Riddick

Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH3O-CeZckE

Just how am I going to use this 'riddick-ulous' pun I've been saving up since I left the left the cinema. I don't think Riddick is riddickulously good but i don't think it's riddickulously bad either. I'll call it a riddickulously  just above average suspense action film. And also promise to stop saying riddickulous.

After a bit of thought I'd call Riddick a mix of Alien and Batman- in particular the Arkham games. This makes it sound absolutely boss but it's obviously not done as well. The majority of the film is centred around 2 teams of bounty hunters [at least one team are bounty hunters anyway] who land on this pretty baron planet to hunt Riddick. This leads to a lot of pretty tense stealth kills as Riddick proceeds to pick them off one by one.

It was initially quite fun but the problem is we're introduced to Riddick in quite a lengthy intro sequence that gives his back story and shows him adapting to this new planet he's been abandoned on. We're asked to be scared of what's hiding in the dark but we actually already know. By following his recovery it sort of gets us on Riddick's side, especially when he adopts a cute canine companion. If you want the viewer to like a character just show them being nice to cute animals- they are now a hero.

It's clear some of bounty hunters are bad but what's confusing is that some appear to be good guys- I didn't really know who to root for.

The film does have some very nice moments. When either Riddick or anyone else go head to head with the planet's monsters it's always action packed and well choreographed. Fans of monster movies will have a good time here I think. It's a shame the monsters aren't more varied but the main design of species that always seem to be going for them is pretty intimidating and creepy.

It won't go down as the most memorable sci-fi of the year but it has some nice moments and is very tense for most of the film. Without sending sexist it's very much a guy-film in the way that chick flicks also exist. It's got a main badass, it's got action and horror elements and a load of gore.

7/10