDDICK

Vin Diesel stars in the Sci-Fi sequel RIDDICK, which opens on September 6th. The third movie in the series, following PITCH BLACK and THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, also stars Karl Urban, Jordi Molla, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Bokeem Woodbine, and Dave Bautista.

The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy.

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Scott Foundas, Variety:
Having been left for dead in more ways than one after the critical and commercial failure of 2004's "The Chronicles of Riddick," Vin Diesel's futuristic fugitive Richard B. Riddick gets his lean, mean, R-rated mojo back for "Riddick," an improbable but very enjoyable sequel that recaptures much of the stripped-down intensity of Diesel and director David Twohy's franchise starter "Pitch Black" (while treating "Chronicles" like the dream season of "Dallas").

Stephanie Merry, The Washington Post:
"Riddick" can be cheesy and silly, not to mention excessively violent, but it's also fun. The story moves quickly along, and even when the outcome is plain, the journey remains entertaining. Diesel looks like an oaf but makes for a winning anti-hero.

Manohla Dargis, The New York Times:
David Twohy, has smartly gone back to genre basics with this installment, which serves as an effective reboot. Gone are the silly costumes and wigs, the overstuffed plot and exotic-sounding villains like the Necromongers, the religious fanatics that Mr. Diesel's character, the escaped convict more formally known as Richard B. Riddick, once battled.

Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter:
Significantly dialing back on Chronicles' sprawling scale, the latest installment feels tentative even at a flabby 120 minutes, more like a placeholder that barely advances the considerable Riddick mythology. Playing it safe with a script that offers Riddick up as a lone avenging hero, Twohy passes on the opportunity to effectively shade the character's distinctive dimensionality.

Kyle Smith, The NY Post:
In "Riddick," that Diesel head (like a flexed triceps) and that Diesel voice (the exhaust pipe of a Harley) prove well-matched to writer-director David Twohy's unashamed B-movie vision. This is the rare sci-fi actioner that doesn't rush to bore you with its views on global warming, class divisions or immigration; at no point does Jodie Foster wander in trying to sound European.

Claudia Puig, USA Today:
If only audiences, like the title character in Riddick (* out of four; rated R; opens Friday nationwide), were equipped with luminescent extra-vision eyeballs. Then it might be possible to muddle through the dark and incoherent action scenes.

Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald:
Twohy pulls off an effective set piece now and then (there's a terrific scene involving the opening of a lock that may or may not be booby-trapped) and there are some undeniably powerful images, too. But the entire movie bears the whiff of a vanity project - a modestly budgeted bone Universal Pictures threw at Diesel so he would keep starring in Fast and Furious pictures. Those movies are bank; Riddick is rank.

Stephen Whitty, The Newark Star-Ledger:
I was worried going into the new sci-fi movie "Riddick," when I realized I remembered next to nothing about the last film in this series, "The Chronicles of Riddick." Half-an-hour in, though, I realized it didn't matter. The filmmakers didn't remember much of it either. And I was going to forget all about this one, too, once it was over.

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