The Chronicles of Riddick Review

The Chronicles of Riddick

Release Date: 29th July 2004 - Australia

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

Radar Pictures

One Race Films

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 114 minutes
                 135 minutes
                 (director's cut)


Budget: $120,000,000

Box Office Gross:

$115,772,733 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Riddick has a large bounty on his head while escaping from mercenaries who were out to get him to receive their payment. However, he deals with a race of oppressive beings called

Necromongers that threaten the

existence of the entire universe and the human race. Riddick is the only one who can save them from these overlords.

Cast

Vin Diesel - Riddick

Colm Feore - Lord Marshal

Thandie Newton - Dame Vaako

Judi Dench - Aereon

Karl Urban - Lord Vaako

Alexa Davalos - Jack/Kyra

Linus Roache - The Purifier

Nick Chinlund - Toombs

Yorick van Wageninen -
The Guv

Keith David - Imam
Mark Gibbon - Irgun
Roger Cross - Toal

Peter Williams - Sybar

Christina Cox - Eve Logan
Kim Hawthorne - Lajjun
Alexis Llewellyn - Ziza
Charles Zuckermann - Scales
Kristin Lehman - Shirah (director's cut)

Crew

Writer/Director - David Twohy

Based on Characters - Jim &

Ken Wheat
Executive Producers - Ted Field and George Zakk

Executive Producer/Additional Unit Production Manager - David Womark
Co-Executive Producer - Tom Engelman

Producers - Scott Kroopf,

Vin Diesel and Camille Brown (director's cut)
Casting Directors - Correen Mayers,
Anne McCarthy and Mary Selway

Production Designer - Holger Gross

Supervising Concept Designer - Matt Codd

Concept Designers - Daren R. Dochterman,

Tim Flattery, Jim Martin, Mark 'Crash' McCreery,

Brian Murray, James Oxford,

Patrick Tatopoulos and Miles Teves

Supervising Art Director - Kevin Ishioka
Art Directors - Mark W. Mansbridge,

Sandi Tanaka and Bruce Crone

Set Decorator - Peter Lando

Costume Designers - Ellen Mirojnick and
Michael Dennison

Costume Supervisors - Dawn Y. Line,

Bob Morgan and James W. Tyson

Special Makeup Effects - Ve Neill

Assistant Makeup Effects - Joel Harlow

Key Makeup - Victoria Down

Director of Photography - Hugh Johnson

Camera/Steadicam Operator - J. Michael Muro

Camera Operators - Ian Fox, Mike Thomas

and Scott MacDonald

First Assistants Camera: Second Unit -

Taylor Matheson and Christina Kasperczyk

Production Supervisor - John Kreidman

Production Manager: London - Jeremy Johns

Unit Production Manager: Toronto Reshoots -

Bryan A. Martin

First Assistant Director - William M. Elvin

Second Assistant Director - David Ticotin

Second Unit Director - E.J. Foerster
Stunt Coordinators - Bob Brown

and Dean Choe
Stunt Fight Coordinator - Bradley James Allan
Special Effects Coordinator - William H. Orr
Special Mechanical Effects - Brian Bero

Mechanical Effects Supervisor: New Deal

Studios Inc. - Scott Beverly

Visual Effects Supervisor - Peter Chiang
Visual Effects Supervisor: Rhythm & Hues -
Mike Wassel
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Pablo Helman

Visual Effects Supervisor: Hammerhead -

Jamie Dixon
Visual Effects Supervisors: Double Negative -
Tom Debenham and Jesper Kjolsrud

Visual Effects Supervisor: New Deal Studios

Inc. - Ian Hunter

Visual Effects Supervisor: CIS Hollywood -

Thomas J. Smith

Visual Effects Supervisor: Pacific Title & Arts

Studio - David Sosalla

Visual Effects Supervisor: The Farm West/

Lead Compositor: Hammerhead - David Lingenfelser

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -
Stephen Rosenbaum

Visual Effects Producers - Kimberly Nelson

LoCascio, Allen Maris and Denise Davis

Visual Effects Producer: Double Negative -

Stuart McAra

Executive Producer: Rhythm & Hues - Lee Berger

Visual Effects Director of Photography:

New Deal Studios Inc. - Tim Angulo

Digital Effects Supervisor: Rhythm & Hues -
Mike O'Neal

Lead Digital Artist: Hammerhead - Dave Rand

Technical Supervisor: Hammerhead - Thad Beier

2D Sequence Leads: Double Negative -

Michael Ellis, Steve McGee, John Moffatt,

Tristan Myles, Tor Olsson and Jelena Stojanovoc

Previs Animator: Rhythm & Hues - Bud Myrick

Model Supervisor - Ron Mendell

Model Maker - Gregory Hein

Model Shop Crew Chief: New Deal Studios Inc. -

Forest P. Fischer 

Matte Painters: Rhythm & Hues - Alison Yerxa,

Roger Kupelian, Robert Stromberg,

Rocco Gioffre, Richard Kriegler and

Lopsie Schwartz

Lead Matte Painter: Rhythm & Hues - Dylan Cole

3D Sequence Leads: Double Negative - Pete Bebb,

Martin Hill, Graham Jack, Mathias Larserud,

Xavier Roig, Fredrik Sundqvist, Ged Wright

and Alex Wuttke

Compositing Supervisor: ILM - Dorne Huebler

Editors - Martin Hunter and Dennis Virkler

Additional Editor/Editor (Director's Cut) -

Tracy Adams

Additional Editor - Rick Shaine

Sound Supervision & Design - Scott Martin Gershin

Sound Designers - Peter Zinda,

Jon Title, Bryan Bowen and Ann Scibelli

Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Jenkins,

Frank A. Montano and Rick Kline

Foley Artists - Jeffrey Wilhott

and James Moriana

Music - Graeme Revell

Executive in Charge of Music: Universal

Pictures - Kathy Nelson

Review

Presenting the audience is 2004's imperfect film called THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, which came four years after Pitch Black and nine years before Riddick. Set in a surreal, dark and mythical world. I'm not willing to say it was a great sci-fi film. It's more of an okay and subpar film than my expectations. Irrespective that I never saw the movie in its director's cut or the first instalment of Pitch Black, it was a disappointing flop at the box office. The director's cut version was released a year later, but unfortunately, it did not change the movie from being generally unsatisfactory. Nor was the consensus of Riddick fans.

It's hard for me to understand why Vin Diesel, as the actor and producer, wanted Dame Judi Dench in one of the supporting lead roles. I know of Dench's work from her previous role as the authoritative figure of MI6, known as M in the James Bond series. I read on IMDb that the action star had sent Dench a bouquet to persuade her to play the supporting role. As I have said before, I was never a Karl Urban fan. But in THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, he convincingly plays one of the villainous characters in an unexpectedly decent performance.

THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK is a fair movie and no better than the first instalment.

 

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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