Vin Diesel (XXX, The Fast and the Furious) stars in this electrifying special-effects-fueled action spectacular! After years of outrunning ruthless bounty hunters, escaped convict Riddick suddenly finds himself caught between opposing forces in a fight for the future of the human race. Now, waging incredible battles on fantastic and deadly worlds, this lone, reluctant hero will emerge as humanity's champion - and the last hope for a universe on the edge of annihilation. Powered by groundbreaking visual effects and pulse-pounding, thrill-a-minute action, The Chronicles of Riddick is "a roller coaster ride that leaves you kicking and screaming for more!" (Hollywood Hotwire)

The unrated director's cut of The Chronicles of Riddick adds about 15 minutes of action, sex, and even exposition. There's a new introduction for Kyra, three scenes of a character (Shira, played by Kristin Lehman) who was removed entirely from the theatrical cut, a couple of more sexual scenes (but no nudity), more interplay between Riddick and the Lord Marshal and between Vaako and Lady Vaako, and a more striking ending. Director David Twohy apologizes for some jumps in the picture where the new footage was added, but it's not that noticeable. His commentary track with Alexa Davalos (Kyra) and Karl Urban (Vaako) discuss the new footage (some cuts were made to avoid an R rating) as well as the shooting conditions and how they lured Judi Dench to the movie. Interestingly, they discuss Pitch Black but not the animated bridge between the two films, Dark Fury. Among the other features, the visual encyclopedia and chase log echo features in the second DVD release of Pitch Black, and there are also a pop-up trivia track, some deleted scenes that are actually worth watching, a mildly diverting 360-degree view of eight locations, the first level of the Xbox stealth-shooter tie-in game, and other material that helps explain this convoluted world. You get all of this on a single disc, so no DTS track. --David Horiuchi