Riddick (2013)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie Riddick (2013).

Bad news first. I learned too late, there is extended cut of this movie. I checked usual suspects and found, it is not released where I live. At least I could not find any information of it. I have to order it from abroad and it takes so long, it couldn't make by time I had to write this. I will post about it after I get it. This post tells about theatrical cut.

In my The Chronicles of Riddick post I told, how different premise this movie had than first two movies. That problem was easily solved. Movie starts after Necromongers have betrayed Riddick and left him on random planet to die. Riddick wanted to find Furya, but Necromongers had different agenda. Whole Necromonger angle was quickly over. After that, movie was Riddick surviving on hostile planet. This part felt little too long and disappointing. Luckily rest of the movie wasn't like that. Riddick realizes, he have to get off the planet. He sends distress call telling he is on planet. Two different bounty hunter teams answer the call. This is where movie really starts.

This time we don't have comic relief bounty hunters. All humor they provide is very dark. It is pointed our very clearly, these are not comic relief bounty hunters. First team is shady disorganized team of criminals. Second team is organized and honorable. Second team is led by father of Pitch Black's Johns. He want Riddick to tell what happened to his son. First team want to get Riddick by themselves without any help from second team. After Riddick kills enough them, they ask help from second team. They don't have much more success. They get Riddick only after he offers them deal, which would get all of them off the planet. Bounty Hunters don't know, they really have to get off the planet. When they realize, it is too late for some of them. Then they join forces with Riddick, but co-operation with different bounty hunter teams doesn't work.

Movie has really great moments. It is as well written as first two movie. It is again different kind of movie than previous movies. It is closer to first movie than second movie. Beginning feels quite slow, but it shows some thing we need to know later in movie. We just don't realize that until we see why beginning had those things. Beginning is still bit too long and some scenes feel too long. This was in theatrical cut. It wasn't extended cut, which sometimes have unnecessary repetitions and scenes extended too long. After bounty hunters arrive movie start to work.

It was really nice to see Katee Sackhoff as tough bounty hunter. This role makes Starbuck look like nice girl. I was curious to see Dave Bautista act. He will be in Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I wasn't convinced of his acting skills during his WWE run. He was good in this movie. I think he could be best wrestler turned to actor. Others feel like they are same guy as their wrestler character. Dwayne Johnson have learned to act later in his career. In his first movies he was like his wrestling character. Dave Bautista can act in his first movies. It would be nice to see both of them in same movie. After all they are both action movie stars. I wouldn't mind seeing Vin Diesel in that movie too.

Movie is worthy addition to series. It is not as good as Chronicles, but it is better than Pitch Black. Pitch Black may have been more even, but this has great scenes, which lift it above Pitch Black. We had to wait this movie for nine years and financial problems almost cancelled it. Movie made so much money, that we might get fourth movie sooner.