Riddick Is A Beast In This New Motion Comic
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Riddick is coming, and from everything we’ve seen and heard, the third film in Vin Diesel and David Twohy’s “Furyan Chronicles” should see the titular space outlaw return to form. In Pitch Black he was a cold, ruthless killer, but in the follow up, The Chronicles of Riddick, he was toned down until he was just kind of a bad boy with a heart of gold. If this new motion comic is any indication of what’s in store for audiences, Riddick is going to earn that hard-R rating we’ve been hearing so much about.
Universal Pictures debuted this video at San Diego Comic-Con, and now it has made its way online. And if it’s any indication, Riddick looks even more appealing than ever. While I can’t say for certain, this seems like a prequel, like a bridge between Chronicles and the latest film.
In Riddick, we find the space outlaw on a sun-scorched planet, infested with mean looking creatures. The only way off that particular rock is to alert the bounty hunters constantly on his trail as to his whereabouts. When they show up, looking for a trophy and a payday, someone else does, too, a man who shares a history with Riddick, and is looking for some revenge. I assume this stranger is Karl Urban’s Vaako, and given this new video, that makes sense.
Chronicles dealt with Riddick fighting an oppressive race of space dicks called Necromongers. They have one rule, you get to keep what you kill. At the end of that movie, Riddick kills their leader, and following their cultural logic, he apparently assumed that position. That’s where we find him here. Though he’s in control, he never truly becomes a part of their world, and commits the worst sin of someone in his line of work can, he got civilized, which is Riddick speak for soft and complacent. To paraphrase him, when there is an attempt on his life from within his own camp, he should have seen that punch coming. Even in these drawings, the tension between Riddick and Vaako is palpable and readily apparent. Vaako always had eyes at the big chair.
My latest theory is that Riddick’s little vacation to what he thinks is a deserted island floating in space, is an attempt to get away from the Necromongers, and the weight of the crown. We’ve seen images of him sitting on a throne, and given his feelings on his new job, this seems like a plausible explanation.
We’ll get the specifics of how he moves from one situation to the other until the movie opens on September 6. I don’t know how they’ll get there, but I’m excited to find out. The most important thing you take away from this motion comic is that we should expect lots of action, gritty violence, some blood, and an overall grim delivery. When you’re talking about a movie where the protagonist renowned throughout the universe as a vicious killer and criminal, that sounds about right. The kinder, gentler Riddick is apparently a thing of the past, which is exactly what I want out of this movie.
