It's safe to say that if you like the music of Metallica, you'll like this concert film/extended music video hybrid.
A couple of years ago, someone whose opinion I trusted (in cinematic matters) recommended that I see the documentary "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" because it shows the pop star in a new, respectable light, showcasing his hard-working nature and the troubles he encountered in his rise to fame. Sure, I thought. I'll take a look.
What I failed to realize was that I would have to sit through Bieber's crappy music (an obviously stupid oversight, on my part). While I did gain some respect for the dude (temporarily), the yodelingly saccharine assault to my eardrums nearly destroyed my sanity. Lesson learned. Don't see a concert film if you don't like the artist.
Which brings me to Metallica. This year marks the band's 30th anniversary and this is their gift to fans, a 3D IMAX concert/movie experience. The concert portion was recorded live in Vancouver. The movie portion, featuring Dane ("Chronicle") DeHaan as a roadie who must brave riots, psycho killers and the apocalypse while running an errand for the band, was directed by Nimrod Antal ("Kontroll", "Predators"). While the movie would have been perfectly fine as a mere a concert film, the film portions (written by the band members themselves - James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo), while at first intrusive, eventually merge with the concert portions and come together nicely by the end. Think of it as an extended music video, filled with loads of headbanger iconography.
The real treat of the film is the concert itself, and the band proves once again that they're still in top form. Even fans who've fallen out of favor with the band will enjoy the set - they don't play any songs from "St. Anger" or "Lulu", or even "Load", for that matter. It's a nice mix of classics from throughout their career (although the only song they play from "Death Magnetic" is "Cyanide" - my least favorite track on that album). My entry point for the music of Metallica was The Black Album, and the focus of "Through the Never" is primarily that album and their older classics. There's also a nice version of the intrumental "Orion" over the end credits that I really dug.
The 3D is some of the most well-done 3D I've seen to date, and well worth forking over the extra dough to see it. It's high quality. They really put you right on stage with the boys, up close and personal. Right now the movie is only playing in IMAX 3D, but it will open wide in the next couple of days. Still, given the choice, I recommend three dimensions.
If sitting through 90-plus minutes of Metallica music sounds like a good time to you, than you will be in heaven. I enjoyed the hell out of this movie.
Thanks to the emerging popularity of internet movie gossip sites, word had spread that this little sci-fi monster flick from writer/director David Twohy was rather good, so I leapt into the Bastardmobile and sped towards the nearest multiplex. Actually, it wasn't the nearest multiplex. It was a place called Willow Creek 12, and it was rather far away. But it was one of my regular haunts.
When I entered the lobby, I noticed something strange. One of the concession stand goobers was dressed up like that character from the movie I was about to see, the one played by the actor with the improbable name of 'Vin Diesel" - black tank top, bald head, goofy dark goggles. I asked him what the hell was going on here and he told me that, after the previous night's employee screening, he had become a fan of the flick. And he wasn't the only one.
The movie is set up like this: After the opening spaceship crash sequence and aftermath, the main threat for the core characters in the movie comes from badass escaped convict Riddick (Diesel). Then a planetary eclipse occurs, darkness falls, and all of the human characters must band together to survive against an onslaught of night dwelling beasties. Well, during the special effect shot when the eclipse happens and the screen goes black, I noticed that, gee whiz, it was awfully dark in that theater. Even the exit lights and floor lights were dark - they had turned off all of the lights at that exact moment. It was literally pitch black. And boy did it add to my enjoyment of the movie. A little old fashioned showmanship goes a long way.
After seeing that movie a couple more times at Willow Creek (allowing me to confirm that the 'blackening' of the theater was 100% intentional), I became a fan as well. Twohy's solid filmmaking and surehanded grasp of good ol' pulp science fiction, as well as Diesel's breakout performance as Richard B. Riddick (he's like one of those antihero characters from a classic John Carpenter film), made "Pitch Black" highly watchable (and re-watchable). And it was also Diesel's first step from being 'the first squad member who dies in "Saving Private Ryan" and the voice of "The Iron Giant"' to full-on action superstar.
Dark Fury (2004)
This short (30 minute long) animated flick was released as part of the promotional ramp-up to "The Chronicles of Riddick". Directed by Peter Chung ("Aeon Flux") and based on a story by David Twohy, it picks up shortly after the events of "Pitch Black", with our surviving characters being picked up by a unique kind of mercenary ship which they must break free of. If you can deal with Chung's odd animation style (rubbery, exxagerated characters) then you'll have a decent time with this. Not only does it introduce the character of Toombs (Nick Chinlund), but it also starts the character of 'Jack' down her new path as Riddick, Jr. The actors who portray these characters in the live action movies also provide their voices (Diesel included).
