THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (2004)

The Chronicles of Riddick deserves reappraisal. A few decades after it debuted to poor box office and mostly negative reviews, David Twohy’s ambitious sequel is still underappreciated. Today, so many films are intended to launch a franchise, even if they haven’t proven themselves popular with audiences, and original ideas have an even tougher time jostling for attention against established properties like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.

But back in 2004, Twohy embraced the unexpected opportunity to make a sequel to his sleeper hit Pitch Black (2000). Admittedly, this was more because Vin Diesel had recently helped turn The Fast and the Furious (2001) into a big hit and Universal was keen to leverage this rising action star. But whatever the serious business reasons, The Chronicles of Riddick needs more love and respect than it received at the time.

Richard B. Riddick (Diesel) is still on the run from bounty hunters, as we meet him bearded and bedraggled on an ice planet. He eventually reunites with his friend Imam (Keith David) on Helion Prime, where he learns about the emergence of the world-conquering Necromongers. Led by their Lord Marshall (Colm Feore), the Necromongers are religious zealots who believe all life must be extinguished to allow everyone to pass over to the “Underverse”, and you either join their cause or die to satisfy their twisted beliefs. Riddick is soon captured and his mysterious backstory as the last surviving member of the Furyan race is revealed, which is bad news for Lord Marshall, who believes in a prophecy that only a male Furyan can defeat him. It’s why he ordered the genocide of Riddick’s people to change his fate to begin with.

There have been countless attempts to emulate the success of Star Wars over the decades, and Chronicles of Riddick was described as “evil Star Wars” by its writer-director. George Lucas’s prequel trilogy was in full flow at the time, so it makes sense to court that similarity to help promote the film, but Chronicles owes more to William Shakespeare, Greek mythology, Swiss artist H.R Giger, George Miller’s Mad Max (1979), and European filmmakers like Jean-Pierre Jeunet (The City of Lost Children).

The film’s design is baroque and startling, reminding me of David Lynch’s Dune (1982), filled with memorable visuals and amusingly ludicrous names for planets — like New Mecca, or my favourite Crematoria. Twohy takes everything seriously, perhaps influenced by the approach Peter Jackson took to making The Lord of the Rings (2001–03) trilogy, so one could argue the film could have done with the quirky humour James Gunn brought to The Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) a decade later. But the character of Riddick himself is thankfully only slightly removed from camp nonsense.

Diesel’s star power has dimmed as poorly as the Fast and Furious sequels in the intervening years… but 20 years ago, he was the perfect mix of the musclebound, taciturn action heroes audiences fondly remembered from the 1980s (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone), only with a slightly more athletic physique and WWE-style “bad attitude” that evoked a Snake Plissken-style anti-hero.

Riddick may spout comically atrocious dialogue at times (“It’s been a long time since I smelled beautiful”), but there’s a good reason Diesel was the most memorable thing about Pitch Black. He looks amazing and Riddick’s a fun badass where every moment leaning into the character’s extraordinary physicality, or scenes designed to show us how ferocious and cunning he is, works amazingly well.

The middle section of Chronicles works almost as its own thing; a science fiction prison break movie that perhaps helped inspire a similar hellhole from The Dark Knight Rises (2013). Duplicitous bad guy Vaako (Karl Urban) even breaks someone’s back, Bane-style, in this more claustrophobic part of the story. And is the casting of an underling, Linus Roach (who played Bruce Wayne’s father in Batman Begins the following year), really just a coincidence?

I’m a sucker for a prison movie, and Riddick is always at his best when he’s forced to mix with equally scurrilous criminals and prove he’s the alpha male. Twohy squeezes plenty of pulp entertainment from this juicy scenario, as Riddick is reunited behind bars with “Jack”, the girl posing as a boy who idolised him in Pitch Black, who’s since renamed herself Kyra (Alexa Davalos). Together they escape the galaxy’s worst jail, beneath the surface of a Hellish planet where a sun roasts the rocky landscape to 700°C, but where Riddick still manages to assert dominance using only a teacup.

There are certainly ideas and characters that never click into place, like the enigmatic Aereon (Judi Dench), a ghost-like Elemental who only appears to be involved because it’s Hollywood law that space operas must have a classically trained English thespian available to narrate some exposition and make it sound believable and important. Diesel offered the Dame a role after seeing her perform at the Haymarket Theatre, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she was only added at his behest because her role’s so minor.

What appeals to me about Chronicles is how it’s a big swing based on new material, pushing a memorable character into fresh territory. Riddick was the highlight of a relatively low-budget but high-concept sci-fi movie about man-eating aliens that can see in complete darkness, and while audiences enjoyed it there wasn’t a campaign for more. But with the project allowed to go forward, it’s fun to see a sci-fi-loving writer like Twohy indulge his childhood interests with a $120M attempt to create a larger-than-life universe for Riddick to live in. Maybe it’s a bit nonsensical at times, or indebted to better movies, but there’s a lot here that future genre films look to have taken their own inspiration from…

Just look at Zack Snyder’s abysmal Rebel Moon (2023–24) films for Netflix, which started life as rejected Star Wars projects, and are aiming for the same degenerate sci-fi vibe Chronicles already explored a generation ago. The difference is that Twohy’s a more talented writer than Snyder (if not as gifted behind the camera), and keeping everything focused on a single anti-hero character over a large and unwieldy ensemble was a smarter approach.

