This film is available from Arrow Video in a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD set or a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray set.
Back in the late 1990s, Vin Diesel was just getting his start in Hollywood. His acting credits included a supporting role in Saving Private Ryan, as well as the voice of The Iron Giant (which is a cult hit now, but was a box-office flop during its original theatrical run). The $23 million dollar science-fiction/horror film Pitch Black in 2000 marked his first starring role. It was a remarkably effective sci-fi horror picture that may have been a modest financial success, but it really got him noticed by the studios. The Fast and the Furious followed and was a monster hit, suggesting the actor was about to become a superstar.
At this point, he chose to reteam with Pitch Black co-writer/director David Twohy on a big-budget sequel The Chronicles of Riddick was bankrolled by Universal Pictures for somewhere between $105 and $120 million (depending on the source). Unfortunately, it didn’t perform as expected and likely lost money after marketing fees, etc. The movie also received mixed-negative notices from the press. But over the years, the picture has earned a bigger and bigger following (as well as a second sequel in 2013).
Shockingly, it has now been 20 years since the original release of The Chronicles of Riddick. Arrow Video is celebrating the anniversary with two new “Limited Edition” packages of the movie. Each edition is three discs and contains the theatrical cut (in the original 2.35:1 and 1.85:1 aspect ratios), as well as the director’s cut which runs an extra 15 minutes. All versions of the films are presented either in 4K Ultra HD or on Blu-ray (you’ll have to pick one specific format as the other isn’t included).
For this release, Arrow Video has restored the picture by scanning the original Super 35mm camera negative. As you might already have guessed, the 4K Ultra HD version looks fantastic, and the Blu-ray edition from the same restoration is very strong as well, certainly bettering the previous 2009 Blu-ray release of the film.
While the original was a claustrophobic monster movie, this epic broadens the scope and universe surrounding the title character. Riddick (Vin Diesel) is a criminal-turned-reluctant-hero who has spent his time since the events of the last picture hiding in isolation. That hasn’t meant that others aren’t still trying to hunt him down. Mercenary Toombs (Nick Chinlund) and his team are hunting the main character for a cash payday. A faraway planet called Helium Prime is on the verge of being invaded by a strange force known as the Necromongers. Lord Marshal (Colm Feore) is the leader determined to take over and execute anyone who refuses to be converted to his belief system. His staff includes Commander Vaako (Karl Urban) and his scheming wife Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton) as well as an advisor/holy spokesman for the group called The Purifier (Linus Roache). Elemental being and prisoner Aereon (Judi Dench) contacts Riddick and asks him to use his deadly fighting skills to help humanity survive the onslaught. The lead ultimately agrees and in the process encounters Abu Imam (Keith David) and Jack/Kyra (Alexa Davalos) from the previous film.
Yes, it has been 20 years and some of the digital effects, involving wide shots of Helium Prime, have aged. The film is also hard-boiled and while some performances are excellent, a few are clunky. There’s a lot going on between the heroes, villains (who are also plotting political moves against one another), mercenaries and others. We also learn much more about Riddick and where he comes from. The screenplay even sends its lead to a prison planet for a good portion of the running time, where he encounters other convicts and warders. It’s all a bit overstuffed. Additionally, the film has an amusing habit of having characters scream the lead’s name repeatedly (I wouldn’t advise a “Riddick!” drinking game to anyone who isn’t prepared to pass out an hour into the movie).
While it is overly busy and too serious for its own good, I still enjoyed the picture. The sets and production design are phenomenal and the movie does have an epic feel. There are some impressive visual effects, like those on the prison planet exteriors. And anything practical in the film is wonderful to look at, from the Lord Marshal’s battle mask to the main hall of his palace.
Feore is an entertaining villain and some of the new characters are compelling as well. Roache in particular makes a strong impression. His antagonist has an interesting history that is slowly revealed, making for one of the most memorable characters.
Riddick doesn’t exactly emote in this story, but he does get in a couple of amusing one-liners (a funny one involves a reference to a violent act while drinking tea). And there’s a lot of great action sequences, including an escape from a scorching volcano-planet. Anyone who can’t find shade is turned to dust by the heat, putting a nifty spin on the original picture’s horror-in-darkness set-up. The final battle includes some fun double-crosses as well.
