The Chronicles of Riddick is a new sci-fi epic, and even though it stands on it's own, it is a sequel to 2000's Pitch Black. Pitch Black wasn't exactly a blockbuster, and in fact, many out there have probably never even heard of it, but nevertheless, it was a creative picture and showed true potential for director David Twohy.

The Chronicles of Riddick features Vin Diesel as the title character, a renegade criminal who becomes the ultimate anti-hero when he finds himself involved in a massive war against an alien race who want to convert the residents of a foreign planet to their way of life.

The Chronicles of Riddick is, perhaps, a little too intricate for it's own good. I like a gigantic, dumb action movie on occasion and I thought this might be one of those. It had all the makings of one. You know--the bigger than life hero who spouts one liners for most of the picture, big old spacecraft dog fights, and glorious hand on hand combat sequences. Alas, David Twohy includes a few too many characters and some elements that feel out of place (i.e. themes of religion and politics are a bit much).

Vin Diesel can be fun, but I maintain he works far more effectively as a supporting player (see Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan or Knockaround Guys). His Riddick is far more entertaining (and tough) than Xander Cage of XXX fame, but there were moments where I tired of that deep, ominous, monotone voice. Not surprisingly, Diesel does excel in the action sequences and there are plenty of them on display. Thandie Newton is a gorgeous woman, but her role here is nearly irrelevant. Still, she adds to the eye candy aspect of the film. Colm Feore makes a splendid bad guy. He certainly makes for a classy villain, reciting his dialogue as if it were Shakespeare (it isn't). Judi Dench is solid as a ghostly being known as an Elemental. She too, lends a kind of maturity to an otherwise bloated piece of grand summer entertainment.

The look of Chronicles of Riddick is impressive although it does seem to be a fusion of several other genre pictures (think The Matrix, Stargate, Aliens, Star Wars, Mad Max, Conan the Barbarian and even a little Evil Dead 2). The scale here is much larger than it was in Pitch Black (this movie is absolutely massive by comparison, and Twohy does manage to show the audience where every penny went.) Some of the fighting sequences left a bit to be desired. Particularly the hand on hand combat scenes which suffered from a severe lack of rhythm and a choppy editing style. Which is the fault of Twohy's muddled approach - I always prefer to see who's beating who in a movie of this nature. But for every sequence that doesn't quite work, there's one that does. Riddick's big bout with Colm Feore's Lord Marshal is a stunner. Marshal's swift traveling ability brought to mind Nightcrawler in X-Men 2.

I wasn't particularly blown away by The Chronicles of Riddick, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself. True, the film feels a little long winded, but I was entertained and I certainly found it visually satisfying. As a big summer movie, I'd recommend this one over The Day After Tomorrow, but I do think it will have tough competition in the form of Spider-Man 2.