Mercer students lined up outside the Amstar on Zebulon Road as they waited for Midnight Movie to begin. The lines started up as early as 10 p.m., and stretched past the edges of the theatre property into the shopping center next door. With student tickets only $2 and such amazing titles up for grabs, the event proved supremely hard to miss.
Those available movies included: “The Mortal Instruments,” “Insidious: Chapter 2,” “Lee Daniels: The Butler,” “The Ultimate Life,” “The Family,” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” “Laughing to the Bank,” “One Direction: This is Us,” “Riddick,” and “We’re the Millers.” A majority of students were interested in “Insidious” or “We’re the Millers.” I, however, chose to watch a different movie: “Riddick.”
“Riddick” is the third movie in the “Chronicles of Riddick” trilogy, and if you haven’t seen the first movie, “Pitch Black,” you might be missing some of the finer plot points. Vin Deisel did a decent job in pulling off this role for the third time, but overall, the movie was a bit of a letdown after the second movie. Over-dramatic acting has always been a turnoff for me as a movie watcher, and there were definitely some parts that could have afforded less melodrama. A warning to the sensitive moviegoer, the movie contains some nudity and foul language.
In spite of all this, the movie in general wasn’t terrible. It was action-packed and satisfying for those who enjoy a good adventure. “Riddick” picks up where “Chronicles of Riddick” left off, with Riddick being crowned king of the Necromongers. He was then tricked and left to die on an unknown planet. Strange beasts roam the ground: man-eating zebra-jackals and rattlesnake monsters. Riddick fights to make his way off the planet after some mercenaries come to retrieve his head for a bounty. The impressive CGI coupled with the adrenaline pumping action made for a successful Midnight Movie experience.
