Movie · 2013 · Science Fiction, Action, Thriller · 1h 59m · R · English
Curator score: 1.5/10 (264.5K ratings)
Survival Is His Revenge
Overview
Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.5/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.84/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 58%
Metacritic: 49
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
David Twohy
Production
One Race, Riddick Canada Productions, Radar Pictures, Universal Pictures, Mandate International
Cast
Vin Diesel, Nolan Gerard Funk, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Jordi Mollà, Dave Bautista, Karl Urban, Bokeem Woodbine, Andreas Apergis, Noah Dalton Danby, Neil Napier, Raoul Max Trujillo, Conrad Pla, Danny Blanco Hall, Keri Hilson, Charlie Marie Dupont, Jan Gerste, Antoinette Kalaj, Alexandra Sokolovskaya, Lani Minella
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A leaner, meaner return to survival-mode sci-fi, with strong creature-feature atmosphere and a charismatic lead performance. It’s at its best when it strips the franchise down to hunt-or-be-hunted tension, but the CGI, dialogue, and uneven pacing keep it from fully landing.
Best for
fans of gritty space survival stories
viewers who like antihero-led action
people who enjoy creature attacks and siege-style plotting
audiences looking for pulpy B-movie sci-fi with attitude
Skip if
you want polished visual effects
you dislike self-serious macho dialogue
you need a tightly paced story
you’re not into franchise entries that feel more like setup than payoff
Overview
Riddick works best when it remembers that the character is most compelling as a predator in a hostile environment. The desert-planet setup gives the movie a stripped-down, almost old-school survival rhythm, and Vin Diesel leans into the role with enough physical confidence to sell the myth of the character even when the script is doing too much talking around him.
Worth noting
The film has a scrappy, pulpy energy that can be genuinely fun, especially in the monster encounters and the cat-and-mouse bounty hunter material. It also has a roughness that feels intentional at times and accidental at others, with digital effects and dialogue that can pull you out of the moment.
Bottom line
As a continuation of the series, it’s less ambitious than the earlier installment that expanded the universe, but more focused in its pleasures. If you want a hard-edged sci-fi action movie with survival horror instincts and a lead character who operates like a force of nature, this delivers enough to justify the watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Todd Gaines (3★) · 414 likes
Riddick on some fuckin planet and it might just get Pitch fuckin Black. A big-ass bird. A super-scary snake. A cool-as-fuck dog who likes to play fetch. Judge Dredd without his helmet. Battlestar Galactica side-boob. A Bokeem Woodbine sighting. Holy Fuck, it's Cole Hauser's dad. Bautista acting more like The Rock than John Cena. Painted toenails that match your nipples. Head in a fuckin box. Riding a space-motorbike like you stole it. Being a man of your word. A jamoke.… more Riddick on some fuckin planet and it might just get Pitch fuckin Black. A big-ass bird. A super-scary snake. A cool-as-fuck dog who likes to play fetch. Judge Dredd without his helmet. Battlestar Galactica side-boob. A Bokeem Woodbine sighting. Holy Fuck, it's Cole Hauser's dad. Bautista acting more like The Rock than John Cena. Painted toenails that match your nipples. Head in a fuckin box. Riding a space-motorbike like you stole it. Being a man of your word. A jamoke.… more
Bryan Espitia (4★) · 282 likes
Riddick balances a machete on his foot then kicks it at a guy and cuts his head in half. These movies are just really cool man.
Matt Singer (3.5★) · 239 likes
This is now officially a Riddick stan account.
matt lynch (3★) · 129 likes
i miss the Conan-in-Space vibe, but this is merely differently dorky. more of a western, even sorta Boetticher-y in spots. plus Riddick has a dog.
peskypaul (4★) · 113 likes
❤️🔥76%🔙Home Alone 2🔙🔜Carry On🔜
Riddick is an absolute sci-fi dream, completely unique in style and the world is its own in every sense. When Vin Diesel and David Twohy link up with minimal resources you know the creativity is going to be at a pretty high point.
Starting a little slow but it’s a good base for some extra world building which is really one of the strong suit of the movie. It’s unbelievable how fresh this feels… more
2005 · Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 1h 59m · PG-13 · Curator 6.2/10 (409.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A frontier-in-space adventure with outlaw energy, bounty-hunter vibes, and a ragtag crew dynamic.