Riddick - 3 smiles

If you like sci-fi and Vin Diesel, you’ll enjoy “Riddick,” which works as a stand-alone film. However, it’s really the third after Pitch Black (2000) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). And Diesel is in fine growling form. The first third of the movie is probably the most engaging. It has Diesel’s character, Riddick, marooned on a truly inhospitable planet and for 30-40 minutes, it’s all about survival. Riddick inoculates himself against the venom of the planet’s vicious pincer-mouthed serpents and domesticates a jackal-like beast that becomes a stalwart companion. The middle portion occurs after Riddick sets off a distress beacon and bounty hunters arrive. There are 11 of them in total, but only a few merit mention: the greedy Santana (Jordi Molla), who wants to put Riddick’s head in a box; the no-nonsense Johns (Matt Nable), who wants him captured alive so he can be questioned and John’s right-hand woman Dahl (Katee Sackoff), who can kick butt as good as any of the men. The rest of the bounty hunters fill the role of victims to be killed off, one by one. In the final third, circumstances force the remaining survivors to band together to face an alien menace, but this late development feels a bit rushed. But with a 2-hour running time, I’m glad director David Twohy didn’t drag out the movie any longer.

Much of the film is over-the-top, but if you saw the first two, you won’t be surprised. And even though Twohy had a relatively small budget, it has the look of a mega-buck summer spectacle. (Just don’t look too closely at the futuristic bikes that go zipping across the alien terrain.) While “Riddick” is unquestionably Diesel’s film, there are some effective supporting performances. Jordi Molla is the kind of sadistic character whose come-uppance you relish and Katee Sackoff is the embodiment of a strong female character. “Riddick” isn’t perfect, but it’s a good high-octane sci-fi action thriller. 9/6/13