So, it’s a busy but fun science-fiction action pic. The director’s cut is definitely superior to the theatrical edition. It’s 134 minutes (which isn’t exceedingly long), feels less choppy and still allows more time to develop some of the characters.
As mentioned, the image quality on the 4K Ultra HD version is seemingly perfect. There is a hint of film grain here and there, with an incredibly clear and detailed picture. The Blu-ray version is almost as impressive and will certainly wow fans of the movie.
This set’s extra features are also incredible. The movie has been released on Blu-ray and DVD before and seemingly all pre-existing bonuses from the earlier “director’s cut” release are included. You’ll get a commentary with Twohy and Diesel, and a second track with Twohy and co-stars Urban and Davelos. There are trailers, as well as archival featurettes on visual effects, the creation of Helion Prime, the prison planet too, as well as the design of the Necromongers and their baroque-inspired backdrops.
There are also production videos and vignettes, deleted scenes (with director commentary) that include the fate of one seemingly abandoned character. Animated shorts on the various worlds in the film are also included. And the third disc with the open matte 1.85:1 theatrical edition comes with cut scenes from a tie-in Riddick video game and a television special promoting the film’s release in 2004.
As if that wasn’t enough, there are notable new bonuses. They’re present on the first disc. This includes a 74-minute retrospective documentary on the feature. Twohy takes part, along with co-stars Keith David and Linus Roache, in addition to the storyboard artist and members of the visual effects team. It’s an excellent feature that, along with a new interview with Twohy, goes into more detail about how he became attached to the original Pitch Black.
Producers at Polygram had an original script with a great concept, but didn’t care for its execution. Twohy rewrote it, focusing on the characters and transforming each traditional role into something different than audiences were anticipating. He believes this is what made the picture effective and this reviewer would agree. Made by Polygram, the company went bankrupt just at the end of production and Universal were impressed enough to pick up the film and distribute it (rather than the movie being sold and sent direct-to-disc).
Diesel loved the character, so he and Twohy were excited by world-building potential in this follow-up. The filmmaker talks about working with the same effects as in his previous films, making communication easier. Gigantic sets were built and lit in Vancouver, Canada with the moviemaker noting they were so enormous that one studio-related headache was the cost of lighting the sets. Apparently, the production company was using more power than all but the 5-largest cities in the country.
The modelmakers and visual effects team share some fun stories in the doc and in separate new interviews about building these worlds and trying to make them different from famous science-fiction pictures. One amusing bit involves the shooting of a stunt involving Riddick running from a Necromonger ship. The aircraft ends up crashing behind and flipping over the character as he dives to the ground. The knightly face on the spaceship is that of director Twohy.
These new bits also feature discussions of the film’s lasting legacy. While they admit it didn’t set the box-office on fire, they were generally pleased with the final product and were disappointed by the returns. Personally, I think that while the original was a perfect little sci-fi/horror gem that did reasonable business (about $53 million worldwide at the box office), the property wasn’t ubiquitous at the time. General audiences still weren’t all that familiar with Pitch Black, at least not enough to support a mega-budgeted follow-up. Still, if a studio is willing to pay for the production, one can’t blame anyone involved for going ahead and making the movie. It seems that many are still hoping for another return of the character (since the lower-budgeted follow-up Riddick in 2013).
The sets also contain booklets with new writing on the movie and a reversible sleeve for the set containing new and original art for the movie.
In the end, the old bonuses are enlightening and the new retrospective material is even more engaging and fun to listen to. The movie itself isn’t perfect and could have done with fewer characters and more humor, but there is plenty to like, including wonderful visuals, a few strong performances and some entertaining action. The Chronicles of Riddick is a wonderful 4K Ultra HD release (and the Blu-ray is excellent as well) that offers a notable upgrade in picture quality. It has certainly made me curious about revisiting 2013’s Riddick and seeing how it holds up. Pitch Black is also currently available in 4K Ultra HD. Perhaps a 4K Ultra HD of that title is in the pipeline too?