R.I.P.D.-Movie Review

 

http://youtu.be/X07xNrVd7DU

R.I.P.D.
Movie review by Al McGhee
www.yeticket.com

Directed by Robert Schwentke
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Robert Knepper, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie Szostak, James Hong, Devin Ratray, Mike O’Malley, Marisa Miller, Daniel Lowney, Robert Masiello, Morgane Slemp, Zoe Aggeliki.

Written by Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, from the Dark Horse comic by Peter M. Lenkov.

A recently slain cop, Nick, played by Ryan Reynolds, is dead but his soul is a R.I.P.D. cop who is to hunt undead criminals who has escape Hell or some sort place for bad people. Nick is teamed up with Roy, played by Jeff Bridges, who is an old soul from the early 1900’s. R.I.P.D. (short for Rest in Peace Department) is based on the Dark Horse comic. If you’re thinking that plot synopsis sounds familiar, well it’s almost exactly the same premise as Dead Heat, the 1988 Treat Williams-Joe Piscopo zombie classic or Men In Black. With Men in Black, R.I.P.D. is trading aliens for “deados”, people that have managed to cheat death and are now living amongst us undetected, only morphing into zombified, inhuman monsters when exposed to some cumin in Indian food. Now you understand why this film should be the rage that it will not be.

This movie takes place in Boston because Nick was a Boston policeman and he was killed by his partner Bobby, played by Kevin Bacon. With Kevin Bacon in the movie, you know his character will be in the movie for the length of the movie. Meaning, he did something wrong.

Jeff Bridges is an absolute riot and his acting is the best I have seen him do in a long time. He seems to enjoy playing this character that other actors have played before him. I saw the joy in his eyes playing the old cowboy from the Old West.

Ryan Reynolds seems as he wanted to have the charisma that Jeff had in this film but settle for what he tried to do to make the audience stay in their seats while they are watching him.

Mary-Louis Parker was watchable but she seem to be holding back. Maybe the director, Robert Schwentke, just wanted to try something different, but did not want to have the studio pull his paycheck.

The C.G. and the monsters are not that scary or imaginative. The 3D effects was not eye popping for the extra money you will shell out for R.I.P.D.

There could have been something very different about this production but I did not see it.

I am rating this film only 2 Palm trees out of Four..