By Michael Haffner

Titling the third entry in a cult film series simply by the name of the main character signals two things: those involved are confident in the name of the series’ anti-hero that it will bring fans rushing to see his next adventure, and yet, they also want to wipe the slate clean (mainly ignoring the series’ previous failure) and strip down this new entry so to introduce non-fans to their new favorite hero. As the summer winds down and Iron Man hangs up his suit and Superman drops off his tights at the drycleaners, Vin Diesel’s RIDDICK miraculously stands tall in the setting sun even when the sweat from his long-winded adventure lands in your eye.

RIDDICK spends zero time introducing us to its title character. Vin Diesel stars as a galactic outlaw on the run, who ends up left for dead on a mysterious planet. Brutal creatures that survive in puddles of water (don’t over think it) populate certain areas of the desert landscape. After a brush with death, Riddick stumbles upon a bunker on the planet and triggers a warning signal. Of course this alerts a crew of mercenaries and a separate group of soldiers that may have something to do with Riddick’s past. The tension between the three powerhouses is complicated all the more when a storm moves in on the planet and the watery beasts arise.

Writer and director David Twohy approaches the third film in this unexpected series in a somewhat baffling manner that is worthy of applause before it heads into frustrating and then familiar territory. Instead of mimicking the exact formula that made PITCH BLACK a surprising and entertaining action flick, RIDDICK is pretty much structured into three separate and distinct acts. The first act goes out of its way to create a sort of mythology around the character as we see him hunt for food and evade poisonous creatures and rabid dog like creatures (Dingo-Dongos?) in the fantastical and wild planet’s landscape.  Seeing his survival skills put to the test makes for a surprisingly compelling initial act. As a character, Riddick seems inspired by pulp adventure stories or such characters like Conan the Barbarian. Thankfully, the star – who produced the film and apparently re-mortgaged his house to pay for it – is up to carrying the weight of the film on his shoulders as he ignites every frame he graces even when the other two acts don’t work as well.  Of course, the film’s iconic character connects all three acts, but it isn’t until the final act where we are treated to what seems like a little bit of a retread of the original film while also acting as lip service to clamoring fans hoping for Vin Diesel to return to kicking some alien tail after the preposterous CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK.  Even if its familiar territory, many fans of the character will find themselves cheering during the final twenty minutes of the film when they see Riddick perform such outrageous feats like take on a whole mountain of slimy aliens.

The weakest act is easily the middle segment.  Vin Diesel’s lack of presence in the second act is ultimately felt as the story shifts gears and focuses on the macho bounty hunters and their constant arguing and dick measuring between each other. All who are involved including former wrestling star Dave Bautista play their shallow roles believably enough, even if the act wears a little thin after awhile.  We’ve seen this posturing before; nothing new to see here.  What’s most disappointing is seeing Katee Sackhoff included in this group.  I guess it’s standard practice these days for Hollywood to force a female character into a film like this.  How John Carpenter avoided doing this in THE THING is definitely a thing of the past.  But what makes her inclusion here even worst is that she seems to have taken several steps backward compared to the strong, intelligent, and well-rounded part she played in BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.  Here, she is left with nothing for her character to do but to constantly fend off the sexual advances of her male partners.  Yes, she plays a “badass female” – not unlike a role often played by Michelle Rodriguez – but all of Twohy’s heavy-handed persistence of this fact is undermined by his inclusion of a gratuitous topless shot of the character.  Where Twohy stumbles as well is with several lines of dialogue that feel forced when they sound like they are aiming for comedy.  Hearing Riddick say he’s going to go “balls deep” in a girl or describe riding a motorcycle as “drive it like I stole it” never comes off natural, funny, or entirely appropriate.

All that being said, I was frequently in awe of the art direction on display.  Wide shots of the planet’s landscape set against Riddick’s muscular frame make for some striking imagery that’s rivals some of the best fantasy art being created today – certainly more impressive than JOHN CARTER’s stale visuals.  The impressive creature designs and immersive world building on display is all the more impressive on the IMAX screen I experienced them on.  So even though the film is not without some apparent issues, there’s a “B movie” charm to this fun adventure film that recalls the work of Robert E. Howard and other pulp writers.  There’s something to be said for a film that strives to recreate the science-fiction stories and thrilling tales of yesteryear.

3 out of 5

Photos: © 2013 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.