• Rating:
• Genre: Science Fiction
• Movie Type: Space Adventure, Sci-Fi Action
• Director: Peter Chung
• Main Cast: Nick Chinlund, Rhiana Griffith, Keith David, Vin Diesel
• Release Year: 2004
• Country: US
• Run Time: 30 minutes

Plot

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury picks up where the original Pitch Black left off as Riddick is pitted against a ruthless bounty hunter in this animated prequel to the big-event summer movie The Chronicles of Riddick. Vin Diesel returns as the voice of the mysterious hero, with Keith David and Rhiana Griffith also reprising their roles from the first film. Directed by acclaimed animator Peter Chung (Aeon Flux, The Animatrix: Matriculated), this 30-minute direct-to-DVD feature promises highly stylized action and dynamic visuals that are sure to amaze and delight. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Review

Hot on the heels of the straight-to-DVD Van Helsing: The London Assignment animated prequel comes The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, yet another made-for-home-entertainment package deal that actually turns out to be better than its big-screen successor. What's key here is that Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung is on board, and the result is a visual marvel that excels at dynamic character animation and a keen sense of style that keeps the brisk 35-minute running time quick and thoroughly enjoyable. The whole "bridging the gap" between Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick idea might be a little misleading. The entire plot comes exactly after the first movie and ends four years before the bloated sequel, so there's a lot of stuff that's still missing in there, which could be Dark Fury's biggest downfall, only because it just narrowly covers the big change in one of the characters that features so prominently later on. Still, this is the kind of story in which the Riddick character shines. He deals some major pain in zero gravity and takes on weird electric squid creatures without breakin' a sweat. The villain is pretty engaging too, with a backstory that makes it clear why she would be interested in the flick's main bald hero (something that came virtually out of nowhere in the sequel). Quality voice acting also boosts the level of the feature, though it's evident that the original Jack (Rhiana Griffith) can still be grating to listen to -- funny how she didn't return for the sequel! With his Animatrix: Matriculated short and Paramount Picture's live-action adaptation of Aeon Flux with Charlize Theron, Peter Chung is staking his ground in Hollywood, and Dark Fury is just the latest stop for this talented storyteller. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Vin Diesel - Richard Riddick
• Nick Chinlund - Toombs
• Keith David - Imam
• Rhiana Griffith - Jack

Credit

Peter Chung - Director; Brett Matthews - Screenwriter

Similar Movies

Van Helsing: The London Assignment; The Venus Wars; The Fifth Element