Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Riddick 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Riddick is an action-adventure blockbuster spectacle. Based on characters created by Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, Riddick is the third installment in the Riddick franchise following Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. Executive produced by Mike Drake (A Simple Favor, Just Mercy), Samantha Vincent (Fast X, Fast Five), and George Zakk (The Chronicles of Riddick, xXx), Riddick stars Vin Diesel in the leading role. Featuring supporting performances by a cast including Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista, Jordi Mollà, Matt Nable, Bokeem Woodbine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Conrad Pla, and Karl Urban.

Riddick (Vin Diesel) is a tough antihero who is considered a wanted and dangerous criminal. Escaped from his past shackles, Riddick is wanted and pursued by bounty hunters all over the galaxy. Riddick gains muscle and powers up his brute force as he faces new enemies – tackling dangerous aliens in outer-space and new foes.

Riddick finds himself joined on his journey by the badass cookie Dahl (Katee Sackhoff). A rag-team of tough fighters joins Riddick as new challenges await on an unknown planet with unexpected enemies in spades. Can Riddick defeat the alien predators and escape the never-ending parade of bounty hunters in the process? Foes creep and crawl towards Riddick and it takes a bundle of strength for him to fight the enemies pursuing him at every turn.  

Vin Diesel is an outstanding action hero. With both the Riddick franchise and Fast and Furious franchise, Diesel is an action-hero. Diesel might not have the greatest acting range when compared to his peers. However, Diesel can throw a decent one-liner.

Diesel can make action scenes more engaging. There is a lot worth engaging with in terms of discussing his action charisma and it works well for these genre films and in terms of sheer sci-fi spectacle. Diesel has a lot of fun with the role and carries the franchise on his shoulders.

Co-stars Katee Sackhoff and Dave Bautista are both terrific in the film, too. The supporting cast have a lot of fun with this science-fiction thrill- ride. Sackhoff developed a cult fanbase with her role on the incredible Battlestar Galactica Sci-Fi series while Bautista would go on to make a bigger name for himself starring in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The actors have great dialogue and the performances are well-done.

The production scale is enormous. Riddick is a fantastic looking sequel and it bests both the scope and the scale of The Chronicles of Riddick. The production design was by Joseph C. Nemec III (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Medallion). The design elements are fantastic. The filmmaking feels larger-than-life itself (with the unknown planet exploration being a highlight of the film).

The production also features excellent art direction by Jean-Andre Carriere (Star Trek: Discovery, No Good Deed) and Robert Parle (Brooklyn, Arrival). The feature highlights superb set decorations by Eve Boulonne (X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Journey to the Center of the Earth), Daniel Carpentier (Snake Eyes, The Moth Diaries), and David Laramy (White House Down, Orphan). The efforts are commendable across the board. The excellent design attributes help the larger-than-life canvas of the alien planet and the field of exploration and expedition the crew interacts with during this science- fiction epic.

The costumes by Simonetta Mariano (The Maze Runner, The Words) are well-done. The costumes add to the style of the production. The costumes by Mariano add rugged and tough-cookie style to the production. An excellent effort by the costume designer.

The score composed by Graeme Revell (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Chronicles of Riddick) is terrific fun. There is so much wonder to the imaginative score. Revell has plenty in store for audiences with a fast paced and gripping score. The world of imagination and splendor terrific – vital to the filmmaking in spades.

The cinematography by David Eggby (Mad Max, Pitch Black) is top-notch throughout and adds to the visual sensibilities of the filmmaking. Eggby is a talent – an ace cinematographer. The visual style is confident. The sleek photography crafts so much warmth to the production. The style evokes an interesting dystopia world that brings to mind the landscape of Mad Max – no surprise given the cinematographer returns to their roots.

Edited by Tracy Adams (The Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick), Riddick is a well-paced adrenaline rush. The pace is superb. There is so much joy and wonder to the editorial process by Adams. The filmmaking is even better as a result of the keen eye of the editor. The spectacle is well spliced together.

Written and directed by David Twohy (Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick), Riddick is a terrific science-fiction action-adventure spectacle. The entire sci-fi trilogy by Twohy (beginning with Pitch Black and continued with The Chronicles of Riddick) entertains. The third entry adds to the fun in major ways.

Riddick is more old-school action-packed fun and it thrills more than the previous two entries in some respects (the first installment is somewhat a horror genre action film while the second aims for epic grandeur spectacle). This entry is somewhat scaled back in approach while being more of an adventure movie on a planet filled with predator aliens. It is a great chapter in the Riddick action saga and one that film-series fans won’t want to miss.

Riddick 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD by Shout Factory, Riddick is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 widescreen. Riddick was filmed using high-quality Arri Alexa, Zeiss Master Prime and Angenieux Optimo Lenses. The camera lens system provides high-quality optics. Featuring a Codex negative for the production, the cinematography showcases the ARRIRAW source (2.8K). The DI is limited to 2K as the master format. As a result, the 4K UHD presentation is an upscale of the native 2K DI cinematography.

