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The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Oooh, the imperfection!
I really liked the movie--it had it's downsides but on the whole was interesting and in places really beautiful (I'm waiting for the director's cut as I think a lot of the "mistakes" are just because they had to make it shorter). I would like to see a sequel, but not such a huge special effects bonanza as this one.
I think the appeal to Pitch Black was the relatively complex character arcs and the emotional intensity that was amplified by the claustrophobic feel of the whole thing. The first movie was small and intense. This movie felt in some ways too big (and too jiggly in the camera work). It was at it's best in tight quarters like when Riddick was in the Iman's home interacting with his family and the elemental or some of the prison sequences. Now, if it had been made smaller (Oooh it would be hard to give up the invasion sequences though) it would have made a profit and there would be more on the way.
I think Mr. Twohy displays certain consistent traits in his approach. I feel he tends to mistime the character arcs (Johns should have died later in the first movie to better pair his and Riddick's character arcs and the Necromancers should have been introduced earlier in this one so it didn't feel so much like two movies mooshed together). He tends to get an amazing start but then to really sing needs the collaboration of those around him (like in the first movie when Keith David as the the Imam ad libs "There is my God Mr. Riddick" and Diesel's insistence they film him on the ground after Fry is taken). I wonder if there was too much collaboration or in a big production like this was there the opportunity for less? Lisa