Review: The Chronicles of Riddick Ltd Ed 4K UHD
4K UHD: The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Good grief have Arrow pushed the boat out on this one! Reviewers ‘just’ get plain review discs and photos of the real package. On seeing what’s included in this one, I wished they sent us the whole thing!
David Twohy captured lightening in a bottle with Pitch Black, made on the cheap, stylised, the tale of a man with reflective eyes (yes, there’s more to it than that). So it was inevitable Riddick Part 2 would be made, but what no one expected was … this.
Continuing (Vin Diesel) Riddick’s (who’s been in hiding since Pitch Black) story by him arriving on a new planet and meeting Aereon (Judi Dench), an Air Elemental, who believes Riddick is a Furyan; the last man of a race of warriors long extinct. But the Necromongers, religious fanatics who seek to convert every planet to their way of life, and kill those who refuse. They invade the planet Riddick is on, capture him and is discovered as a Furyan. Oops.
I vaguely remember the first time I watched this, I was a bit distracted by the labyrinthine story and Twohy (like Nolan) expects the audience to follow and keep up, but this can be quite hard to get to grips with, though I did enjoy watching it this time, not just for the amazing 4K picture (ooo those blacks). This is a must buy if you’re a fan of Riddick – I mean just look at all these lovely extras.
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 4K restorations by Arrow Films of the Theatrical and Director’s Cuts of the film, approved by David Twohy
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio on both cuts, plus remixed Dolby Atmos for the Theatrical Cut
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford
- Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Walter Chaw, original production notes and the “Chronicles Compendium”, an overview of the characters and planets featured in the film
DISC ONE
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Theatrical Cut from the original negative
- Ambition on Another Scale: Chronicling a Blockbuster Sequel, a brand-new feature-length documentary on the film, featuring interviews with interviews with writer-director David Twohy, actors Keith David and Linus Roache, storyboard artist Brian Murray, concept artist Matt Codd, miniature effects artist Ian Hunter and digital matte artist Dylan Cole
- Realizing Riddick, a new interview with Twohy on the creation of the character
- Back to Black, a new interview with Murray on his continuing work within the Riddick saga
- Chronicles of a Cult Film Celebrity, a new interview with David on the role of Imam
- Theatrical trailers
DISC TWO
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Director’s Cut
- Archive audio commentary by David Twohy and Vin Diesel
- Archive audio commentary by Twohy and co-stars Karl Urban and Alexa Davelos
- Archive introduction by Twohy
- Creation of New Mecca, an archive featurette focusing on the world and characters of Helion Prime
- Riddick Rises, an archive featurette focusing on the prison planet of Crematoria
- Keep What You Kill, an archive featurette focusing on the world of the Necromongers
- Visual Effects Revealed, an archive featurette focusing on the VFX
- Interactive Production Calendar, a series of short, candid videos filmed throughout shooting
- Production Vignettes, a series of short behind-the-scenes segments
- Three deleted scenes
- Virtual Guide to the Chronicles of Riddick, a series of short animated segments explaining the world of the film
- Toombs’ Chase Log, a short film narrated by Nick Chinlund in character
- A guided tour of the set by Vin Diesel, along with 360-degree panoramic views of eight sets from the film
- On-set interviews with Twohy, Diesel, Dench, Urban, Colm Feore, Alexa Davelos, Thandie Newton and producer Scott Kroopf
- Promotional interviews with Twohy, Diesel, Newton, Urban, Davelos and Feore
- Easter egg
DISC THREE (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE)
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Theatrical Cut in the alternate 1.78:1 aspect ratio
- Escape from Butcher Bay, a compilation of cutscenes from the acclaimed tie-in video game
- The Lowdown, a television special produced to promote the film’s original release
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Arrow Films via Fetch Publicity.