Warning: There are some details of the film here but no major spoilers.
I enjoyed this film. It is beautiful and thoughtfully constructed with many different worlds, each a story on its own. I will not be surprised if this film gains a cult following, but that may take time, because this is a complex, multi-faceted film. It is a gorgeous sequel to Pitch Black, and ties in the plots and different character development very well. In order to fully appreciate this film, the viewer has to be somewhat familiar with Pitch Black (PB), religions and spiritualism.
At the start of the DVD, there are two choices: Convert or Fight. This phrase sums up the spirit of the fight in the story. The Necromongers are a warmongering race, bent on converting the peoples they conquer. The Necromongers believe death is a final phase, and use death and destruction as their religious justification. Their armour and masks are suggestive of Roman gladiators. When the Lord Marshal first makes his appearance, the stage is like a gladiator arena filled with scared families and worse things follow.
In Pitch Black, we got to know the gritty parts of Riddick's childhood. COR explains his origins in Furyan planet. We also come to know who had ravaged his planet and his family. It neatly ties into the Prophecy of the Necromonger in COR.
The setting on Helion Prime is suggestive of Islamic culture. The settings look like a futuristic Prince of Persia game. The Helion's fighter plane has Arabic script scrawled with a marker on it. From the decor on the doors, drapes, clothes, New Mecca city also has a fragment of the Kaba rock. It is a city with many diverse cultures living together. There are sounds of 'salam' and the mosque azans. The Necropolis has beings that neither eat or drink, much like fasting. They are reminiscent of the psychic beings on the Minority Report.
Diesel was his usual charming and thunderous self. Diesel is a Furyan; the simmering rage, the brute force, and husky voice make up the character. We get to see more emotion from Riddick in this story. But other characters were just as dominating. Thandia Newton playing Dame Vaako was absolutely stunning. Her sinuous walk, hissing orders like Lady Macbeth to her husband was a strong sub-Shakesphearen story. Kyra (also the super-thief on Angel) excellently expressed her rage and frustration at her life. An unexpected change from the little, shy girl in Pitch Black. Some critics had sad she resembled a young Ripley from Aliens; she played a fiesty fighter in a subterranean world quite similarly.
COR sets the tone for a Part 3 very nicely. There are hints that the Furyan world will be further explored, Riddick's 'keep what you kill' situation, and what of the Necromonger faith? Riddick, once a baby that was almost strangled to death with his umbilical cord, has become something that he could never imagined in his wildest dreams. I cannot wait for Part 3.
I enjoyed this film. It is beautiful and thoughtfully constructed with many different worlds, each a story on its own. I will not be surprised if this film gains a cult following, but that may take time, because this is a complex, multi-faceted film. It is a gorgeous sequel to Pitch Black, and ties in the plots and different character development very well. In order to fully appreciate this film, the viewer has to be somewhat familiar with Pitch Black (PB), religions and spiritualism.
At the start of the DVD, there are two choices: Convert or Fight. This phrase sums up the spirit of the fight in the story. The Necromongers are a warmongering race, bent on converting the peoples they conquer. The Necromongers believe death is a final phase, and use death and destruction as their religious justification. Their armour and masks are suggestive of Roman gladiators. When the Lord Marshal first makes his appearance, the stage is like a gladiator arena filled with scared families and worse things follow.
In Pitch Black, we got to know the gritty parts of Riddick's childhood. COR explains his origins in Furyan planet. We also come to know who had ravaged his planet and his family. It neatly ties into the Prophecy of the Necromonger in COR.
The setting on Helion Prime is suggestive of Islamic culture. The settings look like a futuristic Prince of Persia game. The Helion's fighter plane has Arabic script scrawled with a marker on it. From the decor on the doors, drapes, clothes, New Mecca city also has a fragment of the Kaba rock. It is a city with many diverse cultures living together. There are sounds of 'salam' and the mosque azans. The Necropolis has beings that neither eat or drink, much like fasting. They are reminiscent of the psychic beings on the Minority Report.
Diesel was his usual charming and thunderous self. Diesel is a Furyan; the simmering rage, the brute force, and husky voice make up the character. We get to see more emotion from Riddick in this story. But other characters were just as dominating. Thandia Newton playing Dame Vaako was absolutely stunning. Her sinuous walk, hissing orders like Lady Macbeth to her husband was a strong sub-Shakesphearen story. Kyra (also the super-thief on Angel) excellently expressed her rage and frustration at her life. An unexpected change from the little, shy girl in Pitch Black. Some critics had sad she resembled a young Ripley from Aliens; she played a fiesty fighter in a subterranean world quite similarly.
COR sets the tone for a Part 3 very nicely. There are hints that the Furyan world will be further explored, Riddick's 'keep what you kill' situation, and what of the Necromonger faith? Riddick, once a baby that was almost strangled to death with his umbilical cord, has become something that he could never imagined in his wildest dreams. I cannot wait for Part 3.