A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him. In Boston, the dirty cop Nick hides gold that he has stolen from drug-dealers with his partner Hayes in the backyard of his house. However, on the next morning, Nick tells Hayes that he will deliver the evidence to the police since he loves his wife Julia and he could not face her acting that way. Nick and Hayes are assigned to a raid against a dangerous gang and unexpectedly Hayes kills Nick. Nick is drawn by a tunnel and based on his previous experience in the police department, he is assigned in the afterlife by the Proctor to join the Rest in Peace Department that protects the living world from the undead and work with the old-fashioned agent Roy. Roy and Nick accidentally find that Hayes in plotting a scheme to revert the sense of the tunnel to the afterlife and bring the Apocalypse to Earth. That's unfortunate about R.I.P.D. I thought it looked fun, even if it would be dumb fun, even R.I.P.D. The Game received negative reviews. I actually kinda liked this movie. I think it had some good parts. I think this movie got a lot of bad press that didn't deserve somewhat. I also believe that a lot of people that bash this film, might not honestly seen it or quickly tuned out as soon as they noticed this movie looks like a rip-off of 1997's Men in Black or 1984's Ghost busters. I have to say, if you're going to criticize a film, you might as well see it. I did see it. Directed by Robert Schwentke, and based on the Dark Horse comic book Rest in Peace Department by Peter M. Lenkov. The story goes like this, a recently slain cop Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) joins a team of undead police officers known as Rest in Peace Department; an agency that recruits deceased police officers to patrol the afterlife and capture "Deados", spirits that failed to cross over and return to Earth as monstrous ghouls. He is leaded by Mildred Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker), director of the Boston division, and partner with Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges), an ex- old west U.S. Marshal. They soon become find out that the ghouls are seeking the Staff of Jericho, a mystic device that could reverse the tunnel that transports the dead into the afterlife, returning them to Earth. The movie know when the plot is stupid when one of the characters address it in the movie, which Roy did. The biggest problems of the film isn't because it seems like a rip off, it's the fact that R.I.P.D. failed to make a splash because it was way too familiar to moviegoers. It's OK to make a supernatural agent movie that has people capturing ghosts rather than aliens. It work for other problems. It's just the fact that everything in this film is so clichés that it hurts some viewers to watch. R.I.P.D. includes several concepts instantly familiar to those who were fans of 2003's TV Show, Dead Like Me. Roy is from a different time and he and Nick have avatars who look exceptionally different from themselves. Nick has an old Chinese man, Jerry Chen (James Hong) while Roy has an avatar of an attractive Russian model Opal Pavlenko (Marisa Miller). This will often be play as laughs throughout the film. While, I did laugh at some of the jokes. Some of the jokes become really crude dark humor like coyotes making love on Roy's dead skull that was surprising weird to hear in a PG-13 film. Most of the jokes become running gags that it tired itself out. The plot manages to be pretty predictable while at the same time, not develop enough. The whole 'Staff of Jericho' plot comes out of left league in the 3rd act. It should had been mention in the beginning of the film. It didn't help that the chemistry between Ryan and Jeff was not very strong. I think the two protagonists needed a bit more development especially on the part of their chemistry as both seem more unlikable to work together than the odd couple similarities. The performance by this two seems off. First off, Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds character is so boring in this film. It was if he was really playing dead. It was deadpan delivering all the way. He was given character development, but I really don't see him changing much. This will be Ryan Reynolds fourth appearance in a film adapted from a comic book. 2004's Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity, Deadpool in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Hal Jordan in 2011's Green Lantern are the others. I think it's time for Ryan Reynolds to stop making comic book movies. I just hope he can redeem himself in the newest Deadpool movie. Jeff Bridges looks like he had the best moments in the film. I like his character, but it felt like he was just playing 2010's True Grit's character Rooster Colburn, again with all the mannerisms. Jeff Bridges sounds like Bill Cosby after a stroke. I know, Zach Galifianakis was originally cast as Roy Pulsipher, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, but I really came to see this movie for Jeff Bridges. At less, he try to make this movie, entertaining. Kevin Bacon gives an OK villain performance as Bobby Hayes- Nick's ex-partner, but when he stars as a villains, they all act and look like the same. It's started to wear down its welcome. Jodie Foster was originally considered for the role of Proctor, but in the end, Mary-Louise Parker was cast. Mary-Louise Parker is barely in the film, she really doesn't add anything new. Parker is upstaged by all the product placement she keeps around her. I just can't dig a movie with too much product placement. The special effects do help the film, but the film's 3D post-conversion serves no purpose, particularly because the director has already overloaded the picture with quick cuts, sickening snap zooms, and jaunty angles surely meant to approximate inventive comic book styling. Worse still is the CGI, which frequently comes across as simply wrong tone. Deados are transformed into Incredible Hulk-style monsters through CGI effects, rather than looking like dead creatures. Who knew the dead had so much energy? If they were going with demonic, while not have them looks like demons. The budget was 130 million, so I don't know if it's going to even break even, by this point. The reception of it was so bad as it gather little hype and just as view as the MIB rip off. The power of hype makes otherwise mundane films into huge successes long before they can end up at Walmart DVD $5 bin. This movie deserve more hype than it got. It wasn't too bad. I saw this and immediately expected a MIB ripoff! But actually wasn't. Another film made from an edgy comic book series ala Blade,etc. Ryan Reynolds is always likable and for some reason always cast in something that should make some major money but doesn't for some reason( I loved him in this and Green Lantern,in which BTW I thought he made an excellent Hal Jordan). The always great Jeff Bridges is cast as his mentor/partner and brings humor,etc forth in droves (The Dude is getting up there in years though and one can really see it in this film). All in all a good easy choice when at Redbox,etc for a fun two hours at home. The effects are good (lot of CGI but how else can you portray huge overweight monsters bouncing UP buildings…among other things?) and add to the film. Kevin Bacon is cast in this one as well (miscast in my opinion. Who thought of him?). So there are six more degrees…. My opinion? Hell….rent it for laughs! It isn't MIB so don't worry about that! ALSO…loved the idea of the two guys being disguised…Reynold's character appearing as a little old Chinese dude and Bridge's Cowboy looking like a super sexy gal to us living folk…very funny IMO! This is a second-rate special effects-dominated 3D entry that will join several prominent would-be blockbusters that need not be mentioned on the summer junk heap.
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354 weeks ago