The 4K UHD presentation was supervised and approved by director David Twohy. Twohy did a fantastic job overseeing the 4K UHD presentation. The release is all the better due to the direct involvement of the filmmaker.

The cinematography looks beautiful with the 4K UHD presentation. The release includes both HDR10 (standard) and Dolby Vision high-dynamic- range formats on the release. The Dolby Vision offering provides additional meta-data with a small layer of additional processing information added. The impressive HDR presentation is outstanding.

The visuals provide an immersive quality. The HDR showcases the differences between the brightest brights and the darkest blacks of the image quality. Fantastic clarity and depth.

The HDR is the best aspect of the 4K UHD presentation. The resolution isn't given a real 4K upgrade due to the 2K DI (though the video encoding is superb and offers bit-rate improvements as well). The release does a good job of highlighting both fine detail in the image and showcasing the CG visuals at their best. Shout Factory provides a top-notch encode and it is one that faithfully preserves the aesthetic of the production.

Riddick 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The release provides an exceptional sounding Master Audio presentation. The lossless audio encoding is superb and one of the best qualities of the presentation.

The dynamics of the audio presentation are exceptional. The detail and clarity on the track are astonishing. The score is crisp and well-integrated into the sound mix. The 5.1 surround sound presentation is vibrant and it is engaging with a superbly mixed soundstage showcasing the brilliance of the sound design. The audio quality remains fantastic throughout the feature-film.

The 4K/Blu-ray release does not include a new Dolby Atmos sound mix. Some might consider this an annoyance about the release. For others, it is not such a big deal. It is certainly no dealbreaker as the lossless presentation remains faithful to the original sound design. Atmos can occasionally yield better results but Atmos is not the original soundstage regardless.

One of the best qualities of physical media and the 4K UHD/Blu-ray disc formats is the lossless audio encoding. Lossless audio provides theater- quality lossless sound presentations. The audio is just as immersive as detailed as what one hears in a cinema. Streaming video services do not provide one lossless encoding (only lossy). Lossy audio on streaming is usually limited in both bit-rates and bit depth. For audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts who want the best possible sound presentation, the Blu-ray disc and 4K UHD disc format offers significant gains.

Riddick 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes both the theatrical cut and director's cut. The director's cut is unrated and carries a longer run-time. The theatrical features runs 119 minutes. The director's cut runs 127 minutes. The 4K disc release includes the option of selecting between either the theatrical cut or the unrated director's cut. 

The release also includes a Blu-ray disc featuring the unrated director's cut and a separate Blu-ray disc including the original theatrical cut. Both Blu-ray discs contained in the release also feature the new 4K restoration as supervised by director David Twohy. If one is not yet 4K UHD equipped or views the film with a standard Blu-ray player, one can still view the 4K restoration (sans HDR).

The first print run of the release includes a nice o-card slipcover. The slipcover is printed on nice quality cardstock. The design works well for the packaging.

There are no on-disc supplements on the 4K UHD disc itself – other than the option to select the version of the feature presentation. The 4K UHD disc is designed to deliver optimal presentation quality and supplements were left to the respective Blu-ray discs for the release. The extras are spread across director's cut and theatrical cut discs as noted below.

Director's Cut:

Left for Dead: Directing Riddick – Interview with Director David Twohy (HD, 9:38)

I Come to Collect Your Head: Playing Santana – Interview with Actor Jordi Molla (HD, 10:33)

Scared of the Wrong Thing: Becoming Dahl – Interview with Actor Katee Sackhoff (HD, 17:02)

Theatrical Cut:

The World of Riddick (HD, 10:50)

Riddickian Tech (HD, 10:14)

The Twohy Touch (HD, 6:22)

Vin's Riddick (HD, 8:50)

Meet the Mercs (HD, 10:44)

Riddick: Blindsided (HD, 5:29)

Riddick 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Riddick is an exhilarating action-adventure. The filmmaking is top-notch and the sense of scale to the production is superb. The edge- of-your-seat action is epic and the alien predators make fantastic foes for Riddick and the crew. A beautifully lensed adventure and one that is perfect for genre fans.

The 4K UHD release includes a new restoration supervised and approved by writer-director David Twohy (Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick). The 4K restoration is well-done and is available on the 4K UHD disc (in either the director's unrated cut or theatrical cut) or on the standard Blu-ray discs (separate discs for the director's cut or theatrical cut). The Blu-ray discs still have the 4K presentation (albeit without HDR).

The 4K UHD disc features a superb HDR presentation and lossless audio. The release also comes with an impressive assortment of supplemental features across the release. The first print run also includes a nicely done o-card slipcover. Highly recommended.