Doing what I can for Riddick...

[1godzillafan]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002VEUV2.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

You see this DVD? It comes out Tuesday. Do yourself a favor, buy this DVD. Buy the theatrical version too. Buy some for your friends as well. Even if they hated it. Even if they haven't seen it.

Why do you ask? Because the future of this wonderful franchise lies within the hands of the DVD sales. The Chronicles of Riddick flopped domesticly, but made it's money back worldwide (barely, but it made it!). Ironicly, the reason we got the movie in the first place was the strong DVD sales of Pitch Black.

David Twohy and Vin Diesel sound very anxious about making the last two Riddick movies, and the more I hear about them, so am I. And I'm not even a Vin Diesel fan. I hated the Fast and the Furious, and the trailers for XXX made my eyes bleed (luckily I stayed as far away from that movie as I could). But Richard B. Riddick was easily the role he was born to play. I remember the first time I watched Pitch Black. The moment I saw his eyes, I've never been so captivated by a character. So eager to hear his story. I'd buy the Butcher Bay video game, but I don't have an X-Box (and don't intend to get one for just one video game) and am considering buying the Dark Fury anime even though Matriculated was hands down my least favorite Animatrix short. And now his story is in danger of never being completed and it's really pissing me off.

Please. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for 1godzillafan. Don't make a grown man cry because both the Fast and the Furious and XXX got sequels and not this.

[Drakon]

Tuesday? Hell, I could get it tonight......


If it didnt make my eyes bleed.

[Captain Bryan]

I'll check it out.
I didn't like pitch black untill there was an actual pitch black moment. Ask TSA.:p

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by Drakon
Tuesday? Hell, I could get it tonight......


If it didnt make my eyes bleed.

Enough talk of XXX. This is Riddick.

[Drakon]

Sorry, 1GF,but I didnt like PB, so I dont really wanna watch Riddick-ulous.

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by Drakon
Sorry, 1GF,but I didnt like PB, so I dont really wanna watch Riddick-ulous.

Ah, like I haven't heard that "clever" play on words a million times before.:p

It's cool that you don't like Riddick, but don't steal a phrase that I used to describe XXX one post above to describe a movie that I'm guessing from this post that you haven't seen.;)

[eSJayBee]

Oh Heck, I would. I loved Chronicles. :up:

[Amirius]

Chronicles was easily the best Vin Diesel movie out there and I hate a lot of the work the guy does so that's high praise coming from me. The movie was great and I for one am going to buy the DVD. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, as far as I can tell (then again i'm nowhere near a critic and I usually don't read too deep into a movie's storyline) the story behind Pitch Black has very little to nothing to do with Chronicles aside from setting up things in the backstory such as character introductions and a few slight references to Riddick's past.

[Drakon]

Originally posted by 1godzillafan
Enough talk of XXX. This is Riddick. Wheres the pun?

Its not that I dont think that it could be a good movie, dont get me wrong. Its just not a movie that I would particularly like.

[eSJayBee]

we'll ship you chocolate if you watch it. Now how could you say 'no' to chocolate?

[Drakon]

Like this

Me: Chocolate!! NO! Thats a Bad Chocolate!! We dont pee on the carpet!!

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by Drakon
Wheres the pun?

No pun. But I wouldn't look behind you, non-Riddick lover...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/Mr_w1701/page-200-02a.jpg

[eSJayBee]

on a side note: that cover looks hawt

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by eSJayBee
on a side note: that cover looks hawt

Oh hell yes. Definatly the best DVD art I've seen all year (of course, there wasn't much competition from the half-assed likes of the Matrix Revolutions. Honestly, WB, what the fuck was that?).

The theatrical version aint bad either, but I prefer the DC.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002VEUTO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[eSJayBee]

the DC's one is definitely better, imo. Most DVD covers seem pretty boring or tacky, anyway.

[Captain Bryan]

Originally posted by Drakon
Like this

Me: Chocolate!! NO! Thats a Bad Chocolate!! We dont pee on the carpet!! I love family guy:)

[eSJayBee]

the pet rock scene?

[Amirius]

Probably;)

btw Drak, you must have gotten a bad egg. I've had chocolate for years and it hasn't done anything bad at all. Come to think of it, it hasn't done anything at all

[Captain Bryan]

Originally posted by Amirius
Probably;)

btw Drak, you must have gotten a bad egg. I've had chocolate for years and it hasn't done anything bad at all. Come to think of it, it hasn't done anything at all "I looooooooooooove chocolate, but I can't eat it because I'll get fat, but it's sooooooooooooo gooooooooooood."
;)

[1godzillafan]

Sunday is finally almost over. Just one more Riddick-less day until I got my greedy hands on this DVD. I just hope the features are a bit better than the ones on the Pitch Black rerelease (all of the featurettes were about 3 minutes long! And not even a damn trailer in sight!).

