Riddick fans can now rest easy – an R rating has been secured!

A discussion that periodically comes up ’round these here parts is that of whether a movie’s rating is or is not an indicator of its potential quality. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t, and either way a good part of the answer depends on the kinda material we’re talking about when the whole discussion comes up.

In the case of RIDDICK, it’s got the sorta source material that lends itself very well to an R rating.  An R rating, if anything, enhances what’s already there and lets the spirit of the thing roam free like a stallion on the plains.  If the story needs certain elements of sexuality or violence then you don’t want to be holdin’ back none – you want to be giving what’s there the chance to be realized in full.  RIDDICK’s a passion project for Vin Diesel, and I’m even more convinced now he’ll be doin’ right by us with the final product.  I don’t fairly know why I’m talking in this awful strange fashion (considering the source material), but it’s four o’clock in the am and I’m harmin’ no one, so here I am, talking about a stripped-down, violent, prey vs. predator space tale in somewhat stereotypical western speak. 

Point is RIDDICK, like PITCH BLACK before it, has been given that fancy old R rating for “strong violence, language and some sexual content/nudity.” Wait – only some sexual content/nudity? Damn.  The Arrow gonna be pissed.  The flick ain’t got itself no release date yet beyond 2013 as a general, but the sudden arrival of this rating can only mean that there’s one a-comin.  You stay tuned, and we’ll let you know when it decides to show isself.  ‘Till then? This:

We can only hope that the above-mentioned nudity involves one (or both) of these RIDDICK actresses – that’s Keri Hilson on the left, and Katee Sackhoff on the right.

Plot recap: In the film, the infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.