Pitch Black 2: Chronicles of Riddick
[DVD Info]

CONTAINS:

Riddick (Vin Diesel) is an escaped convict. He’s been in hiding for five years, trying to avoid mercenaries who can collect a large bounty for his head. He is hunted down by a small group of mercenaries to retrieve a bounty of 1.5 million. After easily defeating the bounty hunters, killing most of them, he steals their ship and heads for Hellion Prime. He goes to an old acquaintance Imam (Keith David) since he was the only one who knew where he might go. Imam told an Elemental Aereon (Judi Dench) where he may be because the universe is in danger from the Necromongers, an army that is traveling to the Underverse, converting people into Nercomongers or killing them, destroying the planet either way. Riddick refuses but after witnessing the Necros attack and destroy Hellion Prime and his friend Imam. He’s captured by the Necros after killing one of them. After picking his brain a bit, he escapes right into the hands of the mercenary he left on the frozen planet they first met on. The bounty hunter and his new crew take him to Creamatoria where “she” is conveniently located. Will Riddick be able to defeat the Necromongers and save the universe or will he fry on a planet that tops a scorching 700 degrees in the sun and –300 in the shade…

In the future, Soul Removal is a real threat.
There's a whole art to smelling if someone is beautiful.
Telephones in the future are creepy.
Russians can live damn near anywhere.
You can outrun the sun.

"I'll kill you with my teacup.." ~Riddick to the guard.

Creamatoria and its weather patterns.

You should really watch Pitch Black before you watch this one, just so you get a heads up on who Riddick is and the few returning characters Imam and Jack/Kyra. However, you don’t need to see Pitch Black to know what’s going on. I haven’t seen it and this movie pretty much stands on its own.

Deep down, I really have a soft spot for cheesy sci-fi movies like this. There’s just something about them I really like. I love how the further humans advance in technology, the further back they seem to go in time. While they do have fancy palaces, space travel, and advanced means of protection…most of them still live in sand houses and dress like primitives. The costume designs in this movie would make Hellraiser proud. One thing that hugely bothered me was the whole thing about Creamatoria. First of all…they have to outrun the sun because when the sun is shining the planet heats up to 700 degrees. When the sun isn’t shining on it it’s –300 degrees. Well…they seem to be running around just fine in –300-degree weather. Wouldn’t you turn into an ice cube? Literally? So…if the sun heats up the planet to 700 degrees wouldn’t just the light from the sun start heating up the planet immediately? Wouldn’t being exposed to that light start burning your skin? Wouldn’t just looking at that light cause you to go blind? Especially someone who has night-like vision? I could understand if they mentioned that Riddick had some special sort of skin (they did say that he’d MELT if he went there, but hey…no one heard that right?). I could go on…but you get the point. Kyra was the most annoying character ever. I hate that “tough and angry” attitude. Take responsibility for your own actions. Riddick didn’t make you join a band of mercenaries and he had nothing to do with you being sold at a young age. Get over it. She seriously needed to unclench a little. She was cooler at the end though.

This movie got a pretty bad rap, especially because of Vin Diesel being in it…but I really enjoyed it. It was lame and cheesy. It didn’t make that much sense, there wasn’t much plot development…and yet…it was strangely amusing and entertaining. There wasn’t much I could ask for in a lame sci-fi flick with a big budget. Although, it would’ve gotten a higher rating if he had ridden that spiky dog he befriended. That would’ve been awesome. Because of this, the jury gives this flick:

(Entertained)

[BACK]