Oh well, I still got my Pitch Black DVD to hold me over.

[Movies205]

THis movie is shit :up: Okay it not that bad it's decent, but over-all it's not very good. And it steals it's ending from Conkers, I hope this series dies and the director ends up making me a chicken whopper at burger king, or flipping my flap-jacks!

[Captain Bryan]

Isn't that what you're doing right now, TSA?:p

[1godzillafan]

I'm trying to figure out what that thumbs up is for. He hates the movie and then it seems like he says "and I loved every minute of it."

Isn't that the Resident Evil Syndrome?

[1godzillafan]

Oh hell yes. I just checked Amazon and Escape From Butcher Bay is coming to PC on December 7th. Now I'll gladly buy the game. It should have been on PC from day one.

[Captain Bryan]

I agree, it deffinetly should have.:)

[1godzillafan]

ComingSoon.net posted it's DVD Review. (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/dvdreviewsnews.php?id=7193) Looks like the extras are just as disappointing as the new Pitch Black release.:( Oh well, I always buy for the movie. If it's got good extras, good for it.

Tomarrow, tomarrow...
I'll own you tomarrow...
It's only a day away!

[1godzillafan]

Vin Diesel gave a new interview (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=7235) to ComingSoon.net about the future of the franchise.

He still sounds enthusiastic about it, but claims things are up in the air. But he'll definatly do Riddick 3 and 4 if they're given the greenlight. He also gave a little insight to what they would have in store for us. In 3 he'd face the Underverse (the Riddick universe's own version of Hell), and in 4 he'd go back to his own planet of Furia.

God that sounds badass. Must see movies now!

And the DVD of Chronicles comes out today so yay for me!

[Captain Bryan]

So, how is it then?

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by Captain Bryan
So, how is it then?

Going to give it a go tonight. Can't really do anything right now, but I plan on posting a DVD review as soon as possible.

[1godzillafan]

The Chronicles of Riddick (Unrated Director's Cut)

Some films seem to dominate the film industry during some years...

2002: The Year of Spider-Man

2003: The Year of the Matrix

2004: The Year of PG-13 Sequels to R-Rated Movies

Think about it, we've had three alone this year. It kicked off with the not as bad as it's reputation Whole Ten Yards, followed by the Chronicles of Riddick (which I'm reviewing right now), and ended with the entertaining but could have been better AVP: Alien vs. Predator. David Twohy and Paul WS Anderson, directors of Riddick and AVP, both promised Director's Cuts when the films got to DVD so we can see their original, un-toned down version. And here we are. The DC of Riddick has finally arrived at long last.

Let me start by saying that out of all three of these PG-13 sequels, Riddick was easily the best. This was obvious even when I was viewing the PG-13 cut.

I liked Pitch Black. I thought it was what one of those TV movies they show on the Sci-Fi channel could be if actual effort and intelegence was put forth. When I first heard of David Twohy's hopeful followup trilogy, I thought it sounded interesting. I'd definatly check it out. But as time went on and I found out more and more about the first instalment, I found myself getting more and more hyped. Pretty soon, it was damn near the top of my most anticipated films of 2004 list. Sure, I was disappointed with the PG-13 rating it eventually got, but I'm not one to judge before I see it.

It was finally released and I was there opening day. I was completly blown away. Toned down? Probably. But this movie felt like Riddick, and that's all that mattered to me. David Twohy's direction is, as usual, outstanding. The pace that this guy gives his films is amazing. It's not too fast, not too slow, but perfect. And the editing job will really catch your eye with all the creative cuts. The story is very creative, although a little by the book. After all, we got a similar story two years ago with the Scorpion King right down to the ending. But this movie presented it's story with much less cheese than SK did. And the special effects are easily the best of the year. I would have aknowledged the Day After Tomarrow with this, if it weren't for thos damn wolves.

The directors cut adds 15 minutes of new footage. It's been months since I saw the PG-13 cut, so I'll just list what stuck out the most, which would be several scenes where Riddick dreams of his home world Furya. I'm not sure if I like these. They slow down the action quite a bit, but they are informative about Riddick's character. There's also an early glimpse of Kyra toward the begining of the film where she is shoved into a cage. Doesn't add anything, but it's nice to see her earlier in the movie, especially once you know that this is Jack from Pitch Black. The last most noticable difference is just an added line. When Riddick takes back his soul from Lord Marshal, he shouts out "FUCK YOU!" This is a very cool addition for some reason. I just really liked it. However I do suspect that the line was taken directly from Pitch Black from when Riddick has the gun pointed at Johns. The delivery is exactly the same.

