Riddick (2013)

"Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick's past."

There's not much I need to tell you about "Riddick". As you can see from the trailer, it's virtually a remake of "Pitch Black" (2000) but with better-looking CGI creatures and some surprisingly effective gore.

To some people, "Riddick" might be nothing more than a sci-fi/action adventure with yet another laconic anti-hero and a second-half which borrows formulas from hundreds of "cabin in the woods" slashers, but at least it's R-rated and much better than "The Chronicles of Riddick" (2004). "The Chronicles of Riddick" was a PG-13 step in the wrong direction, and to this day, I still haven't made it through that movie without falling asleep.

Thus, "Riddick" is a welcome return to somewhat exciting sci-fi which you don't have to strain your brain to enjoy. It's a "popcorn flick" with no illusions about being anything more, and I appreciate the honesty of it. There are no moral messages, or any subtext to worry about, just a straightforward journey from A to B which hopefully will have a sequel.

As you might expect in a Vin Diesel movie, the supporting characters are all full of testosterone and the usual questionable butchness which isn't a patch on Vin Diesel's own. Hell, in "Riddick", it seems that the epitome of badassery can even turn a lesbian straight! I have no further comment to make on that except it's rather amusing.

I'm also not going to give any plot points away—the trailer already does a fine job in that respect—or post a load of screencaps for other bloggers to steal. An old school sci-fi/action movie like "Riddick" simply deserves an old school recommendation rather than a deconstruction.

Even if you're not a big fan of sci-fi, "Riddick" is about spectacle which you need to go and see for yourself on the big screen as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed.