Review of Dark Fury: The Chronicles Of Riddick

Introduction

This is the second time in as many days that I have had to review a disc released in time to market a sequel. Where the Bourne Identity SE is simply a re-release in new clothing, The Chronicles of Riddick - Dark Fury actually adds something new to its franchise. Pitch Black was the surprise hit of 2000, and introduced a new anti-hero in the shape of Vin Diesel`s Riddick, a hard-bitten, amoral criminal. If you haven`t seen Pitch Black and are aiming to do so, then I`d suggest you stop reading now, as the rest of the review will no doubt contain spoilers. But the studios realised that with Riddick, they had a marketable property, and later this year UK cinemas will see The Chronicles Of Riddick, the sequel to the 2000 hit. In the US, the current release of Pitch Black has also undergone a not so subtle re-branding, and is now called The Chronicles Of Riddick: Pitch Black. The two films are set five years apart, and to fill in some of the gaps, as well as introduce one of the new film`s characters, Universal has commissioned The Chronicles Of Riddick - Dark Fury, a half hour animation featuring the voices of the original cast.

The three survivors from the first film, Jack, Imam and Riddick are nursing their failing ship, when they are picked up by the Merc vessel Kublai Khan, commanded by bounty hunter Antonia Chillingworth. Chillingworth has matched Riddick`s voice to her records of wanted criminals and has prepared a trap. Riddick deals with the trap in his own inimitable way, but at the last minute is surprised to find that Chillingworth actually has some leverage over him. Chillingworth is a patron of the arts, her own special form of morbid art especially, and she wants Riddick to be a permanent exhibit.

Video

The picture is a 1.85:1 letterbox transfer, which of course begs the question, why not anamorphic? Zooming in on a 16:9 screen also means that the subtitles are obscured. The transfer otherwise is adequate, the colours are strong and the image is well defined. Director Peter Chung is also responsible for the Aeon Flux series and that style is certainly evident here. The 2D animation is satisfactory, although I do feel that some of the character designs could have been more refined. The thing is though, that the 2D is completely outshone by the 3D animation. The spaceships, some of the interiors and a couple of the aliens that Riddick has to face are gloriously designed and stunningly effective. Where the 2D and 3D animation meets, it seems there is a jarring discontinuity in styles, which I found awkward.

Audio

I was surprised to see that this half hour animation warranted a DD 5.1 English track. It`s a welcome choice though, as the action and spaceship setting certainly deserves some aural ambience. That said, the action is pretty front focused, with the rears used mostly for atmosphere. The dialogue is clear throughout; you won`t really need those obscured subtitles, and Vin Diesel sounds as fresh as a daisy.

Features

A half hour of animation would be pretty measly content for a disc, but there is a nice selection of extras to supplement.

Making Dark Fury (8½ minutes) sets the story up and gives a glimpse at the animation process. There is also a tantalising glimpse of the upcoming Chronicles Of Riddick film.

Peter Chung: Into The Mind Of The Animator (5 minutes) is an interview with the man, as he discusses his technique and the way he likes to work.

A View Into The Light is a five-minute preview of Chronicles Of Riddick and gives us a bit of footage, some behind the scenes stuff as well as some interviews.

There is also a trailer for the animated Van Helsing prequel, as well as one for the Riddick computer game.

By far the most substantial extra on this disc is the Dark Fury Animatic, which is a replay of the main feature, but in storyboard form. As you would expect it has a similar running time of 33 minutes. Also there are no special effects, you just hear the character voices. This doesn`t really add much to the cartoon, but it does give a nice insight into one of the stages of the animation process.

Conclusion

I think that the US film industry is beginning to open up to the possibilities inherent in animation, especially after the success of the Matrix tie-in The Animatrix. The Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Fury is hardly a Disneyesque product and aims for a slightly older target audience. The style isn`t too far removed from anime and the story and characters are certainly more adult. I quite enjoyed Dark Fury, but I feel that it`s hampered by its very nature, acting as mere sweetener and filler between the two films.

The half hour wasn`t used effectively and the story seemed expanded to fill the time. There were many scenes in there for sheer coolness factor, and I didn`t feel that the new characters were allowed to develop. Indeed, the one character introduced here that makes it into the second film is so rarely seen that he doesn`t register. I think the problem is that this animation is a one-off. If a Riddick series were commissioned, then the characters would be allowed to develop and a more involving story could be told. By being limited to half an hour of time to fill some narrative between the two stories, I think they were limited in just what they could achieve.

Dark Fury is a nice set of ideas coupled with some stunning and some rather average visuals. But the concept doesn`t gel into a cohesive whole. As a marketing exercise, it`s imaginative and creative, but I think it will only really appeal to hardcore fans of the Riddick character. Casual viewers may be left a little cold. Either way, make sure you pay well below the R.R.P. for what amounts to 30 minutes of entertainment.