While rummaging through the Xfinity OnDemand free movie collection, I stumbled across the movie RIPD. A mild curiosity impelled me to actually watch it. You know what they say about curiosity...
RIPD is basically the story of a corrupt cop (Ryan Reynolds) who is murdered by his partner. After death he gets a "second chance" to work off his crimes as an officer of the RIPD (Rest in Peace Department), which works to capture people who have died but somehow (unexplained) are hiding out on Earth from Judgment - called Deados. He is partnered with a similarly undead Old West gunslinger (Jeff Bridges) and the plot takes off.
This isn't the most original film ever made - to put it lightly. The general story flow is an almost direct ripoff of "Men in Black". In fact, it feels like "Men in Black in the afterlife". Also, plot logic is not exactly a strong point, with core concepts (like the "deados") not explained in any understandable way and outright illogical story elements. On this score alone it is an example of why not all comics are film material.
Acting is all over the place. Reynolds does a competent job as does Kevin Bacon as the villain. Mary Louise Parker has almost nothing to do as the RIPD version of Men in Black's "Zed".
And then there is Jeff Bridges.
I'm not the biggest Jeff Bridges fan but his rendition of undead Old West gunfighter Roy Pulpisher almost saves the film. Kind of like Dennis Hopper in Waterworld, Bridges understood exactly what the role needed here and threw himself into it with abandon. He is fun to watch.
Pacing is okay and the SFX is competent. Overall it was fun so long as I succeeded in not thinking at all about the logic of the plot.
RIPD is basically the story of a corrupt cop (Ryan Reynolds) who is murdered by his partner. After death he gets a "second chance" to work off his crimes as an officer of the RIPD (Rest in Peace Department), which works to capture people who have died but somehow (unexplained) are hiding out on Earth from Judgment - called Deados. He is partnered with a similarly undead Old West gunslinger (Jeff Bridges) and the plot takes off.
This isn't the most original film ever made - to put it lightly. The general story flow is an almost direct ripoff of "Men in Black". In fact, it feels like "Men in Black in the afterlife". Also, plot logic is not exactly a strong point, with core concepts (like the "deados") not explained in any understandable way and outright illogical story elements. On this score alone it is an example of why not all comics are film material.
Acting is all over the place. Reynolds does a competent job as does Kevin Bacon as the villain. Mary Louise Parker has almost nothing to do as the RIPD version of Men in Black's "Zed".
And then there is Jeff Bridges.
I'm not the biggest Jeff Bridges fan but his rendition of undead Old West gunfighter Roy Pulpisher almost saves the film. Kind of like Dennis Hopper in Waterworld, Bridges understood exactly what the role needed here and threw himself into it with abandon. He is fun to watch.
Pacing is okay and the SFX is competent. Overall it was fun so long as I succeeded in not thinking at all about the logic of the plot.
