Peter Chung is one of his generation’s most polarizing animators. Chung’s abstract narrative and philosophical conversation tend to repel audiences, whereas other filmmakers seek to connect with their audience. His Matriculated chapter from last year’s Animatrix is regarded by fans as either the best or, more typically, the worst of the anthology. Rather than taking his stories at face value, Chung’s art explores reality and human nature like a sterile experiment. Despite the fact that his works are packed with action, the plot between the action scenes is deep and nuanced.
Chung’s writing and composition approach has likely hindered him from becoming a more well-known animation director, therefore it is both good and bad that The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, one of his most well-known works to date, is a family-friendly animation. Chung’s animation, on the other hand, is still pretty engaging, particularly for lovers of the Riddick franchise. Written by Brett Matthews from a plot by Pitch Black filmmaker David Twohy, The Film Dark Fury begins immediately after the end of the previous film, with the remaining crew floating across space. Riddick and his allies are kidnapped by mercenaries and forced to complete a series of video game-like challenges at the whim of a trophy hunter who looks like she stepped out of Aeon Flux.
The writing is a bit of a mishmash in this instance. The story is excellent; it would be all too easy to overdo this film and fit a two-hour plot into a 35-minute feature. Instead, the filmmakers smartly focused on one specific sequence of events that not only develops the characters a little but also acts as a good bridge between the two theatrical films. Twohy explains in the extras that he is going from sci-fi horror to sci-fi adventure with the Pitch Black series, and this little sequence helps to bridge that gap.
What Is The Timeline Of This Movie?
One of the biggest questions is, where does this movie fit in with the rest of the Riddick movies, don’t worry we have the full explanation for you here! It all starts with the movie, Pitch Black. Pitch Black was the first film in the Chronicles Of Riddick series, and it was this film that first introduced the world to Diesel’s husky charisma, with Riddick being one of the actor’s favorite roles. Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous criminal, is being transported to prison in a spacecraft in the movie. Riddick manages to flee the spaceship after it is damaged by comet debris and crashes into an empty desert planet. When predatory alien creatures attack the survivors, Riddick teams up with the surviving crew and other passengers to devise a plan to get off the planet.
Following the events of Pitch Black, an anime reveals what happened to Vin Diesel’s Riddick and the other survivors. Before Vin Diesel, a relatively unknown actor was cast in Pitch Black, Steven Seagal and other major action stars were considered. The film is set on a desolate planet where survivors of a spaceship crash discover that man-eating creatures live underground and only emerge at night. The problem is that a total eclipse of the planet is approaching, and Diesel’s ruthless convict Riddick is their only chance.
Vin Diesel has reprised the role in two sequels, with a fourth in the works, as well as other spinoffs like the critically acclaimed Escape From Butcher Bay video game. Riddick is the polar opposite of Dom from The Fast and the Furious; while Dom is all about family and doing the right thing, Riddick is all about survival and, with a few exceptions, looking out for number one. Now that we know that this short movie picks up from the end of Pitch Black, let’s drive straight into the movie!
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
The movie opens with quite a beautiful and scenic shot of space as Riddick, Jack, and Imam make their way through the galaxy. The movie introduces the character of ‘Toombs,’ a bounty hunter voiced by Nick Chinlund, who also appears in The Chronicles of Riddick as the character in person. The short film’s goal as we have already discussed was to bridge the five-year gap between Pitch Black (2000) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2001) and the storyline helps us understand what happened in the meanwhile.
Trouble strikes the scenic space travel when they are discovered by a Mercenary ship called Kublai Khan, shortly after escaping M6-117. Riddick tries to hide his true identity from the mercenaries by posing as William J. Johns on the intercom, but he is voice ID’d as Riddick and the ship picks them up. Riddick has been aboard several mercenary ships, including the Kublai-Khan. Riddick and Johns awaken from suspended animation in the 2009 video game “The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena,” a prequel to “Pitch Black,” only to find themselves aboard the massive mercenary vessel Dark Athena, commanded by Gale Revas. Kublai Khan is also named after the founder of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty.
Riddick is subdued after a brief but bloody battle when Jack is apprehended and held at gunpoint. The three survivors learn that their captors have strange plans for them. Antonia Chillingsworth, the ship’s owner, is a criminal collector who freezes and keeps criminals as statues, which she considers art. The criminals are still alive and conscious despite being frozen. Riddick is going to be the ultimate “masterpiece” in her collection, according to her. She does, however, want to watch Riddick kill before she freezes him.
Riddick, Jack, and Imam must fight their way through her army of human and alien creatures, or face a fate worse than death. Before escaping with Jack and Imam, he is forced to fight a pair of Shrill, a strange alien species, with four sharp, tentacle-like limbs, they are a fast and deadly species. They can inject a poison into their victims that causes them to melt and turn into a goo-like substance. Shrimp also appear to be bioluminescent, emitting a rainbow of vibrant colours. A Shrill’s body resembles a gyro in the middle, with the creature’s brain presumably at its centre. He sustains several wounds in the fight with them and then, Toombs and his mercenaries/bounty hunters pursue Riddick for the majority of the story. Mercenaries are kept in a state of suspended animation until they are required. They are freed to confront Riddick and the rest of the crew onboard the ship.
