The Riddick Franchise

I recently purchased and played the game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay on the PC and have now begun to take a more casual interest in the Riddick franchise...

I've seen The Chronicles of Riddick movie and parts of Pitch Black (now known as The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black) and I'm eagerly awaiting the new Riddick game Assault on Dark Athena this fall but I'm wondering what other people think of this series of games and movies and the universe itself.

The universe for some reason certainly catches my attention even though the films don't do an overall amazing job of bringing it to life. This universe seems more like a darker Star Wars where instead of a Luke Skywalker, pure of heart and mind, hero we instead have Riddick - the anti-hero...the better of two evils so to speak I guess.

I think Vin Diesel is a sub-par actor but I think he best portrays the Riddick character. His acting is probably the best in Pitch Black and Chronicles (which isn't saying much).

Are there any other semi-fans of this series/franchise here?

I just watched Chronicles tonight again after not seeing it for over more than a year. It still isn't that great but I think there should be another film...yet given the way Chronicles ends I don't think it's actually possible to make another film following those events.

I liked Chronicles of Riddick when I saw it on T.V., then watched almost all of Pitch Black. Riddick is just the biggest bad *** ever, and both movies are action packed (although Chronicles is much better imo). I just want another movie, the end of Chronicles left you wondering what Riddick would do with all of that power. (Yes, I know should have used spoiler tags, but I don't know how). Another movie needs to be made, after Vin finishes Hanibal of course. There is no other actor that could portray Riddick, I believe. Vin Diesel does a very good job in both movies. Also, the backstory has room for improvement, but much of what's already there is already excellent.

Escape from Butcher Bay is one of the best movie based games I have ever played. I liked every thing about that movie.

What the hell was Riddick's original crime, anyway? He can't have started out with 'prison-escapee' on his CV, unless you count his mother's womb.

Originally Posted by Cluny the Scourge

What the hell was Riddick's original crime, anyway? He can't have started out with 'prison-escapee' on his CV, unless you count his mother's womb.

In Pitch Black, Riddick introduces himself to Paris B. Eberly as "Richard P. Riddick, escaped convict, murderer." It's logical to assume that the pilot he killed escaping prison wasn't his first victim.

I liked Chronicles of Riddick very much. As has been stated it is like a dark Star Wars. Watching the movie for the first time I was pleasantly surprised, expecting more monster fighting in darkness and instead being delivered an epic struggle of evil against... other evil, so-to-speak.

That being said, I use the term evil loosely. In Pitch Black the volatile nature of Riddick was inescapably clear, but you never actually witnessed him do anything clearly evil. He was selfish and unsympathetic to those he saw as weak to be sure, but never evil. In Chronicles, he was even less selfish, his evil was more of a facade. In reality he was a champion of the little people being oppressed by the truly evil Necromongers.

For this, I don't like the Riddick character as much as I might. Regardless of what David Twohy and writers say, Riddick isn't evil. He's just another hero with a dark past. More's the pity.

Pitch Black is a good movie, TCoR I've only seen once, but believe Pitch Black was better.
They're facing a tough opponent in it and tough survival conditions.

While I wouldn't go as far as saying that Chronicles was good I did enjoy it, but I think this whole franchises main flaw and set back is the fact that an entire history/back-story/explanation is missing. It just seems with this universe that there's alot they're not telling us and they expect us to understand yet have not released enough media for viewers to totally "get" Riddick and the franchise. I think just more games should be released and maybe some comics/books...that might help it a bit. Going to a full scale live-action movie might not be a good move without further explaining and buffering what stories have already been told.

I just want another movie, the end of Chronicles left you wondering what Riddick would do with all of that power

Now, in response to Crab Apple...how wild would it be for your "fake bad guy" image idea if they made another movie where Riddick basically headed the Necromongers on their fight to control the galaxy? That would be unexpected I should think....