Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2014

The second sequel to 2000’s spare, surprisingly effective Pitch Black wisely ignores 2004’s disappointing The Chronicles of Riddick and goes back to its dark roots (though it works as a stand-alone). This time our see-in-the-dark, wanted-dead-or-alive anti-hero (Vin Diesel, never better), finds himself stranded on a hostile planet. So he activates a distress beacon at an abandoned mercenary outpost, which summons two competing groups of bounty hunters. Riddick views this as “calling a taxi.” Plenty of gallows humor, especially one “comeuppance” scene involving a head in a box. I had fun. Japanese title: Riddick: Galaxy Battle. (119 min)