Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Chronicles of Riddick Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 14, 2024

There are some amusing interviews included in this new three disc set from Arrow where it's stated that director David Twohy took Cole Hauser, Radha Mitchell and Vin Diesel aside individually during the shooting of Pitch Black to tell each of them separately that they were the star of the film and should play their scenes that way. That led to some "interesting" dynamics between the trio in shared moments, but as Twohy himself mentions in an interview, once screenings of the film started, it became apparent that if there were more than one "star", the audience cared chiefly about only one character: Riddick, played memorably by Vin Diesel, then at the early stages of his career. By the time Universal gave the go ahead to a sequel to Pitch Black, Diesel was already starting to firm up his position on the so-called A-list, or at least the B+-list, and that, along with an initial show of support from the studio, led to what was then a gigantic budget of (according to Twohy, though others place it somewhat higher) 105 million dollars. That amount of funding may not have been enough for Twohy to realize his entire vision, as he kind of laments in some of the supplemental material, but it certainly gave The Chronicles of Riddick the kind of production luster that included all sorts of special effects wonderment. That aspect may be enough for lovers of eye candy (and I unapologetically confess to being in that demographic), but the film may not have the "simple" narrative drive of its progenitor, despite having virtually everything that money could buy.

The Chronicles of Riddick had a long ago 1080 release by home studio Universal. Martin Liebman's The Chronicles of Riddick Blu-ray review of that release a plot summary and list of supplements offered, as well as a reaction to that disc's technical merits.

The Chronicles of Riddick Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Chronicles of Riddick is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in either 2.40:1 or 1.78:1. Arrow provides the same insert booklet for its 1080 and 4K releases, which offer the following information on the restoration:

The Chronicles of Riddick has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films. The Theatrical Cut is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and an alternate aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The Director's Cut is presented in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The soundtrack is presented in 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos for the Theatrical Cut.

The original Super 35 camera negative was scanned in 4K 16-bit at NBC Universal. Additional 2K master files were sourced for the sections unique to the Director's Cut. The film was restored and graded in 4K SDR, HDR10 and Dolby Vision by Silver Salt Restoration, London. Grading review and approval by the director was completed at Illuminate, Hollywood.

The 5.1 mix was sourced from NBC Universal. Additional audio remastering and Atmos mixing was completed at Deluxe Audio London.

Restoration supervised by James Pearcey and James White, Arrow Films.

All materials sourced for this new master were made available by NBC Universal.

Marty gave almost top marks to Universal's old 1080 release, but of course a 4.5 in 2009 (!) might not warrant such a high score to modern day eyes. That said, this new presentation by Arrow is stellar all around. If 4K UHD presentations are touted for their high dynamic range, just plain simple old range is noticeably wider in Arrow's offering of the palette when stacked up against the older release. While some of the interior material in particular has more of a yellowish hue than the Universal release, to my eyes suffusion is markedly more intense and the entire palette simply looks healthier and more vibrant than on the old 1080 release. The huge gamut (no pun intended) of grading and other "colorizing" choices throughout the film gives the visual splendor here nearly unending interest, starting with kind of blue opening sequence, through the weirdly purple "U.V." planet sequence, on to almost buttery yellow interior scenes as things segue to nefarious "imperial" types. Judging solely by screenshots, I wouldn't argue that fine detail levels are materially different in this version than in Universal's, but that said, on practical items like costumes and sets (of the non-CGI variety), they're almost uniformly excellent. The glut of that aforementioned CGI and VFX in material can admittedly lend a somewhat soft look to backgrounds in particular. Grain is typically nicely resolved, though it can be just a tad on the swampy side against some lighter backgrounds in particular. Slight variances in quality can be spotted in the reintegrated material in the Director's Cut, but I'd argue those differences are probably more overt in Arrow's 4K UHD presentation than in this one.

The Chronicles of Riddick Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Theatrical Cut (in either of its aspect ratios offered here) has a newly upgraded Dolby Atmos track which is a whirlwind of surround activity, while also offering a "standard" but still great sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, the latter being the only option on the Director's Cut. The Atmos track announces its all enveloping presence from the get go, with huge whooshing sounds that come at the listener from every direction, and throughout the film there are clear and repeated emanations from the Atmos speakers, perhaps predictably often during aerial or other outer space sequences. As immersive as the Atmos element adds to things, the side and rear channels offer just as much and arguably even more consistent engagement, and the subwoofer also gets a regular workout in some of the flight and/or fight (no pun intended) moments scattered throughout the story. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Chronicles of Riddick Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One: Theatrical Cut (1:59:07)

• Ambition on Another Scale: Chronicling a Blockbuster Sequel (HD; 1:13:48) is an engaging newly produced documentary on the making of the film, with some good interviews with David Twohy, Keith David, Linus Roache, miniature effects artist Ian Hunter, storyboard artist Brian Murray and concept artist Matt Codd.


• Realizing Riddick (HD; 13:49) is a newly filmed interview with David Twohy.


• Back to Black (HD; 10:42) is a newly filmed interview with storyboard artist Brian Murray.


• Chronicles of a Cult Film Celebrity (HD; 10:17) is a newly filmed interview with Keith David.


• Trailer Gallery

  Teaser Trailer (HD; 1:28)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:22)

Disc Two: Director's Cut (2:14:05)

• Commentaries

  Commentary by David Twohy and Vin Diesel

  
  

  Commentary by David Twohy, Karl Urban and Alexa Davelos

• Introduction by David Twohy (HD*; 00:47)


• Creation of New Mecca (HD*; 11:10) is an archival piece focusing on the world of Helion Prime.


• Riddick Rises (HD*; 13:25) is an archival piece focusing on the prison planet of Crematoria.


• Keep What You Kill (HD*; 17:28) is an archival piece focusing on the Necromongers.


• Visual Effects Revealed (HD*; 6:02) is an archival piece focusing on the visual effects.


• Interactive Production Calendar (HD*; 24:38) is a series of short videos filmed throughout the production.


• Production Vignettes (HD*; 33:59) are culled from picture in picture supplements included on the 2009 1080 Blu-ray.


• Deleted Scenes feature optional commentary by David Twohy:

  Aereon and Imam on Helion (HD; 1:35)

  
  

  Original U.V. Planet 6 (HD; 2:55)

  
  

  Toombs' Demise (HD; 3:13)

• Virtual Guide to The Chronicles of Riddick (HD; 7:52) is a series of short animated segments explaining the worlds of the films, read by several actors in the film.

*720

Disc Three: Theatrical Cut Open Matte Version (1:59:07)

• Escape from Butcher Bay (HD; 33:42) is a compilation of cut scenes from the 2004 video game featuring voice work from Diesel among others.


• The Lowdown (HD*; 22:04) is a television speical produced to promote the 2004 theatrical release.

*720

Additionally, the keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a really nicely appointed insert booklet with some great writing, including what may be an indispensable Chronicles Compendium, a kind of "visual dictionary" offering looks at characters and locales. Packaging features a slipcover.

The Chronicles of Riddick Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Judging by our overall scores, I'm evidently a bit more of a fan of The Chronicles of Riddick than Marty was, but even given that preference of mine, my hunch is even those who maybe are more in line with Marty's opinion may find this a worthwhile release to check out since technical merits are so impressive and the supplementary package so engaging, though my personal advice is those with the appropriate setups are encouraged to get Arrow's 4K UHD release, which probably offers even more "punch" to the palette in particular. Recommended.