Pitch Black (2000) - The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

**tak sakaguchi** Qui Mar 12, 2009 10:22 am

The movie opens in the 46th century, as a cargo spacecraft accidentally crosses through a comet's tail while on auto-pilot. The ship along with 10 passengers survives a crash onto a strange, brightly lit desert planet. Due to the planet's complex orbit among its three suns, there is perpetual daylight. Among the survivors are Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), the ship's docking pilot; a bounty hunter named William J. Johns (Cole Hauser); a Muslim Imam with his three novices Ali (Firass Dirani), Hassan (Sam Sari) and Suleiman (Les Chantery); a young stowaway named Jack (Rhiana Griffith); an antique dealer named Paris (Lewis Fitz-Gerald); and two Australian prospectors, Zeke (John Moore) and Shazza (Claudia Black), and Johns' captured target, a dangerous criminal named Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) who (by some accounts) has had an illegal surgical procedure performed on his eyes to give him perfect night vision, at the expense of rendering him very sensitive to light, forcing him to wear a pair of shaded welding goggles during the day.

Riddick manages to escape, and Johns leaves to track him. When Zeke goes to bury the bodies of the ship's navigator and another dead colonist he is attacked by unseen creatures and brutally killed. Riddick is caught shortly afterward by Johns, and Shazza accuses Riddick of killing Zeke. At Riddick's urging, Fry investigates a cave and discovers that a colony of vicious creatures exists underground, though fortunately they stay in the caves where it is dark.

An abandoned mining settlement with a supply of water and a small escape ship is discovered several miles from the crash site, near a canyon filled with the bones of the planet's ancient life (similar to Earth's elephant graveyards). While exploring the deserted base, Ali investigates the large coring room. He awakens a swarm of smaller creatures and is found flayed. The crash survivors have a much more pressing issue, however. An astronomical model reveals that a month-long total eclipse of the planet is imminent and the survivors must escape before it begins and the creatures emerge. They must retrieve power cells from the crashed ship to power the escape vehicle.

While retrieving the cells the eclipse begins and the creatures attack. The group attempts to take shelter, but Shazza is violently torn apart by the smaller creatures during a dash for the wrecked ship. The group take shelter in a section of the cargo ship, until they find that the creatures have also found a way inside, when a pair of them devour Hassan. Johns shoots one of the creatures and upon inspecting the corpse, the group discover that the creatures are extremely photosensitive, to the point where their skin starts to burn when light is directed upon it. Electing to make a dash for the ship with the power cells, the seven arm themselves with lights and attempt the journey back to the escape vehicle. Riddick uses his surgically-altered eyes to lead through the darkness. While at first well illuminated, the large, brightly lit fiber optic cables the group have wrapped around them fail when Paris panics and attempts to flee, knocking over the power configuration and extinguishing the light. Without the protection the light offers, Paris is quickly eaten. The six make their way to a large canyon, which in turn leads to the settlement and salvation. Riddick says that the entire canyon is filled with the "Big Boys" and that "The girl" is bleeding, turning to Jack. "Jack" admits that she is a girl, saying she thought that people would respect her more if people thought she was male. Now, unfortunately, Jack is on her menstrual cycle, and the creatures are tracking the group by the scent of her blood. Johns speaks with Riddick, saying that if Jack's blood will attract the creatures, then maybe he should kill her and drag the body behind them as a distraction. This comment causes Riddick to attack Johns and they fight in a small circle of light created by flares. The fight lasts until the flares go out. Riddick sinks into the shadows as, without protection, Johns is eaten by a creature. As they enter the canyon it starts raining. The lights go out and Suleiman is grabbed by an alien and injured but Fry wards it off with a flashlight. They continue but Suleiman is again taken by a creature, too quickly for anyone to help. When most of their light sources are gone, the three remain in a cave while Riddick goes alone to the ship. In the cave the three discovers that it's filled with glowworm like slugs and fill bottles with them. Armed with this Fry goes after Riddick. Impressed at Fry's instinct and skill in finding her way to the ship, Riddick callously asks her to leave Imam and Jack behind. Fry initially accepts, but then overcomes her fears and pins Riddick to the ground, ordering him to help her rescue the remaining survivors. (During the initial crash, Fry had attempted to jettison the passenger compartment to save herself and the navigator, but was stopped by the latter.) Riddick then easily overpowers Fry and holds a knife to her throat, asking if she is willing to die for them. Fry states that she would. Riddick is once again impressed by Fry, and agrees to return to Imam and Jack, and the four then make their way to the ship.