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
What a gamble. Thanks to the runaway home video/television success of the first movie, as well as Vin Diesel's successful follow up roles in "The Fast and the Furious" and "XXX", writer/director David Twohy was given the green light to make a big budget sequel, the first in a proposed trilogy called "The Chronicles of Riddick". Applying the pulp fiction sensibilities of the first movie to the template of a "Dune"-esque, galaxy-spanning adventure, "Chronicles" finds Riddick coming out of hiding in order to rescue badass killer Kira (formerly 'Jack'), only to run afoul of the Necromongers, an army of religious zealots bent on converting the known universe to their weird beliefs. It's goofy, but I enjoyed this. Diesel is fun to watch as the beating, testosterone-fueled heart of the movie, and there are a couple of original, well-conceived actions sequences to boot. The R-rated Director's Cut is my preferred version of this movie. Not only is it more hardcore, but there's more 'meat on the bone' in the form of extra character moments and some otherworldly dream sequences featuring Riddick's hot mom.
Unfortunately, the movie was a box office dud. Riddick was dead.
Or was he????? (scratches goatee pensively)
Spoiler Alert: Nope.
Blindsided (2013)
Riddick, of course returned. Before that, however, there was this motion comic called "Blindsided" from a story by Twohy. Riddick, now the leader of the Necromongers, fears that he's becoming soft after he barely survives an assassination attempt by unknown parties. That's pretty much all there is to it - it's only five minutes long, fer crissakes. Besides Diesel and Karl Urban (as Vako) returning to lend their voices, there's nothing else of substance. The fight between Riddick and a nasty looking, bladed Necromonger assassin would be the highlight of the piece if not for the whole 'motion comic' style - it's like half-assed animation and I don't like it.
This illuminates nothing. Skip it.
Riddick (2013)
"The Chronicles of Riddick". Then "Riddick". What's the next one going to be called? "Dick"?
They should have called this one "How Riddick Got His Groove Back". Writer/director Twohy returns to how it all began with this lower-budgeted monster fest. Following the three act structure of "Pitch Black", we begin with Riddick being attacked and left for dead on a remote planet by his Necromonger lackeys (Karl Urban cameos as Vako). The first (and best) act is watching him learn to survive on this hostile world. It's nearly wordless and full of pure Riddick moments as he tackles the environment head-on. Act Two begins when he finds a remote outpost and triggers a 'Wanted' beacon, drawing two separate parties of bounty hunters to the surface ('calling a taxi', as one character puts it). Riddick then largely disappears from the movie, becoming the monster in the darkness as he picks off the bounty hunters one by one. Act Three - Riddick steps out of the shadows and teams up with the surviving hunters to get through the night, which finds the planet overrun by water-lovin' scorpion beasties.
The Cons:
- Similarities. Revisiting the "Pitch Black" format is somewhat problematic. While Twohy is able to throw a couple of welcome twists into the formula, a few scenes have the unmistakable aroma of 'been there, done that'. It's not enough to turn me off of the movie, but it makes me wish that Twohy had tried something wholly different. I get that the whole "Riddick regains his mojo" theme is meant to play off of our knowledge of the original movie (Riddick's life defining ordeal), but it also invites too many comparisons, and "Riddick", simply put, is not as good as "Pitch Black".
- Mo' Money. In some of the more ambitious action sequences, it's pretty clear that the movie had a much lower budget than "Chronicles". It overreaches a little too much. Thanks for trying, though!
The Pros:
- Thespians. While most of the bounty hunters are monster fodder, I would go so far as to say that this entry in the series has the best supporting cast of them all. Diesel, of course, still owns the character of Riddick and is fun to watch. He's like a Robert E. Howard character come to life. Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) plays 'the girl' in the movie, tough as nails, who can stand toe-to-toe with Riddick himself. She's pretty much Valyria to Riddick's Conan, equally fun to watch. I really like Matt Nable as the leader of one of the bounty hunter parties. He's got a great 'old school' Hollywood tough guy vibe and reminds me specifically of Charles Bronson. It's Charles Bronson - In Space! The other bounty hunter leader is played (with over-the-top flair) by Jordi Molla. He's the biggest scumbag in the movie and is the brunt of a lot of punishment, adding much audience satisfaction. Lastly, there's Dave Bautista. I think this guy has great screen presence and could go far as a big screen action hero, if given the right role. We'll see how he does in next summer's "Guardians of the Galaxy", but his work in "Riddick" is a pretty good indicator of his potential.
- Ouch. The R rating returns with a welcome, bloody vengeance. There are a couple of kills in this movie which evoked cheers from the deviants in the audience (okay, I'm one of them). "Riddick" is also the most sexually charged movie of the trilogy. In fact, it almost seems out of place for a Riddick movie, yet at the same time it adds an element which helps differentiate it from the others. Some "Battlestar Galactica" fans will come out of this movie very happy, I can tell you that.
Overall opinion - I enjoyed this movie. Despite its rank as my least favorite Riddick installment, it's still a great, pulpy night at the movies and I wouldn't mind seeing the character return again (is that a Spoiler Alert?).
In closing, I would now like to present to you my favorite Awkward Out-of-Context Riddick One-Liner (from "The Chronicles of Riddick") -
"It's been a long time since I smelled beautiful."