Not Rid Of Riddick

Vin Diesel apparently needs something to do. Why else would anyone even consider extending the Riddick film series after the disastrous second film? The original Pitch Black was an effective thriller that made good use of a limited budget. Diesel's Riddick was one of the players in the ensemble cast, and he made for a fairly effective anti-hero. The surprise success of that first film emboldened creator David Twohy to expand the story with a promised two films, both of which would be focused on the Riddick character. The second film, The Chronicles Of Riddick, featured A LOT of CGI nonsense smeared across an aimless, nonsensical storyline. While some of the art direction was mildly diverting, the film ultimately looked like an alien cologne commercial. The film also revealed how bad it is to support a film on the dubious acting talents of Diesel, whose mumbling, glowering performance had all the charisma of cooked oatmeal. The film was a bomb, grossing only $54 million in 2004. And now, six years later, they think anyone still cares about this character or story? According to Coming Soon, the film will return to the more personal thrills of the first film, as opposed to the vast "vision" offered in the second. Twohy has the script done, and Diesel is prepped to return. Yay.