This notification stayed in my inbox because I didn't have time to read the whole entry when you posted it; now I'm shoveling out said inbox, and you get a belated comment.
Delighted to see it!
And it surprised me with the ending, because I was just expecting by default that he would redeem himself with death, instead of Radha Mitchell's captain dying and leaving him with the lost emptiness of "Not for me" and the question of what to do next.
I can't remember if I was surprised by the ending—if we're talking death by redemption, she is an obvious candidate because of her introductory decision to jettison the crew—but I like it because he wasn't expecting it. And he doesn't feel he deserves it. She steals his sacrifice. If he had successfully died for the crew, I would have felt it was more conventional. This way, it's the one time Riddick's plans don't work out, and he has no idea what to do with it.
Have you seen The Chronicles of Riddick?
No; my brother hated it and I generally trust his recommendations in this direction—he was right that the theatrical version of Donnie Darko (2001) is more evocative and less patronizing than the director's cut—so I stayed away from both The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and the following Riddick (2013). I am so very fond of Pitch Black, I don't want either of them to damage it in retrospect. Or just annoy me on their own merits. Life is too short for bad art in general, but I really feel it's too short for bad movies.
Re:
Delighted to see it!
And it surprised me with the ending, because I was just expecting by default that he would redeem himself with death, instead of Radha Mitchell's captain dying and leaving him with the lost emptiness of "Not for me" and the question of what to do next.
I can't remember if I was surprised by the ending—if we're talking death by redemption, she is an obvious candidate because of her introductory decision to jettison the crew—but I like it because he wasn't expecting it. And he doesn't feel he deserves it. She steals his sacrifice. If he had successfully died for the crew, I would have felt it was more conventional. This way, it's the one time Riddick's plans don't work out, and he has no idea what to do with it.
Have you seen The Chronicles of Riddick?
No; my brother hated it and I generally trust his recommendations in this direction—he was right that the theatrical version of Donnie Darko (2001) is more evocative and less patronizing than the director's cut—so I stayed away from both The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and the following Riddick (2013). I am so very fond of Pitch Black, I don't want either of them to damage it in retrospect. Or just annoy me on their own merits. Life is too short for bad art in general, but I really feel it's too short for bad movies.