Vin Diesel dons his trademark goggles while stranded on a hostile planet in “Riddick.” (Photo credit: AP photo by Universal Pictures)

‘Riddick’ offers few surprises, should satisfy fans of the franchise

“This ain’t nothing new.” That line, uttered by our protagonist, Riddick (Vin Diesel), smartly sums the new release of the same title. The third installment in “The Chronicles of Riddick” series does little to distinguish itself from the 2000’s cult hit “Pitch Black”; it does, however, manage to redeem the franchise after the out-of-control fiasco that was 2004’s “The Chronicles of Riddick.” Worse could be said.

“Riddick,” directed by series director David Twohy, reintroduces us to our nearly indestructible, man-of-few-words anti-hero, Riddick. Twohy strips downs this installment to its bare bones, coming closer to recreating “Pitch Black” in both effect and atmosphere. It keeps the action and tension focus on the planet-hopping beast, which will please fans of the franchise. However, no one should really be surprised as the series of events that transpire.

“The Chronicles of Riddick” ends with Riddick as the hesitant ruler of the planet-conquering Necromongers. “Riddick” begins with him being stranded on a desolate planet after being deposed as said ruler. His only company: vulture-like birds, hyena-jackal mixes and some terrifying scorpion-serpent monstrosities. If you didn’t know any better, you would think Riddick feels at home in places like this.

Continuing the series’ penchant for fast and impressive starts, Riddick immerses himself with this less-than-hospitable world (after setting and pinning his own broken leg, of course). He eats raw animal creatures, raises one of the wolf-like pups as his own and goes mano-a-mano with those scorpion hell spawns. Throughout all of this “Man Vs. Wild” shenanigans, Riddick is as cool and cunning as always. Until a massive storm starts culminating on the horizon. That, for reasons confusing at the time, gets him wanting to leave the planet in a hurry. The problem: He doesn’t have a ship. So he locates a mercenary encampment and activates the locator beacon. And wouldn’t you know, bounty hunters swoop in to claim the enormous bounty on his head. (The bounty is implied, which is disappointing, but you know you’re a wanted man when that bounty is then doubled if you are returned dead, rather than alive.)

To make matters more complicated, it seems that bounty is just too enticing. As a result, two sets of mercenaries descend on this hell of a planet to capture Riddick. One team, lead by the sleazy Santana (Jordi Rolla), wants the money. The other team, captained by Boss Johns (Matt Nable), comes with a vengeance and an agenda. It seems Johns’ son had a nasty run-in with Riddick. (Remember William from “Pitch Black”? Yeah, it didn’t end well for William.)

But don’t let the dueling hitmen distract you from the paint-by-numbers plot structure from here on out. Riddick, in true seeing-in-the-dark fashion, slowly offs his enemies one by one. That eventually tapers off, however, as that nasty storm gets ever nearer. (What happens next is a bit convoluted and over-the-top, but it doesn’t stop it from being disturbing and frightening. Just roll with it.) Riddick and the mercenaries are then forced to team up to save themselves.

A quick note for the local residents: Kattee Sackhoff (“Battlestar Galactica”), who grew up in St. Helens, Ore., plays Dahl, second-hand to Johns and all-around badass. She has a certain commanding presence, and she fills her role quite nicely. (Especially when she knocks the disgusting Santana around.)

All in all, “Riddick” is nothing new. But director Twohy was able to toss some entertaining moments in with all the slasher gore and genre tension. You’ll stay interested, if only because you want to see who lives or dies. Deadpan and situational humor pop up every so often, normally to good effect. (For those who care, this is some nudity, so be prepared.)

It’s hard to say you’re impressed when the movie you just watched is something you saw almost 14 years ago. Still, “Riddick” could have done worse. Nothing new, but sometimes the old works just as well.

Three eye-startling stars out of five.

Following Silver Screening Reviews on Twitter or like us on Facebook.