R.I.P.D. (2013)

Load of rubbish!!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Fun and entertaining film similar to the Frighteners, it's definitely worth a watch.

During 2013 I must have been living under a rock or something because I didn't even know this film existed. So to just happen upon it on Film4 while browsing was a happy chance - I like RR, I like Jeff Bridges, I like Kevin Bacon... it's dead police catching dead baddies : what's not to love?! As my suspension of disbelief muscle is the strongest in my entire body, I was able to enjoy this in the same way I enjoyed League of Gentlemen or even Green Lantern. Good brainless fun - sometimes it's ok for a film to be just that. Yes it's got plot holes in it the size of Deadpool's ego, but Jeff Bridges' Roy character is a hoot and it's just ridiculously amusing to see 'deados' running around causing mayhem at the behest of evil Kevin. I just think Venkman & co could probably have dealt with the threat in a more professional manner. (I've added an extra half star just to spite all the haters and try to bring up the average a bit. )

I wanted to give RIPD chance, I really did. But it's such a shameless ripoff of Men In Black that most of it just constituted one big eye roll from me. It's not an outright knockoff, but it just uses the unmistakable blueprint of MIB and runs with it as if it were it's own organic idea. The veteran wiseass, the young hotshot, the clandestine otherworldly law enforcement syndicate, googly, goopy special effects, it's all there and just feels stale these days, but for a few saving graces. Jeff Bridges is an undeniable charmer as Roy, an undead wild west super cop who is tasked with retrieving runaway souls hiding out down on earth, and capturing them for return to the great beyond, here pictured as the penultimate vision of nightmarish beaurocracy that seems oddly derived from Beetlejuice (huh). When Boston cop Ryan Reynolds is betrayed and murdered by his corrupt scumbag of a partner (a skeezy Kevin Bacon) he's recruited by Proctor (Mary Louise Parker, all business and loving it) to join Roy in bringing "deados" back upstairs. The two don't get along, as newly paired cops in movies always behave, and the banter only really works from Bridges's side. He's a hoot as crotchety old Roy, while Reynolds plays it a bit too serious, especially in scenes with the wife he left behind (Stephanie Szostak). The film earns it's one inspired subplot when we see the human avatars the pair use to move about the earthly plane: Bridges is a knockout blonde chick (Marissa Miller), and Reynolds an elderly Chinese man played by the seemingly immortal James Hong. If they spent more time on terrifically funny ideas with potential like that and less on special effects that look like something out of the Garbage Pail Kids, they might have been on to something worthwhile. But alas, most of the film is spent on a whirlwind of silly slapstick and big gross weird things that are in no way engaging. There's a few slap dash deado hunts, including a brief turn from Robert Knepper as one that is lured out of hiding with Chinese food (what in the..), and a big sky vortex yawner of a finale where evil Bacon tries to wreak havoc on earth. Most of the time it's just a snooze though, save for the few times the clouds part and we get something fresh, usually from either Bridges or those to damned hilarious avatars. Shame.

Knowingly formulaic with a shaky start and not requiring a lot of brain to watch, but staying with it pays dividends.It has enough novelty and heart to make a really good popcorn film. It's main selling point is the interaction between Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds. I think Jeff Bridges is a great actor with amazing versatility, and his comedic performances are up there with the best. And no one does "I didn't deserve this, I'm hurt and I'm going to be amusingly rude" like Ryan Reynolds does.Conversely if you don't like either of these actors you probably won't like the film. Mary Louise Parker does a very amusing tough-but-vulnerable, sultry, smart-enough-to-run-rings around you bit which I really liked. I dug the retro white boots too, and the reason why she wears them is a nice part of the plot.Kevin Bacon does not disappoint. It's easy to think you've seen his performance before, but he does it really well, which is why he keeps getting these roles.This film should have been a hit. I guess with the Marvel Cinematic Universe riding high it's tough for lighthearted action to compete at the moment.I marked it down -1 for lack of originality - it's M.I.B with "deados".Favourite quote "I do and I certainly hope he got got both eyes, Roy".