Walking into the theater, I had no idea that Riddick, a newly released action movie, was actually part of a larger trilogy and video game franchise starring Vin Diesel. To be fair, the second movie, The Chronicles of Riddick, was released in 2004 with tepid reception (1.5 stars on Rotten Tomatoes)-nearly ancient history in Hollywood terms. The sequel was released after strong DVD sales and Vin Diesel's recent success at the box office (most likely due to the Fast and Furious movies). However anticipated Riddick may have been by eager fans and gamers, I was thoroughly disappointed and spent most of the movie waiting until I could leave and get back to my homework.

Vin Diesel himself has been the force behind the success of many action movies, so I think that Riddick's failure establishes itself at a conceptual rather than performing level. Nothing was clearly explained, the plot was nonexistent and the most compelling character was a hybrid zebra-hyena-dog animal. Nearly the first 30 minutes of the movie consisted solely of Riddick (Diesel) fighting strange animals on an abandoned wasteland of a planet-plenty of muscular fight scenes, yet completely void of any deeper meaning. Basically, the only explanation the viewer has of the scene is that Riddick, who was the leader of another civilization, was left for dead after being overthrown by power-hungry commanders.

After being left for dead on the isolated planet, Riddick fights for his survival against the native creatures. To survive, he realizes he must get off this planet and finds his way to an abandoned mercenary station where he sets off an emergency alert. Little does he know, there is a $50,000 bounty on his head, thus attracting two bounty hunter groups to his location. Riddick's reputation as a fierce, unbeatable convict precedes him and the rest of the film shows the two groups trying to capture Riddick-a game of cat and mouse.

The most substantial part of the film actually looks like a rip-off of I Am Legend, in which Will Smith's character fosters an endearing companionship with his dog. Riddick himself captures a young zebra-hyena-dog hybrid and trains it to obey him (instead of ripping Riddick's head off like the other dog creatures did). The only moments I enjoyed of the film were those between Riddick and the dog because there is emotional depth underlying the action and dialogue, though the movie did a better job developing the dog's character than the main actor's.

Riddick is simply a conniving killing machine who lacks any emotional depth. In many cases, an audience can grow to love this type of character and slowly see him in a different light, but Riddick never changes. He remains a man whose greatest strength appears when he has a weapon in hand. Some may argue that this is what an action movie and video game character is made for, but Riddick lacks any appeal other than violence.

However much I dislike the movie, I have to admit that the title character is strikingly clever. He makes intricate weapons out of animal bones, concocts a serum to protect himself from the poisonous venom of a predator and deftly sets traps for his enemies-all with ease and believability. The one saving grace of the movie is Vin Diesel's unforgiving, hardcore attitude. Though I disliked the movie as a whole, I do think Diesel filled the role he was given; however, he has been much better in other action movies, like the Fast and Furious series.

As for supporting characters, bounty hunter Santana (Jordi Moll?*) stands out for his Spanish accent and crude behavior, while opposing bounty hunter Boss Johns (Matthew Nable) is much more diplomatic with his team. The two men lead different bounty teams that are both looking to capture Riddick after he lures them to the deserted planet where he is trapped.
While the only female character, Dahl (Katee Sackhoff), could have been empowering, she is instead sexualized, and her talents as a bounty hunter are minimized. In one scene, directors chose to film her naked while washing her face. This added nothing to the plot of the film, yet simply served as an opportunity to give male viewers some nude entertainment. Why couldn't Dahl serve as an equalizing force that proves women are just as capable and strong as men? Because sex sells-and this is just one of the several instances of unnecessary nudity in the film.

With all the confusion, plot holes and utter lack of character development, Riddick was a complete waste of 11 dollars. It is a challenge to combine a stunning action movie with any complex plot dynamics. On the other hand, Riddick probably makes an excellent video game character, and I can even imagine Vin Diesel's deep, angry voice coming from an animated character. When it comes to stories like this one, Hollywood should stick to creating video games of pure excitement and adrenaline and not bother with an actual movie script.