Comprehensive information and links about The Chronicles of Riddick

The Chronicles of Riddick . It was directed by David Twohy and stars Vin Diesel, Karl Urban and Judi Dench, with Thandie Newton and Colm Feore.

"" (with no subtitleThe Chronicles of Riddick is the actual name of this film, though Universal has chosen to use it as an overall brand name for anything starring the character Riddick. Consequently, the 2004 re-release of , a 4-person group of bounty hunters, led by Toombs (Nick Chinlund), are on the trail of Richard B. Riddick on the frozen planet of U.V.6. After boarding the ship, Riddick tells Toombs he made three mistakes:

Riddick discovers that Toombs was paid 1.5 million by a private party from Helion Prime. Riddick throws Toombs out of the ship and heads to Helion Prime, and there's only one person who could have betrayed him: Imam, whom he saved long ago.

Imam, working with Aereon (an ambassador from the mysterious and rarefied race known as the Elementals) reveals his reasons for seeking Riddick. The Necromongers (a.k.a. "World Enders") are poised to attack Imam's planet, Helion Prime (a.k.a. "New Mecca"). The bounty was put on him to draw him back to Helion Prime and fight for them. Aereon believes that Riddick, a Furyan, can rebalance the universe against the Necromongers.

It is from Imam that Riddick learns where Jack (a.k.a. Kyra) can be found: Crematoria. While, presumably, leaving to seek Kyra, Helion Prime is attacked by Necromongers.

The Necromongers are a patriarchal warlike race seeking to convert, violently if necessary, the universe to their faith while on a journey to the Underverse, a constellation of Dark new worlds. They see life as antagonistic to the "natural state" (human life is spontaneous outbreak; an unguided mistake) to which they seek to correct by converting others to the Necromonger faith. The Purifier tries to convince the people of Helion Prime of this, but most are unwilling to convert, that is until the Lord Marshal pulls out one man's soul.

Riddick shows up to the gathering to seek the Necromonger that killed Imam. It is after the fight that Riddick and Lord Marshal meet, though it seems as if it were not the first time, and takes Riddick to the Quasi-Deads. Before the Quasi-Deads, Lord Marshal (and others including the Purifier) learn that Riddick is a Furyan: a warrior race massacred by none other than the Necromongers. During Riddick's escape from their ship, he is caught by Toombs, but this time with a 5-man crew (one of whom is a woman). Riddick craftily steers Toombs to Crematoria to seek bounty payment.

After landing at the underground hangar, they travel by an underground rail cart 29.4 kilometres to the actual prison. Shortly after being put into the prison, Riddick and Kyra are reunited (where they recite familiar lines from ). During Toombs' second negotiation for the price of Riddick, an all-out-brawl ensues when they learned the Necromongers trailed Toombs' ship to Crematoria.

Back on Helion Prime, Dame Vaako seeks answers from Aereon about Riddick. She learns that Lord Marshal learned 30+ years ago that a male child on Furya would be born who would cause him his downfall. Lord Marshal attacks Furya and kills all males to prevent the foretelling from coming true. While Dame Vaako is telling Vaako (who is now hunting Riddick) of this story, the Purifier overhears the conversation.

The remaining guards on Crematoria escape down the rail cart passage (though without the cart because it was destroyed during the brawl) on foot. Riddick, Kyra, and three prisoners leave the prison, not underground, but aboveground because the doors to the passage are non-operable. On the surface, they race against the upcoming sunrise where the temperature rises to 700 degrees. Upon reaching the hangar, they learn the Necromongers have beaten them there. After the Necromongers defeat the guards that ran underground, they fight it out with Riddick where he is left for dead and Kyra jumps on the Necromonger ship.

When the Necromongers leave, the Purifier is found to have stayed in the hangar and pulls Riddick into the hangar and is spared from the immense heat of the sunrise. It is then that Riddick learns he is not the only Furyan. The Purifier reveals to Riddick that he is a Furyan living and killing for a religion he never wanted, and walks out into the raging sunrise to kill himself.

Taking Toombs' ship again, Riddick flies after the Necromongers back to Helion Prime. Riddick boards the lead Necromonger ship and plans to kill Lord Marshal. After his surprise attack, which Lord Marshal foiled, he learns that Kyra was converted and is now a Necromonger. Riddick, now enraged that Lord Marshal has taken everything he's loved, battles it out with him. Secretly with Dame Vaako, Vaako plans to kill Lord Marshal when he's at his weakest to claim the Necromonger throne.

However, it is Riddick that deals the killing blow to Lord Marshal and Riddick, visibly upset over the death of Kyra, sits on the throne. He looks up to see all the Necromongers, including Vaako, kneel before him. Recalling the words of the Lord Marshall, Riddick repeats the Necromonger mantra to himself: "You keep what you kill."

deals with the internal conflict of Vin Diesel's title character between selfishness and empathy. Billed as an anti-hero in the popular press, Riddick is closer to a received poor treatment from the critics and mediocre performance at the U.S. domestic box office ($57 million), though its total global box office take of $109 million resulted in rentals (the amount of money the studio receives from theater owners) of $65 million. When expenses on the film (estimated at $130 million) are factored in, the film lost 65 million dollars in theaters. An Xbox game (, later also ported to the PC) released simultaneously was very well received, as was the anime short film director Peter Chung, and may have made the whole endeavor a financial win for Universal Studios.

The Unrated Director's Cut DVD was released on November 16, 2004 and sold 1.5 million copies on the first day alone. Director David Twohy has said that sequel plans depend in large part on the commercial success of the DVD. Vin Diesel has said that there are two sequels in development; the second film will involve a visit to the Underverse.