On their way back, Riddick has trailed behind and is surrounded by two creatures. Fry, who had made it back to the skiff, subsequently finds Riddick with a severe leg injury, and leaves the ship to help him aboard. The final death is considered a twist ending; Fry, who Riddick found himself attracted to and was protecting throughout the film, is suddenly stabbed in the back by a creature and dragged into the darkness while trying to help him. Riddick screams "not for me", presumably deeming his life unworthy of being saved by Fry's sacrifice.

Riddick makes it back to the skiff to find Imam and Jack waiting. In a final stroke of revenge, he delays departure until the last possible second before engaging the engines at full throttle to incinerate the greatest possible number of advancing creatures.

As the three are leaving the planet, Jack asks what they should say if they run into bounty hunters or other law enforcers asking where to find Riddick. He responds by saying, "Tell 'em Riddick's dead. He died somewhere on that planet."

Cast
Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick
Radha Mitchell as Carolyn Fry
Cole Hauser as William J. Johns
Keith David as Abu "Imam" al-Walid
Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Paris P. Ogilvie
Claudia Black as Sharon "Shazza" Montgomery
Rhiana Griffith as Jack
John Moore as John "Zeke" Ezekiel
Simon Burke as Greg Owens
Les Chantery as Suleiman
Sam Sari as Hassan
Firass Dirani as Ali
Vic Wilson as Captain Tom Mitchell
Angela Moore as Dead Crewmember

**tak sakaguchi** Qui Mar 12, 2009 10:28 am

Pitch Black (2000) - The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) Ridick320x290

The film opens with a narrative, explaining the motives of the Necromongers, a race of pilgrims travelling across the universe toward the Underverse. Their leader, the "holy half-dead Lord Marshal" (Colm Feore), systematically commands his Necromonger Legion Vast to overrun worlds and convert its inhabitants into Necromongers; those that oppose conversion die. The story begins with Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) evading bounty hunter Toombs (Nick Chinlund) on the icy world of UV VI. Following the events of Pitch Black, Riddick has been on the run for five years in an attempt to keep his friends Imam (Keith David) and Jack (Alexa Davalos) safe. A 1.5 million bounty is placed on Riddick's head and Toombs and his crew attempt to capture the rogue convict, but ultimately fail when Riddick steals Toombs' ship and flies off towards the planet Helion Prime, in search of Imam. In the Director's Cut, Riddick is plagued by visions from a character named Shirah during the flight, who tells Riddick he is the last of a warrior-race called the Furyans.

When Riddick lands on Helion Prime, he confronts Imam in the city of New Mecca, demanding the removal of the bounty, but Imam concedes he only gave information on where he was to the one who placed the bounty. Imam also tells Riddick that Jack went looking for him several years earlier and ended up in prison on the planet Crematoria. Imam states he is still Riddick's friend and only betrayed his trust so he could see him again, and so his people could have a fighting chance against their enemies. He introduces Aereon (Judi Dench), an envoy of the Elementals, who arranged for Riddick to be brought to Helion. She explains he is part of a prophecy that states a lone Furyan will one day challenge an unstoppable evil and bring balance back to the universe, to which she says the Necromongers are the ones the prophecy foretells.

Following this revelation, the Necromonger army attacks Helion Prime, and wipes out the planet's defenses in one night. Imam is killed in the attack while protecting his family. An enraged Riddick heads to where Helion Prime survivors are gathered before the Necromongers and the Lord Marshal and dispatches Imam's killer easily. Suspicious of his abilities, the Lord Marshal has Riddick taken into his fortress to confirm his identity. Placed before the psychic Quasi-Deads, who claim Riddick is a Furyan, the Lord Marshal orders his death, but he escapes, only to run into Toombs again. Riddick allows himself to be captured, so he can be transported to Crematoria, a dead world with daytime surface temperatures that scorch the face of the planet.

