This is what a bad movie should look like: just enough hokey lines to qualify as bad, but not terrible enough to be completely unwatchable. Director David Twohy deserves some credit for returning to a long extinct franchise and once again completely changing the rules by creating yet another installment with completely different goals. From nocturnal monsters to an evil army to a savage planet, at least Twohy knows how to make Riddick a switch hitter, ready to take on any type of sci-fi storyline.

Vin Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick — a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy — in "Riddick", the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with the hit sci-fi film "Pitch Black". (photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

“The Chronicles of Riddick” completely changed the game for this franchise by pitting Riddick (Vin Diesel) against a cultish military force hell-bent on galactic dominion. Alas, “Riddick” more or less discards that story arch, in a film more reminiscent of the original one, “Pitch Black”. This is another survival story on a desolate planet with some rather unwelcoming wildlife. But Riddick isn’t a captured fugitive trying to be one of the last men standing at the end of a long trek through hostile terrain. He’s in charge.

The first half of the film chronicles Riddick’s rediscovery of his savage side. Left for dead by his former cult military bros, he has no choice but to survive on the land; he hunts, befriends an alien pup and develops an immunity to the venom of a dreadful creature that resides in muddy areas (let’s hope it doesn’t rain anytime soon…oh wait…).

When bounty hunters and soldiers arrive to rather literally collect his head, Riddick uses the planet against them. It might appear like the same concept as “Pitch Black”, but there’s enough variation to provide fresh insights into the character (plus, all three films include a bounty hunter segment). This is a man who learned from his previous close encounters with E.T.’s less friendly step-kin. Now, he embraces the monster within himself and molds that monster around him as well. Hardly original stuff, but fun nonetheless.

If you can survive the corny one-liners and unnecessary titillation (it doesn’t move the plotline forward at all), thrills and an interesting alien landscape provide enough reason to stick around. Yes, Mr. Diesel has about as much acting variety as this franchise’s plotlines, but this broken clock of a film series somehow manages to be right not just twice but three times. These aren’t lasting films, but they have their charm.

That said, Twohy’s decision to discard a storyline ripe for grand battles, a dash of espionage and grander world making – that splendid act of creation often associated with science fiction – is baffling. Most likely the long wait to create a sequel (nine years) hindered the film’s chances of a larger budget, hence a forced return to the original formula. Or perhaps, Twohy just wanted Riddick back in his element. Either way, the outcome is as disappointing as recasting a main character or killing a memorable one off at the beginning of a sequel (that happened in “Chronicles” and it was infuriating).

Vin Diesel knows his way around cryptic dialogue, unfortunate voiceover exposition and cliché retorts more suitable for online memes and drunken pick-up lines at parties. But hey, if Bruce Willis can make a career out of the same character (and it is quite a lovable character type), it would be rather hypocritical to scold Mr. Diesel and not John McClane himself.

The most annoying character, however, is Spanish actor Jordi Mollà, as Santana, who reprises his stereotype: the slimy villain. Everyone else fits their stock role well, leaving very little room for Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck from “Battlestar Galatica”), as Dahl, to enter the storyline as anything more than a ‘butch’ woman softened by rough-yet-charming leading man. She’s far too underused.

“Riddick” lacks the finesse of the franchise’s previous films, but it’s still better than many other films at the box office right now. Sure, that might speak to the few options currently available, or it might mean that “Riddick” and its brethren never wanted to be anything more than popcorn fair.