UrbanWire

When Pitch Black exploded onto the big screen in 2000, its superb storyline earned it great success, making it a sci-fi horror film that couldn't be ignored.

In Pitch Black, an earth-bound commercial ship carrying dangerous prison-bound convict Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) is forced to crash-land on a barren, triple-sunned planet. The survivors (including Riddick) discover that a solar eclipse occurs every 60 years, plunging the planet into darkness and unleashing vicious alien creatures living below the surface of the planet. Against these odds, Riddick reluctantly agrees to team up with the survivors, and in the end he and 2 remaining survivors, a young girl named Jack, and a holy-man finally manage to escape from the planet.

The enigmatic anti-hero Riddick became so well-loved that the creators of Pitch Black decided to come up with another instalment to the adventure, and so the legend of Richard B. Riddick continues.

In this sequel, Vin Diesel returns as Riddick, who's been on the run for 5 years. Tired of being hunted, Riddick journeys to the planet which sent the latest bounty hunters after him, and discovers that he is the only being standing between free civilisation and an unholy army of Necromongers - conquering warriors who offer ravaged worlds a simple choice - convert to the Necromonger faith or die.

Supporting roles lend a hand in creating intrigue, with Thandie Newton as Dame Vaako, and Karl Urban as Lord Vaako, whose roles seem to mirror the Shakespearean characters Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, as Dame Vaako influences her husband Vaako to kill off the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore) so that Vaako can become the king of the Necromongers. And Dame Judi Dench puts in a special appearance as the ethereal Elemental being Aereon, one of a rare race of neutral soothsayers, who reveals Riddick's past to him.

The 2 other surviving characters from Pitch Black - Imam the holy-man, and Jack, who is actually a girl in disguise - return. 5 years older, Jack, now known as Kyra (Alexa Davalos), has become a killer herself. A hardcore fanatic of Riddick, she tries to follow in his footsteps in an unconvincing role that adds nothing to the film.

In Chronicles, the magic of Riddick's presence seems to be less effective than it was in the first film. The storyline is made to completely revolve around Riddick, and feels very dry, as he seems to be the only character given significant screen time, preventing other characters from being developed properly.

To add to the thin plot, the dialogue is so full of cheesy comebacks from Riddick and his co-stars that it's likely to have viewers shifting about uneasily in their seats, though it is amusing to watch soldiers running around fighting in bulky-looking,cumbersome armour. The fighting scenes are also shot in such a blur that it wouldn't be surprising if audiences left the theatres with major headaches.

Although the plot leaves much to be desired, Vin Diesel pulls off a good performance as Riddick. Hailing from action-packed flick Triple X, he remains pumped for another fight in Chronicles, exuding strength and power as the fast-moving Riddick.

Overall though, Chronicles is very second-rate when compared with the well-written Pitch Black, and only the impressive special effects are enough to save the film from absolute disaster.