The Ciao! Gremlins are really going to town, aren't they? My thanks to the member who wished me luc...
The Ciao! Gremlins are really going to town, aren't they? My thanks to the member who wished me luck with the Toblerone competition - just a shame I haven't entered...you've gotta laugh, eh? :op
Member since:07.01.2006
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The character of Riddick (Vin Diesel) first appeared in the 1997 film 'Pitch Black', where the passengers of a transport ship are stranded on an unknown planet. Riddick is a violent criminal more in touch with his animal instincts than the niceties of human society. Having spent his life in and out of maximum-security prisons he has become both ruthless and deadly. During a stint inside the most deadly prison in the Universe, 'Butcher Bay', he had the backs of his eyes polished enabling him to see in the dark, though as a knock-on effect he is nearly completely blinded in daylight. At the end of 'Pitch Black' we see Riddick and the survivors escaping the planet for destinations unknown. The character got his second on-screen appearance in the 200x movie 'The Chronicles Of Riddick'.
'The Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Fury' is the story of events directly after 'Pitch Black' and five years before 'The Chronicles Of Riddick'. It is an animation, directed by Peter Chung and gives the viewer an insight, (if somewhat brief) into
the reasons behind some of the events in 'Chronicles'. Whilst it is not essential to watch this in order to follow 'The Chronicles Of Riddick', it does help explain many of the conversation's between some of the characters, such as Imam (Keith David) and Riddick and, in particular, between Riddick and Jack (Rhiana Griffith in 'Pitch Black'), who becomes Kyra in 'Chronicles'
I found the story of 'Dark Fury' very engaging and enjoyable to watch, with a well-written script and plot that flows well. I have to admit though that I enjoyed both of the other two movies, which I know many others didn't - I suspect if you failed to enjoy either 'Pitch Black' or 'Chronicles' then 'Dark Fury's appeal will be somewhat lacking. That said, as a piece of animation (hand-drawn for most, if not all, of the feature) it is truly stunning and I think it stands up more than adequately on its own two feet.
By having Vin Diesel, Rhiana Griffith and Keith David all providing the voices' of their characters from 'Pitch Black', (as well as Nick Chinlund appearing as Toombs from 'Chronicles'), 'Dark Fury' has a continuity rarely found in animated versions of movies which helps draw the viewer in, assuming you enjoyed either of the other Riddick outings.
Credit has to go to Tress McNeille, (Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Futurama), who's performance as the art-obsessed, psychologically deranged villain Chillingsworth is superb. Also, I was surprised by Vin Diesel's performance. Whilst I am a fan of his, I'd always thought of him as something of a "one trick pony"; however, I thought his performance was great and that he really added to Riddick's character.
With Peter Chung as director I was expecting an enjoyable and visually exciting movie. I certainly wasn't disappointed. Chung's expertise, (and hard-working crew of animators), coupled with a well written script and excellent performances from all the actors involved has produced a thoroughly entertaining 30-something minute romp through the world of Riddick.
Within the movie itself, I found only two issues with 'Dark Fury' that disappointed me: Firstly, I felt it was much too short. I personally would have liked the movie to have gone into more depth and felt there was room to expand on some of the threads it exposes in the build up to 'Chronicles', (e.g. Toombs' story before and after 'Dark Fury'). However, given the nature of animation, perhaps it's understandable why they kept it to just over half-an-hour.
Secondly, the final fight scene between Riddick and Junner I felt looked out of place with the rest of the animation. Suddenly the characters' appear somewhat elongated, (something I suspect is due to a desired affect by Chung, rather than poor or lazy animation) and I found this particular scene a little strange against the style of animation throughout the rest of the movie.
With regards to the DVD, the cover artwork was designed and signed by Chung himself, which I think would appeal specifically to his fans. Sadly, whilst the bonus features are interesting, I again felt they could have been more in depth.
However, if you take these negatives in context, i.e. that this was never meant as a full length movie, merely as a bridge between 'Pitch Black' and 'Chronicles Of Riddick', and that the DVD is significantly under £10, I think it is good value for money and certainly entertaining.
So, who's it for? Well, I would say if you're a fan of 'Pitch Black' or 'Chronicles Of Riddick' it's certainly worth watching. Also, I think it would appeal to broader fans of Chung's, as the animation and direction are certainly not what I would class as below par.
All in all, 'Dark Fury' is an interesting addition and expansion on the world set-up in 'Pitch Black' and furthered in 'Chronicle Of Riddick'; however I doubt it would appeal to people who only took a passing interest in those two movies, or who aren't into Chung's previous work. If however you are a fan, I'd highly recommend it and would be surprised if you too weren't pleased with it.
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Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
a cracking first review! i still havent seen the vin diesel film let alone the cartoon collection too! will get round to it eventually!! :) x
clownfoot 05.03.2006 17:32
Another, good, concise and helpful review. I'm a fan of Pitch Black, but the negative reviews of the sequel have kind of put off seeing it as yet. This certainly seems like an interesting buy, similar in style to the Animatrix in producing a fully realised alternative universe for fans. Alboy
Taking its cue fromThe Animatrix,Dark Furyis part of a new trend of bridging theatrical ... more
sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
From renowned animator Peter Chung (The Animatrix, 'Matriculated'; MTV's AEon Flux) comes ... more
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, an all-new, exhilarating adventure in The Chronicles of Riddick saga! When Riddick is captured by bounty hunters, he is forc...
Taking its cue fromThe Animatrix,Dark Furyis part of a new trend of bridging theatrical ... more
sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![The Chronicles Of Riddick - Dark Fury [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78502082.jpg "The Chronicles Of Riddick - Dark Fury [DVD]")
Mar 4th, 2006
(Nov 23rd, 2006)
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