Riddick: 5 Elements They Nailed And 1 That Failed

5. The Return of the Classic Musical Theme

Musical compositions are exactly my cup of tea when it comes to big-budget, high octane blockbusters. When said blockbuster presents a catchy theme song that really gets the viewer into the rhythm, then half the battle is won. Such was the case with Pitch Black, which suckered up quite the foreboding and harrowing theme right from the start of the film to the very end. The theme really set itself into stone with the film's universe, brought forth by the talented and underrated Graeme Revell. In fact the theme worked so well that it made its way into Chronicles four years later, but really didn't fit in due to the change in the setting (from desolate planet to space-faring universe with not so desolate creatures trying to kill you). With the release of Riddick, traditionalist fans will be more than happy to know the same exact theme from the previous entires returns in its full form, albeit tweaked and added upon to a more modern tone. That same harrowing sense of wandering an open landscape, looking out in the distance, surviving, is back at just the same level as it was in Pitch Black. And while Riddick isn't on the same horror level as Pitch Black was, the theme still manages to cameo itself into the film and become a central staple of the series as proved with the third entry of the franchise. The video up above contains a fair amount of the theme from the opening moments of Pitch Black. The real meat of the theme doesn't start until 1:10, but even before then listeners should get the idea. For a fan who appreciates the great work behind musical compositions, the inclusion of Graeme Revell's core theme in Riddick is one hell of a smart move, not only referencing the prior films but continuing to pave the road for grand science fiction themes.