R.I.P.D.

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Robert Knepper
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy, Science Fiction
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A cop (Ryan Reynolds) who dies on the job reluctantly joins the R.I.P.D., a group of deceased policemen who patrol the earth for the undead.

Review:

Tim: I'd like to start out by describing where R.I.P.D. went wrong, but I honestly don't know where to start. This movie managed to botch up nearly every aspect of the film. There was potential here, but it was all squandered. I'm a bit shocked at how bad this film was. It's easily one of the most disappointing movies of 2013.

One of the biggest issues this film never managed to overcome was the fact that it looked like a cheap Men in Black rip-off. The MiB were about two polar opposites reluctantly paired together, stopping alien scum who walked the earth, free to commit crimes, etc. This movie is about two polar opposites reluctantly paired together, stopping dead scum who walk the earth, free to commit crimes, etc. It was too close for comfort, and this movie never differentiated itself. I'm not sure it had any desire to do so. The thinking might have gone like this, "Hey, did you like Men in Black? Well, come watch this movie, which is the same thing, but with dead people!" Brilliant marketing right there. The problem is that it feels like we've seen this all before.

The second big issue is that the story feels like a paint-by-numbers job. You have two good guys, you have a bad guy threatening a global catastrophe, the good guys are dismissed, and yet, they refuse to be pushed aside, rise up, and save the day. The story has been done to death, and yet, this movie plugs along like it invented these ideas. There's nothing exciting, different, unique, or interesting about anything that happens in this film. The entire script was weak, from start to finish.

With a bad script, you give the actors little to work with. Ryan Reynolds was almost completely forgettable in this film. I remember that he wasn't the best person in the beginning, and that's about it. He seems to have phoned in his performance. It wasn't terrible, but there was nothing memorable about it. Jeff Bridges seemed to find some glee in playing this crazy, over-the-top outlaw sheriff type, and there's something enjoyable about his merriment. Unfortunately, he seemed so caught up in his quirky performance that he forgot to give us a reason to care about his character. As a result, I never did- not for a second. There's something fun about the pairing of Reynolds and Bridges- that's one of the film's biggest strengths. The problem is that the movie never gives us a reason to care about either of them. Mary-Louise Parker had nothing to do, and it feels like she was cast just because of her performance in Red. Her character was worthless. Kevin Bacon was a pleasant surprise, and it was fun seeing him play the villain. He was maybe the best actor in the film. All said, though, the cast was disappointing.

I do believe Robert Schwentke has some talent as a director. So, why was his effort here so listless? We may never know, but I feel like he hit a certain point where it was obvious this film was a misguided, unfortunate mistake. It felt like he was left with no choice but to just finish the thing and put it behind him. He did nothing, from start to finish, that was especially engaging or memorable. I know I'm being very hard on R.I.P.D., and for good reason- there was some promise here. Unfortunately, the end result feels like another mass-produced assembly line Hollywood film. There was no vision, no inspiration in this movie. Was it terrible? Not quite. The special effects are good, and it didn't do anything outrageously awful. However, mediocrity is not why we go to the movies. This movie felt like a complete waste of the talent involved, and as a result, it felt like a complete waste of time from the audience's perspective. That is a damnable offense, and this movie is better left forgotten. What a massive mistake this movie proved to be.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Men in Black, Red