(12-22-2013, 08:53 AM)Hammerskjold Wrote: I really enjoyed Riddick 1. Riddick 2 was a bit uneven, but still a gorgeous hot mess for the visual design. Semi interested in the 3rd one.
I honestly thought Chronicles was the best one, even though critics hated it. As you said, the visual design is outstanding. I loved how over-the-top all of the characters were. They are almost archetypes unto themselves. Chronicles was like Conan the Barbarian in space! The names of things further cemented its corniness - Necromonger, Crematoria, Furya, Helion, a bounty hunter named Toombs. Awesome stuff. My only complaint about it is that it really puts Riddick into a hero role, when his appeal is as a prototypical antihero. Riddick is not a good guy.
Pitch Black is to Chronicles as Alien is to Aliens. The formers were more of a horror sci-fi, while the latters were more of an action sci-fi. The 3rd Riddick film is sort of an homage to Pitch Black (I won't spoil anything) made on a shoestring budget (around $40 million). If you enjoyed Pitch Black and/or Chronicles of Riddick on any level, it's worth checking out. I liked it a lot.
Dark Fury is a short (~30 mins) animated film set between Pitch Black and Chronicles. I got it as a part of a box set, but I think you can also buy it separately.
If I had to rank them, I'd go Chronicles > Pitch Black > Riddick > Dark Fury.