R.I.P.D. - Poliziotti dall'aldilà

R.I.P.D. is exactly what it looks like. The plot was not mind-blowing but it was good enough to hold my attention, the acting was not Oscar worthy but they did a very good job in their respective roles and it wasn't the funniest thing I've ever seen but I did laugh. I would almost categorize this as an action before a comedy, it's got quite a bit going on!

I liked the second half of the movie more than the first, though that's not to say the first half was bad. It just felt a little repetitive and right about the time I began to feel like it was going to go in circles, it kept moving and saved itself. The second half steps it up in both action and comedy and the climactic ending was great.

Overall I enjoyed R.I.P.D. It was just a fun movie that you don't need to think about!

The movie basically follows the three act formula, and although the crusty veteran and out of element rookie has been done before I enjoyed Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds on the screen together. There is plenty action and a fair amount of comedy. there were some plot holes and the ending left a few unanswered questions. Even with these flaws my wife and I both feel like there are many worse ways to spend a few bucks on a hot afternoon. This is not a blockbuster or a classic movie, I would classify it as a good popcorn flick. Contrary to many other opinions here we both recommend this as a watchable movie, as long as your expectations are reasonable.

"You gonna sit there and mope or do you want to help me stop the, you know, an apocalypse?" After things go very very wrong while out on a bust Boston PD officer Nick (Reynolds) is killed but before he heads to his judgement he is swept into an office and offered a new job. He is now a member of the R.I.P.D. and along with his new partner Roy (Bridges) they set out to capture the Dead-O's that roam free. When Nick finds a connection between the Dead-O's and his death things turn personal. I have to start off by saying that I wasn't really expecting this to be good at all. I'm not sure why but when I say the preview I immediately expected another Men In Black and didn't think it was needed. While I won't say this wasn't Men In Black like, it was much better then I expected and did laugh and was entertained most of the way through. This is very much geared toward a young teen crowd but I still found it funny. I do have to say though that without Reynolds and Bridges this may have been unwatchable. I did like it and am glad I saw it but this isn't something I'd watch again, but keep in mind I expected this to be as bad as all the reviews it got. A combination of Men In Black with a dash of Howard The Duck thrown in. Watchable but really only once. Overall, not even close to as bad as the reviews made it seem, watch it and make up your own mind. I give it a B.

From the trailer, I had high hopes this film would deliver a smashing spectacle with great humor and a unique premise. Alas, this turned out to be one of those cases where the trailer is better than the movie itself.

To be fair, the film has its moments. The comedy never made me laugh outright, but there are amusing lines and situations throughout. Some of the most amusing moments emerge from the interplay between the characters, and the clever gag in which everybody sees them as different people. As far as the action goes, there is quite a bit of mass destruction and plenty of shoot-outs and fights. However, it is very manic, over-the-top, and strangely cartoony. The overall tone felt really uneven; the movie was fairly serious at times, deadpan in others, and overblown the rest of the time. I was never bored, but I was never fully engaged or invested in things.

It is a shame, because the film has some unique ideas here and there. The overall premise of an undead police department is pretty neat, they use a lot of cool weapons, and they have some really quirky rules and ideas. It's a weird world where Indian food causes the villainous "dead-o's" to "pop" into gaudy monsters (if you remember the beginning of Van Helsing, with Mr. Hyde...pretty much all the monsters look like that, perhaps cross-bred with the zombies from I Am Legend). Everybody perceives the two main characters as a hot blonde chick and an old Chinese dude. Sounds fun, right? For whatever reason, it all comes off as a superfluous effort to build comedy from being weird; it worked so well for the Men In Black films, but it all falls rather flat in RIPD.

The story overall is pretty fast and compact. It does a fine enough job of introducing the characters, slapping them together, and crafting some dynamic chemistry between them. However, the plot is pretty standard fare, and it never takes the time to truly invest the audience in the world it portrays. It shows just enough to make the plot work, but it never explains much, never builds on the things it briefly touches on, and never really makes us care.

The film uses a lot of stylish camera moves, fast-zooms, and slow-motion effects, which you could either see as being really cool or really dumb. Editing is okay in general. Acting is a mixed bag: Ryan Reynolds is strangely flat and emotionless throughout, save for the few love scenes, while Jeff Bridges steals the show repeatedly, in a role that almost seems to parody his role from True Grit. Kevin Bacon is pretty much himself, and I loved watching Mary-Louise Parker. Writing is not that great. This production uses okay sets, props, and costumes. Special effects look cool, but are on the cheap side. Music is hip and fun.

In the end, I couldn't help but to think of other films and how much better they are than RIPD. For stories that involve parallels between worlds of the living and worlds of the dead, I couldn't help but to think that the Bleach anime was a better story, and the Dead Like Me TV series was funnier. For that same concept with the perfect blend of action and comedy, the two Hellboy movies are effectively perfect. For comic-book-inspired stories about enforcers tackling the supernatural without the general public knowing, the three Men In Black movies succeed in everything RIPD tried to do, but failed. And even with the climax, with the dead threatening to rise up and end the world, I couldn't help but to remember how much better Ghostbusters was in this field. RIPD even has a brief staircase gag that reminded me of GB. All of those come recommended, but RIPD, not so much.

Given its poor box office reception, I think it's safe to say that RIPD will Rest in Piece, buried alongside such equally marginal pictures as Jonah Hex and Priest.

3/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Marginal | Film: Average)

I don't understand all the hate for RIPD. I get that it's invariably gonna be compared with MiB because they share the same theme, but just because MiB is the superior movie doesn't mean RIPD isn't enjoyable. It has a great cast, good special effects, and an interesting premise. Take it for what it is.... If you go into it looking for a masterpiece, prepare for disappointment. If you just want to be entertained by a pretty good sci-fi movie with some solid laughs, try RIPD out. Just my 2 cents.