If the Matrix is my Star Wars, then the Chronicles of Riddick has to be my Lord of the Rings. Nothing against both series, I like both (well, I would like LOTR a lot more is Fellowship of the Ring wasn't so goddamn boring), it's just while I watch this movie, I feel like it was made specificly for me. That's a feeling I rarely get. Here's to the next two sequels. If there is a god, they'll get made.

[Amirius]

Wanted to get it today but no dice:( . Gonna have to wait till tomorrow (got work so I doubt it) or Thursday.

Defenitaly gonna buy it though, I wanna see this through to the end:) .

I would have aknowledged the Day After Tomarrow with this, if it weren't for thos damn wolves

What are you talking about? I thought they did an excellent job with the wolves, the only thing that seemed fake was that one face shot of one of them; that was the only shot that you could really tell they were CG. They got the running motion and overall movement and even posture right down to the nail, IMO.

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by Amirius


What are you talking about? I thought they did an excellent job with the wolves, the only thing that seemed fake was that one face shot of one of them; that was the only shot that you could really tell they were CG. They got the running motion and overall movement and even posture right down to the nail, IMO.

The wolves looked horrible to me. It doesn't have anything with movement and posture, the looked like they came out of a cartoon.

[1godzillafan]

Great news! Strong first day sales! (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/dvdnews.php?id=7268)

If it keeps up, the Underverse sequel at least should be on Vin and David's schedule in the future. Maybe with a lower budget, but it might happen.

This has got me going again. After watching Chronicles again yesterday, I think the next two chapters have jumped to the top of my most anticipated "possible" movies in the future. Even above Spider-Man 3.

[eSJayBee]

Just got the Director's Cut last week. I'm going to keep this short: I'm happy with it. :up:

[Captain Bryan]

Well that's good.:)

[1godzillafan]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001O3YA8.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

DVD Review

Movie Rating: *** out of ****
Extras Rating: *** 1/2 out of ****

Movie Review: I was so torn on whether I should have bought this or not. On one hand, I love the Riddick franchise. David Twohy is a masterful writer and director (the pacing of his movies is unmatched. Just the perfect speed), the character of Riddick is an anti-hero that I can get behind (despite the fact that I don't generally care for Vin Diesel at all), and the Riddick universe is interesting enough for me to want to know more. I also enjoyed the Animatrix, even if it was a mixed bag. Then on the other hand, I've never been into anime. Just not my bag. Also, this feature was made by Peter Chung, who also made Matriculated, which was easily my least favorite short of all of the Animatirix. It never went anywhere and strained what would have been an interesting story. And finally, the thing was only a half hour long, which keeps you guessing whether it's worth the money to buy a whole DVD just for it. Ultimatly, my love for Riddick's mythology won out. After all, I loved Pitch Black and the Chronicles of Riddick, and the video game, Escape From Butcher Bay, kicked major ass, so I figured I should get it over with. At least this way I'll fill in the missing piece of Riddick's story.

When it was finally over, I enjoyed Dark Fury and how it neatly tied into the story of both Pitch Black and the Cronicles of Riddick, but I have several problems with it. Most of these have to do with the script, which is very obviously not written by David Twohy. Twohy supplies the story, but it is screenplayed by Brett Matthews. While Matthews' script isn't terrible, it does tend to stray off from what I assosiate with Riddick. For example (and I warn you of two things, this review contains spoilers from this point on and the following may be nitpicking), there is this one part, it is the tiniest thing that's gone within less than a second, yet it still bothers me. Somewhere in the middle of the story, the villians have Jack and Imam captured and tied up. When Riddick sees this, he says "Oh shit." Riddick would never say this, especially not in front of the villian. He is too smart to say that. By saying that, he gives the villian the knowledge that she has the upper hand, which is something that Riddick would not allow. But of course, Riddick could just be saying this to make the villian overconfident, which I find unlikely since he hasn't seen what she has in store for him, Jack, and Imam yet.

Speaking of villians, there's another problem I have with the script. They are way too over-the-top. The main villian acts like some stuck up critic wondering around an art museum. Sure, that may have been the entire point of her character, but it's hard to generate fear from something that would normally make you laugh. And by the end of the movie, she seems to snap with no real reason given whatsoever. If the villian doesn't work, the story better be damn good to survive. Luckily, the story isn't half bad and it's a near complete salvage.