A group of Mercs, including Alexander Toombs, and the Brax, a strange biomechanical horror that follows the smell of his blood, pursue them as they flee. Riddick fights and kills Chillingworth’s right-hand man, Junner, in the docking bay. Interestingly, Junner was inspired by Neo, the main character in the “Matrix” trilogy. Riddick is shot as they board a ship by Chillingworth, who had apparently been kept secretly on board.
However, Jack shoots Riddick before Chillingworth can kill her. Imam and Riddick are both disturbed by Jack’s proclivity for murder. Jack’s character growth is significant, as she discovers her violent side by shooting the ship’s owner just as she is about to kill Riddick. As the three escape from the mercenary ship, this discovery is clearly a source of concern for Riddick and Imam. Riddick decides to leave her and Imam in New Mecca while he sets out on his own, fearful that Jack will continue to become more brutal in her attempts to emulate him.
The short film thus shows Toombs meeting Riddick for the first time, as well as how Riddick, Imam, and Jack split up and go their separate ways. A week after The Chronicles of Riddick, this film was released (2004) and in Riddick: The Complete Collection, it’s included on the Blu-ray release of Pitch Black (2000). It is definitely a collector’s item for those who are fans of the series
The image is a 1.85:1 letterbox transfer, which means the subtitles are obscured when viewed on a 16:9 screen. Aside from that, the transfer is satisfactory; the colors are vibrant, and the image is well defined. Peter Chung, who also directed the Aeon Flux series, has a distinct style that is evident in this film. Although I believe some of the character designs could have been more refined, the 2D animation is satisfactory. The problem is that the 2D animation is completely overshadowed by the 3D animation. Riddick’s spaceships, some of the interiors, and a couple of the aliens he must face are all beautifully designed and incredibly effective. There however sometimes appears to be a jarring discontinuity in styles where 2D and 3D animation meet, but it is still watchable.
This half-hour animation earned a DD 5.1 English track, which was surprising. However, it’s a welcome choice, as the action and spaceship setting both deserve some sound effects. However, the action is primarily focused on the front, with the backs being used primarily for atmosphere. The dialogue is crystal clear throughout; you won’t need the obscured subtitles, and Vin Diesel sounds as young and fresh as a daisy.
There are some definite issues with this movie that are quite evident. Firstly the movie is only half an hour-long which poses difficulties which range from the movie being too fast-paced with a lot of action and not enough moments to breathe in between and also, because of the time crunch, there is not enough attention given to the variety of interesting characters we see on screen and thus, the character development suffers.
Also, it is important to note that The Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Fury isn’t exactly a Disney product, and it’s aimed at a slightly older demographic. The style isn’t too dissimilar to anime, but the story and characters are definitely much more mature. Dark Fury is a nice collection of ideas with some spectacular and some mediocre visuals. However, the concept does not come together as a whole. It’s an imaginative and creative marketing exercise, but I believe it will only appeal to die-hard fans of the Riddick character. It’s possible that casual viewers will be left a little cold but all of the action almost makes up for the shortcomings, making it quite entertaining. Cop a CD if you’re a fan, we definitely believe that it is worth a watch!
Is There Going To Be Riddick 4?
The story of The Chronicles of Riddick began in the year 2000 when the sci-fi horror film Pitch Black was released in theatres. The plot revolves around a group of characters whose transport ship crashes on an abandoned desert planet populated by bloodthirsty alien monsters who are sensitive to light. Diesel’s performance stole the show to the point where Riddick became a cult antihero among movie fans. The Chronicles of Riddick and Riddick, two Pitch Black sequels, an animated film, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, and several video games were all inspired by the character.
What we do know for sure people is that there definitely will be a sequel because Diesel loves Riddick just as much as the fans adore it. While not much is known about the sequel, it has been revealed that it will be titled Riddick 4: Furya, and that the plot will delve into the mysterious origins of the highly skilled Furyan fugitive, according to Diesel himself. Diesel stated earlier this year that the script for Riddick 4: Furya was complete, and that franchise director David Twohy will return alongside Diesel in the lead, indicating that the action star is clearly eager to make Riddick 4: Furya happen, no matter how long it takes.
Riddick 4: Furia has been in the works for at least six years, believe it or not. Diesel and David Twohy, the original writer, and director of Pitch Black and the Riddick spin-off franchise announced their plans to make a new Riddick film in 2015. They also announced at the same time that a companion television series, Merc City, would be produced. According to reports, the film will be rated R, which is entirely appropriate given Riddick’s murderous badassery, and the series will reportedly be mature-rated as well.
Diesel gave an update on the latest installment in the Riddick series. He announced it on Instagram, posting a shirtless photo of himself from Riddick with the caption “Furia may be closer than we think.” #Riddick”. His Instagram post has over 1.4 million likes as of this video and later posts have also shown the star sharing his images and hyping up the upcoming movie. We’ll have to wait and see which direction Riddick 4: Furya takes, but in the meantime, we can look forward to Vin Diesel reprising his role as Dominic Toretto and bringing the Fast and Furious franchise to a close with two final sequels, the first of which is set to hit theatres on April 7, 2023.
Rewatch the Riddick movies before the new ones come out so you’re all caught up! The series is acclaimed and is considered a cult classis so if you guys are looking for something to watch, look no further!