CREDIT: ONE RACE PRODUCTIONS
Vin Diesel stars in Riddick.

Riddick (2013)

That is of course, if you can count “being Vin Diesel-y” as a skill. Diesel is turning into one of those actors who we have seen all too often in Hollywood's past; Humphrey Bogart (though admittedly the man who brings to life one of my all-time favourite characters) never really acted, he just was Humphrey Bogart in different settings. The same can be said for William Shatner, Jason Statham and numerous others. Now, I'm fairly confident that we can just go ahead and add Vin Diesel to that list too.

So, now to get to the point: watching Vin Diesel be Vin Diesel in Riddick.

If you think back to a few years ago, you'll remember that you've seen the character of Riddick before, twice in fact. This year's Riddick is the third in the series, and Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick are this flick's predecessors. This time around, Riddick finds himself in the middle of an assassination attempt, which he obviously fends off with that extra little bit of badass flair, and stranded on an alien planet. But injuries be damned, Riddick is on a mission to survive the endless attacks on him in order to find Furya, which is what he's been looking for all along.

With his ever-present scowl, his crusty exterior and all-around angry attitude, Vin Diesel is actually the best person for the job of bringing Riddick to life. As not only a warrior, but an Alpha at that, the character of Riddick demands the sort of brick wall of a man that Vin Diesel admittedly is. Not much happens in the way of character development, or Oscar worthy acting skills on screen here, but you do get to sit and watch Diesel kick a lot of ass, which is really what you're looking for in a move like this.

Not that he couldn't carry it all on his own unbelievably broad shoulders, but Vin Diesel is not in fact the only actor cast in Riddick. Santana and Boss Johns play nicely off of Diesel's Riddick, as a bounty hunter sent to kill Riddick and an altogether unwelcome mercenary respectively. Jordi Molla steps into the role of Santata and brings to it all his experience of badassery. Molla had done his fair share of action flicks before, including Columbiana, and it definitely shows. Matt Nable makes his appearance as Boss Johns, and though he may be less well known in the world of action flicks, it has no bearing on his ability to get on screen and kick some serious ass.

All in all, this is the type of flick that you have to appreciate for what it is. It's a lot of action, not a whole lot of substance, and that's exactly what it's supposed to be. If you go in looking for something deep and thought provoking, then you'll probably not going to have a lot of fun at the theater. However, if you want an awesome, ass-kicking good time, or if you're just a really big fan of the other movies in the Riddick series, then definitely check this one out!

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5