Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7305 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, Director's Cut, PAL
• Original language: English, Hungarian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 129 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bigger isn't always better, but for anyone who enjoyed Pitch Black, a nominal sequel like The Chronicles of Riddick should prove adequately entertaining. Writer-director David Twohy returns with expansive sets, detailed costumes, an army of CGI effects artists, and the star he helped launch--Vin Diesel--bearing his franchise burden quite nicely as he reprises his title role. The Furian renegade Riddick has another bounty on his head, but when he escapes from his mercenary captors, he's plunged into an epic-scale war waged by the Necromongers. A fascist master race led by Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), they're determined to conquer all enemies in their quest for the Underverse, the appeal of which is largely unexplained (since Twohy is presumably reserving details for subsequent "chronicles"). With tissue-thin plotting, scant character development, and skimpy roles that waste the talents of Thandie Newton (as a Necromonger conspirator) and Judi Dench (as a wispy "Elemental" priestess), Twohy's back in the B-movie territory he started in (with The Arrival), brought to vivid life on a vast digital landscape with the conceptual allure of a lavish graphic novel. But does Riddick have leadership skills on his resumé? To get an answer to that question, sci-fi fans will welcome another sequel. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
The sequel to cult sci-fi hit Pitch Black sees Vin Diesel enthusiastically returning to his role as Richard B. Riddick. Director-writer David Twohy is on board again, building on themes established in the first movie, and expanding his vision with some incredible special effects work. Twohy opens the movie with Riddick on the run from a group of bounty hunters. He escapes them with ease, then seeks information from an old friend named Inam (Keith David). Inam informs Riddick that he has been singled out by an Air Elemental, Aereon (Judi Dench), as the one man who can stop the evil Necromongers from taking over the Universe. Suddenly, the Necromongers arrive on the planet, causing mayhem and destruction. They capture Riddick. He soon escapes, only to fall into the hands of the bounty hunters he so deftly eluded at the start of the movie. They take Riddick to a rogue prison planet where he is met by scorching heat, an underground penitentiary, and his female companion from Pitch Black, Jack (who is now called Kyra, and played by a different actress, Alexa Davalos). They plan their escape from the planet, and vow to bring down the Necromongers. Things don't go according to plan however, leading to a suspense-filled climax to the film, and an eyebrow-raising ending that suggests Twohy may have plans for further instalments in the story.

Customer Reviews

Surprisingly Enjoyable!
Like many of the reviewers passing comment here, I too feel as if the bad reviews in the press did a disservice to a damn good sci-fi yarn! Pitch Black, while an impressive low(er) budget sci-fi film, owed much to previous films of the genre, but did so with a refreshingly confident twist, creating believable scenarios and good FX.
Riddick on the other hand is a whole different beast, and instead of Pitch Black part two, which would have been a safer bet at the box-office, we get a whole new universe and history to fill in the many blacks left teasingly vacant by Pitch Black.
COR probably suffers by comparison to a certain Star Wars franchise universe, (which frankly left me bitter for many a year after the Phantom Menace) Sure the FX may not be as mind-blowing, but the story and acting is far superior, the story gallops on at just the right pace, good set pieces and the gentle easing open of Riddick's past.
Sure, it's not going to win prizes, but it lives up to repeated viewings like its predecessor, enough for me to track down the Directors cut, eager for some more answers to my questions.
Like Dune, this movie will get better with age as, people come to it blind,( without the unwelcome and frankly errant rewiews of some of the mainstream press) and make up their own minds.
I'm no sci-fi geek, I enjoy a decent story, told without patronising the audience, while still throwing enough popcorn moments to keep me entertained. I hope there is another in the series, as it'd be a shame to throw away a chance to turn Riddick into a damn good trilogy, something we don't get that often!

More than worth a watch
Many people seem to be in great opposition to this film, but i find it hard to see where they're coming from.

If you're a hardcore Pitch Black fan, although I am too, you probably will be unhappy with this film, as there is a sense of grandeur entirely new from Pitch Black and there is a more mystical plot to this film.

But to the average film viewer there is not much to complain about here, other than a few poor bits of scripting and Karl Urban's acting. As, overall this film is very enjoyable.

Quick bit of advice: WATCH PITCH BLACK FIRST!

The plot thickens
The goggles and muscle are back for this sencond instalment in the Riddick series. This, in my opinion, better second film once again features Riddick, our hard nut killer who must now battle between being captured by bounty hunters or being killed by blood thirsty aliens. This follow on from Pitch Black is set a few years later and shows how the people Riddick saved in the first film have changed and grown up. Riddick goes to visit his old friend, the Muslim man when the planet he lives on comes unnder attack from wierd pirate like aliens of the undead variety. Riddick then makes it his personal mission to try and get back at these people for hurting him.

The film is faced paced and loaded with bone crunching action as Vin Diesel deals out justice in the only way he knows. Judy Dench also appears to give the film some extra credability and class. There are also a wealth of fantastic special effects which once again give life and substance to the environments in which the characters are placed. Music is also used to harrowing effect to shock and scare you at every turn. I believe this is a really great film if taken from an action point of view. The different plantets and their names can be a bit confusing and are not really relevant to the plot at all but they help give it a futuristic spacey feel.

This Directors cut version adds an extra 15 munutes to the movie, not only that but you also geat vast amounts of bunus material to go with it. I would highly recomend this film for any sci-fi fan or for that matter anyone who enjoys a good bit of action. If you have seen the first film this is a must see and a must own.