Premise
While drifting in space aboard their ship, Riddick and his friends are captured by a madwoman who is hell-bent on making Riddick her new “art piece”. Battling out against numerous mercenaries and blood thirsty aliens on board, Riddick must find a way to survive and escape the fate that awaits him and his companions… should they fail.
Overview
Release – 15 June, 2004
Runtime – 35 minutes [animated short film]
Genre – Action/Animation/Sci-fi
Review
NO Spoilers
Richard B. Riddick is not your everyday cool looking bald dude. No, he’s much, much… different. First introduced on the big screen in ‘Pitch Black’ (2000), played by Vin Diesel (who also voices Riddick in this short animation movie), Riddick belongs to a completely different planet, and a whole new species altogether.
But he is special. He is unique. His eyes are the most striking of all, giving him an ability to see extremely well in the dark, and he makes sure that he uses this to his advantage. But there’s a catch. He can’t see very well in light/day time, forcing him to wear tinted welding goggles for protection, ultimately giving him his iconic look.
Coming to the short film on hand, it’s basically a link/bridge between the first live-action movie ‘Pitch Black’ (2000), and its subsequent live-action sequel ‘The Chronicles of Riddick’ (2007). The events that take place in the former are continued in this animated adaptation, which in turn explain how and why things happen in the latter film.
Here’s what it’s about –
Riddick, Jack, and Imam can be seen drifting in space on their ship, after the events from the first film – ‘Pitch Black’ (2000). But they are in for a surprise. A big spaceship, the Kublai Khan, a private mercenary vessel, forcefully reels the trio in. The ship’s captain, a guy in a white suit called Junner, quickly orders his band of mercenaries (aka mercs) to capture all three, but before he can give the green light, he makes sure that his crew know about who they are dealing with –
“There is a man inside this vessel who is something far worse than anyone here has ever encountered. Should you survive this day, it is one you will remember for the rest of your lives. Do not underestimate the importance of such a thing. Begin.”
Wow! Is Riddick really that dangerous?
Well, Riddick is a bounty hunter, and a stone-cold killer by profession. And living up to his name, he manages to kill most of the mercs without breaking a sweat. But when Jack is held captive by a rather interesting looking lady, he is forced to surrender, with their own small ship being thrown out into space, eliminating any chance of escape.
This aforementioned lady, Antonia Chillingsworth (quite the name, don’t you think?), has a very unique hobby indeed – she loves to collect notorious criminals, and keep them in suspended animation, where they are alive, but unable to speak or move, making them into her “art” collection. And now she has her eyes on Riddick himself, the most notorious of them all.
Riddick is then forced to show his skillset, battling a duo of aliens, fighting off a ton of mercs activated from their ‘cryo sleep’, out-smarting a dangerous alien hungry for blood, to try and rescue his friends, and finally attempt to escape alive somehow amidst all the chaos. Along the way, we are introduced to a rather well shown character of Toombs, a pretty dangerous mercenary himself. What actually follows is no less than a run-for-your-life stuff throughout the big space vessel, with tons of action, aliens, bad guys, and Riddick ultimately stretched to his limit.
What was really good?
- Voice acting was very good.
- All the characters were pretty well shown, especially Riddick and Toombs.
- Plot itself was pretty good too.
What was bad?
- Animation was not that great (the “3D” style which was thrown in between, that is). It was not bad, but not quite there in my opinion. Personally, not a big fan of such an animation style.
Some standout quotes/dialogues
“You certainly know how to make an entrance.”
Junner, the ship’s captain, to Riddick
“…you beautiful bald b*stard.”
Toombs to Riddick
“Riddick. We ain’t done, boy. Not by a long shot.”
Toombs on Riddick, while smirking to himself
Final thoughts
Overall, a very well made and enjoyable movie indeed, which does its job of acting as a bridge between the two live-action ones – ‘Pitch Black’ (2000), and ‘The Chronicles of Riddick’ (2007). And although the animation was a mixed-bag of sorts, the plot, and the voice acting were pretty good.
Rating: – 8/10 (Enjoyable!)