There exists an underground cult to the Riddick franchise (which also includes a few successful video games), which is another appealing thing about it. The current cultural landscape is one where fans don’t have many chances to embrace an unsung gem. It seems like everything comes pre-packaged as a “cinematic universe”, and the many failures are deservedly forgotten or the sequels fizzle at the box office.

Chronicles of Riddick only grossed $115M at the global box office, not even making its budget back, but the franchise continues thanks to its creators putting their own money on the line to get more stories made. Riddick (2013) returned to the less sprawling roots of Pitch Black for a planetary story that felt inspired by the success of the more intimate prison-set sequences here, and while it was at least a modest hit (grossing $98M but costing just $38M), we’re still waiting on the proposed fourth movie, Riddick: Furyan. But it’s nice to champion the underdog.

USA | 2004 | 119 MINUTES (THEATRICAL) • 134 MINUTES (DIRECTOR’S CUT) | 2.40:1 (THEATRICAL CUT & DIRECTOR’S CUT) • 1.78:1 (‘OPEN MATTE’ THEATRICAL CUT) | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Special Features:

Arrow Video has further expanded its repertoire beyond its usual 20th-century cult classics with a 2160p Ultra HD upgrade of this 2004 sci-fi film. This three-disc re-release of Chronicles of Riddick showcases David Twohy’s vision with stunning clarity, enhanced by HDR that deepens shadows and brightens highlights. The film’s space-set environment benefits greatly from the natural contrast, and the higher resolution reveals intricate details in costumes, set design, and facial features.

The Dolby Atmos 7.1 surround soundtrack provides an immersive audio experience, with dynamic sound effects, robust bass, and a more impactful presentation of Graeme Revell’s music. Unfortunately, the Atmos track is not available for the longer Director’s Cut, which may disappoint some fans, although the attendant DTS-HD Master Audio mix will still elicit smiles.

• Brand new 4K restorations by Arrow Films of the Theatrical and Director’s Cuts of the film, approved by David Twohy.
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio on both cuts, plus remixed Dolby Atmos for the Theatrical Cut.
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts.
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford.
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Walter Chaw, original production notes and the ‘Chronicles Compendium’, an overview of the characters and planets featured in the film.

Disc 1: Theatrical Cut

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Theatrical Cut from the original negative.
• Ambition on Another Scale: Chronicling a Blockbuster Sequel, a brand-new feature-length documentary on the film, featuring interviews with interviews with writer-director David Twohy, actors Keith David and Linus Roache, storyboard artist Brian Murray, concept artist Matt Codd, miniature effects artist Ian Hunter and digital matte artist Dylan Cole.
• ‘Realizing Riddick’, a new interview with Twohy on the creation of the character.
• ‘Back to Black’, a new interview with Murray on his continuing work within the Riddick saga.
• ‘Chronicles of a Cult Film Icon’, a new interview with David on the role of Imam
• Theatrical trailers.

Disc 2: Director’s Cut

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Director’s Cut.
• Archive audio commentary by David Twohy and Vin Diesel.
• Archive audio commentary by Twohy and co-stars Karl Urban and Alexa Davelos.
• Archive introduction by Twohy.
• ‘Creation of New Mecca’, an archive featurette focusing on the world and characters of Helion Prime.
• ‘Riddick Rises’, an archive featurette focusing on the prison planet of Crematoria.
• ‘Keep What You Kill’, an archive featurette focusing on the world of the Necromongers
• ‘Visual Effects Revealed’, an archive featurette focusing on the VFX.
• ‘Interactive Production Calendar’, a series of short, candid videos filmed throughout shooting.
• Production Vignettes, a series of short behind-the-scenes segments.
• Three deleted scenes.
• ‘Virtual Guide to the Chronicles of Riddick’, a series of short animated segments explaining the world of the film.
• ‘Toombs’ Chase Log’, a short film narrated by Nick Chinlund in character.
• A guided tour of the set by Vin Diesel, along with 360-degree panoramic views of eight sets from the film.
• On-set interviews with Twohy, Diesel, Dench, Urban, Colm Feore, Alexa Davelos, Thandie Newton and producer Scott Kroopf.
• Promotional interviews with Twohy, Diesel, Newton, Urban, Davelos and Feore.
• Easter egg.

Disc 3: Theatrical Cut in 1.78:1 aspect ratio (Limited Edition Exclusive)

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Theatrical Cut in the alternate 1.78:1 aspect ratio.
• ‘Escape from Butcher Bay’—compilation of cutscenes from the acclaimed tie-in video game.
• ‘The Lowdown’, a TV special produced to promote the film’s original release.

Cast & Crew

director: David Twohy.
writer: David Twohy (based on characters created by Jim Wheat & Ken Wheat).
starring: Vin Diesel, Thandiwe Newton (credited as Thandie Newton), Karl Urban, Colm Feore, Linus Roache, Keith David, Yorick van Wageningen, Alexa Davalos, Nick Chinlund & Judi Dench.