Riddick is reunited with Jack, who now goes by the name of Kyra. She blames him for leaving her and Imam in New Mecca, but eventually they reconcile. Back on Helion Prime, the Lord Marshal commands Necromonger Commander Vaako (Karl Urban) to find Riddick and have him killed. Vaako is curious as to why the Lord Marshal is so afraid of Riddick. With encouragement from his rabidly ambitious wife, Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton), the two learn prior to obtaining his current title, the Lord Marshal singlehandedly destroyed the Furyans' homeworld of Furya and its citizens, after a seer foretold that a male Furyan will cause his downfall. They deduce Riddick is the one in the prophecy, thus Vaako sets out to Crematoria with a small group of Necromongers and a Purifier to bring him down.

When Toombs and his crew argue over Riddick's bounty with the prison warden and his guards, a gunfight erupts, after the warden is alerted to the incoming Necromongers, having picked up the trail left behind by Toombs' ship. The warden and guards escape, running through man-made tunnels towards the ship hangar, locking the rest of prison down to prevent the inmates from escaping. Riddick, Kyra and some of the inmates decide to head to the surface and stay ahead of the rising sun and the conflagration it creates on the surface, hoping to reach Toombs' ship first. They reach the hangar, but Vaako and his contingent of soldiers have arrived on the planet, hastily taking out the warden and his guards. Riddick and company are forced to fight the Necromongers.

Amidst the numerous casualties, Vaako narrowly defeats Riddick. In the Director's Cut, Riddick suddenly manifests a powerful energy burst which knocks out both himself and most of the Necromongers. Vaako leaves Riddick for dead as the rising sun burns Crematoria's surface. Vaako and the surviving Necromongers make their escape, taking Kyra, who believes Riddick has perished. Riddick almost burns to death, but is suddenly saved by the Purifier, who claims the Lord Marshal has offered to spare Riddick's life in exchange for assurance that Riddick will not attempt to kill him. The Purifier goes on to say Vaako will likely claim Riddick's death, in fear of failure, leaving the Lord Marshal vulnerable. Before walking into the sunlight and his death, the Purifier reveals himself to also be a Furyan.

Vaako returns to the Legion Vast, where the Lord Marshal promotes him. Riddick flies Toombs’ ship back to Helion Prime, intent on rescuing Kyra. The Lord Marshal orders the "Ascension Protocol", which will ultimately destroy all life on Helion Prime. However, Dame Vaako has seen Riddick, but suggests to her husband that he be allowed to fight the Lord Marshal, hopefully injuring him and allowing Vaako to deal the final blow and assume power based on the Necromonger philosophy "you keep what you kill". Riddick makes his way to the throne room, where he comes face to face with the Lord Marshal, who reveals Kyra has converted to their faith. After lamenting to himself that the Necromonger has killed everyone he loved, Riddick does battle with the Lord Marshal, whose unique powers prove too great for Riddick to handle.

Before the Lord Marshal can deliver the coup de grâce, Kyra stabs him in the back, but he backhands her into a spike on a column, mortally wounding her. Vaako, sensing an opportunity to vanquish his superior and claim leadership, strikes out at the Lord Marshal, who escapes the blow with his powers, but mistakenly positions himself directly next to Riddick. Riddick stabs him in the head, ending the Lord Marshal's life. He turns to the wounded Kyra, who whispers with her last breath, "I was always with you," and then dies in his arms. As he collapses on the Necromonger throne, the Legion Vast kneel before him, and Riddick remains silent while Aereon narrates: Now, what would be the odds of that...this dark army at the feet of a lone outlaw? And the fate of the rest of the universe? Well, not even I dare to calculate that. In the Director's Cut, the film abruptly ends with Riddick repeating the Necromonger adage "you keep what you kill," realizing he is the new leader of their empire. The epilogue of the novel adaptation goes even further with Riddick ordering the Necromonger fleet to the Threshold, gateway to the Underverse.

Cast
Actor Role
Vin Diesel Richard B. Riddick
Colm Feore Lord Marshal
Thandie Newton Dame Vaako
Judi Dench Aereon
Karl Urban Vaako
Alexa Davalos Jack / Kyra
Linus Roache Purifier
Yorick van Wageningen The Guv
Nick Chinlund Toombs
Keith David Imam The Great
Christina Cox Eve Logan