The last time we saw Riddick -- he of the few words, shiny peepers and cool goggles -- the imposing Vin Diesel character was fending off nasty nocturnal flying creatures on an abandoned planet. Armed with a bigger budget, bigger sets and a bigger-name cast, writer-director David Twohy gets to geek out big time with "The Chronicles of Riddick," but in this case, bigger doesn't mean better. Where the first installment filled its budget constraints nicely, building intriguing characters and an atmospheric visual style onto a foundation laid by the likes of Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, John Carpenter and, most notably, the Ridley Scott and James Cameron "Alien" pictures, the sequel is an overstuffed, ponderous affair that sends its anti-hero on an epic excursion into dullsville.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.