I haven't seen the DVD, but did see this film in the Theaters back when it was originally released. I liked it then and like it now.
I suppose it is the very good production values, the top tier cast and an above average story that makes for an interesting view.
There are some actors I like to watch in this movie but Claudia Black and Rhada Mitchell top the list. Cole Hauser's and Vin Diesel's characters play prominently into the storyline but it is Mitchell's Carolyn Fry who steals every other scene. (fine with me...;)
The cinematography is also very captivating in the way that we are allowed to experience the effects of being on a desert planet having three suns. The color balance shifts between blue casts to yellows to oranges. Then there is the once-every-22-year eclipse...that our crash survivors have arrived just in time for, and then the entire planet goes dark (pitch black, eh!) Ah, but that is when the very nasty carnivorous creatures come out to devour every living thing in their path. The goal is simple.....escape or be eaten alive. A creature flick, but not a horror flick, I'd say.
Add to the mix one escaped convict (Riddick) his captor (William Johns, a bounty hunter masquerading as a law officer) man & wife prospectors, a holy man, a few children we don't get to know and one rough talking adolescent girl masquerading as a male (Jack/Jackie) and you get enough complications for characters to develop during the ordeal. Who dies and who escapes can only be revealed by those who view the movie. (I'm not telling)
As noted above, I haven't seen the DVD so I can't make a comparison between Blu-Ray and DVD. Sorry, I can't say if owners of the DVD should purchase the Blu-Ray for a visual upgrade. That much aside, the Blu-Ray does look very good. Special effects, both cgi and otherwise are done 1st rate in this film. At no time did I have trouble "suspending my disbelief", as those in the industry are wont to say.
The film makers could have played up the blood and gore but chose to suggest it without forcing us viewers to take a bath in it. There is also plenty of eye candy...the type that sci-fi buffs enjoy to look upon. That said, this is a creature flick where the humans find themselves at the bottom of the food chain.
-Steve
