Blu-ray

It's been a decade since Richard B. Riddick took on the Necromonger's in David Twohy's bloated sequel to his earlier cult sci-fi hit Pitch Black. Against all the odds, Twohy and leading man Vin Diesel have made good on years of promises and have brought the character back to the bigscreen.

Picking up five years after the events of 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick, this latest outing quickly dispenses with the whole Necromonger nonsense in favour of essentially doing Pitch Black all over again. So Riddick finds himself abandoned on an unknown alien world with a bunch of people out for his blood and a horde of deadly monsters about to wake up and make things worse for everyone. So: not the most original use of the character. Yet we still think it's a smart decision considering how long he's been away from our screens.

And, for those who want a sequel that feels a little less like a reboot and more of a part of what went before, this Blu-ray's Director's Cut delivers an additional eight-minutes of Necromonger action up front to help cement Riddick's place in the franchise.

Picture: Produced independently of original series backer Universal Studios, Riddick isn't a big-budget sci-fi blockbuster. But this certainly hasn't held it back from looking pretty spiffy on Blu-ray.

EntertainmentOne's AVC 2.40:1 Full HD encode certainly gets the best out of the extreme colour grading the film was subjected to in post-production, with distinctive yellow hues being mostly free from banding. Contrast is deliberately amped up to burn out highlights, but this hasn't had a negative effect on blacks, which remain suitably obsidian.

Outside of some of the more obvious visual effects shots, detailing is also strong. This proves particularly true of facial close-ups, with the digital photography picking out every single pore, wrinkle, blemish and hair.
Picture rating: 4.5/5

Audio: Riddick's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix makes very good use of the soundstage to place you within its alien world. Use of the surround speakers is rarely bombastic, but they're deployed with a fair amount of skill in order to accentuate the locations and extra-terrestrial threats Riddick encounters.

Check out Chapter 16 when Riddick et al venture out into the night. All at once you're confronted by the sound of gunfire ringing out, unseen creatures moving around on either side and rain pounding the ground all around you. It's a wonderfully cohesive aural landscape, aided by the overall clarity of the lossless soundtrack.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: The big bonus for fans of the franchise is the option to watch David Twohy's 127-minute Director's Cut as well as the 119-minute version that crash-landed at cinemas.

The disc also includes the animated web comic Riddick: Blindsided, which offers a slightly more action-packed version of the Necromonger assassination attempt that takes place early in the movie. Joining this are five featurettes looking at different aspects of the production – from weapons and vehicles to characters and settings.
Extras rating: 3/5

We say: It's hardly going to set your world alight, but Riddick is a fun piece of pulp sci-fi given fine treatment in high-definition

Riddick: The Extended Cut, EntertainmentOne, Region B BD, £25 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 3.5/5