Another villian worth noting here is Toombs, whom you may remember as the merc who was chasing Riddick in the Chronicles of Riddick. If you've seen Chronicles and not Dark Fury, then Toombs will come off as just some money hungry bounty hunter. In Dark Fury, his is given a slight back story with Riddick. I assume this is because Twohy felt sorry that Johns didn't survive Pitch Black so he could come back for future Riddick movies, so he's trying Toombs out as a replacement. It doesn't work. Toombs is way too...how should I put this...neanderthalic to replace Johns. The reason why Johns was such a great character was that he seemed to be Riddick's opposite, yet his equal. They respected each other for what they were, but hated each others guts because of it. Toombs is just an ass. An annoying little zit that won't go away. In fact, had I never seen Dark Fury, I would have been very surprised to see him come back for any sequel beyond Chronicles. Now, sadly, it seems to me like Twohy may have something more for the character. I just hope it's good, in case the last two sequels get made.

Probably what dissapointed me the most was the lazy voice acting. The voice acting in Escape From Butcher Bay was excelent, especially for a video game. I was hoping for the same in Dark Fury, bun Vin Diesel sleepwalks here pretty much the same way he did in the Fast and the Furious. And although it's neat to have Rhiana Griffith back in the role of Jack, there's a certian problem with voicing a charater you played when you were 12 four years later. It's called puberty. Dark Fury supposedly takes place not long after Pitch Black, but Jack doesn't sound 12 no more. Her voice is much more teenagerish. More nitpicking, I know. I probably just should be glad that they kept cast continuity.

Like I said, most of my problems here are personal nitpicks, but there is plenty here to like. The animation is pretty cool, I guess. Even though it's a little too abstract for my taste (more nitpicking). Some of the action scenes are pretty cool too, even though you'd love to see Vin Diesel perform them in live action. There is one shot in this feature that I absolutly love, and that's one of the final shots where we see Jack lying down with a death grip on a gun a few hours after she's killed someone for the first time. It's got a great emotional impact and is truly a turning point for the character (leading up to Kyra in Chronicles).

Extras Review: Here's my question, Universal: Why am I more impressed with an anime tie-in DVD than the DVD efforts of either of it's live action counterparts? The featurettes on the Pitch Black DVD were way too short and, other than the text commentary, everything on the Chronicles of Riddick DVD was a big fucking yawn. Two of the extras on Dark Fury actually sound like several extras on the Pitch Black DVD, except here they are several minutes longer. What is your excuse, Universal? Huh? I'm waiting! Oh well, Dark Fury also got the shaft too, since the feature has no chapter stops whatsoever. But other than that, this has the best extras of any Riddick DVD:

From Pitch Black to the Chronicles of Riddick: Bridging the Gap: Good making of. It's short, but not as short as the featurettes on the Pitch Black DVD.

Animatic to Animation: This is for all of you animation die hards who like to see how these things are done. It's the entire feature done as storyboarded. Complete with untampered voice acting. Very interesting to watch and a great add on.

Peter Chung - The Mind of an Animator: Chung talks about being an animator and how he did Dark Fury. Once again, this is great for animation fans.

Into the Light: A sneak peek at the Chronicles of Riddick. There was a similar feature on the Pitch Black DVD, but this one is longer. So I must once again say "What the hell, Universal?"

Promos: In the words of Joel Hodgson, "Product placement, right there!"

Knight Rider Season 1 (caught the end of some of these before Sliders on the Sci-Fi channel. Didn't look like it was my cup of tea, but I'm pretty sure it has it's fans)
Pitch Black DVD (good movie, half assed DVD. If you have the original DVD, stick with it, there's nothing much more here)

Get to the damn point already: Dark Fury is a must see if you're a Riddick fan, since it's a missing piece in the puzzle that is the Riddick universe. Whether you want to pay for a whole DVD for it (even though it is pretty cheap) is up to you. I think this might have been more interesting as an extra on the Pitch Black DVD (lord knows that there was plenty of room on there).

[eSJayBee]

Many animated films made as sequel/prequels to live-action films usually don't seem to work out well. Doesn't sound like this is an exception. I honestly love how you make reviews, 1GF. Really. :) I think I may check out Dark Fury soon.

[eSJayBee]

Just saw "Dark Fury". The animation is good though it seems to change styles by the time Riddick fights that right-hand man of the art connoisseur. Also, I agree that Vin Diesel seems to have sleep walked through this one. It felt flat. Not like the cool tone that Riddick had in Chronicles (it's been a little longer since I saw Pitch Black so I can't compare there). One thing I really liked about Dark Fury was how it kept the radically odd theme of the Riddick world that Chronicles showed us. So much more fun to look at than the usual, generic sci-fi worlds.

Call me dumb or slow but...why was this called "Dark Fury"? :confused:

[1godzillafan]

Originally posted by eSJayBee

Call me dumb or slow but...why was this called "Dark Fury"? :confused:

I have absoulutly no clue. Best I can come up with is they wanted a title similar to Pitch Black, and that was the only thing they could think of that used the word "Dark" or otherwise.

[Captain Bryan]

What a good reason.:(