Film Review – R.I.P.D (2013)

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R.I.P.D - post

Title: R.I.P.D (2013)

Director: Robert Schwentke (Flightplan)

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker

Plot: When Boston cop Nick (Reynolds) is killed in action instead of going straight to the after life he is given a job at the Rest In Peace Department, a department that protects the world from evil souls that have escaped judgement. At R.I.P.D Nick is partnered with wild card old school justice giver Roy (Bridges).

“You think *you’ve* had a bad day at work? I think I got you beat”

Review by Eddie on 16/01/2014

After watching RIPD I had to run to my calendar and double check that we were not in Thanksgiving season for this turkey made me feel like time had skipped ahead. Robert Schwentke’s massive box office bomb from last year was what many considered the quintessential “turkey” and in many ways it is. Costing well over 100 million dollars to make its hard to see where the money went, the story squanders its potential with a generic plot line (seriously close to being a Men In Black clone) and wastes a cast who can be highly charismatic but despite all these faults and all its averageness something very strange happened to me while I watched this film, enjoyment.

When viewing RIPD with the right attitude and casting aside all snobishness there is throwaway fun to be had with a movie that clearly was never meant to be much more than silly popcorn entertainment. Keeping things running at a good quick pace (a now rarity for big budget flicks) and featuring a lot of neat ideas, RIPD won’t have you looking at your watch on regular occasions and once it’s done you won’t feel like your brain has been violated. Much of RIPD’s saving graces rest upon the backs of it’s two leads who in the case of Reynolds overcome a bland character and in the form of Bridges a case of the Rooster Cogburns.

Being different versions of Men in Black’s agent J and K, Nick and Roy have moments that provide decent chemistry mixed in with some of the films better dialogue. If the movie was more concerned with developing these two more and bypassing it’s merely pedestrian action scenes the movie would of created alot more buzz and been forgiven by more who took offence to it’s proceedings. As mentioned before it’s not hard to see why so many disliked and bypassed the film but on the home video format I believe the film is not worthy of much of the hate thrown it’s way.

There are much worse movies to waste your time on than RIPD, a movie that at least knows what it is a fun and forgettable action flick that pairs two likeable leads together in roles that could of been a lot worse than they are. It’s clear however that Reynolds needs another hit and a role that utilise’s his ability better whilst Bridges must make sure that another version of Rooster doesn’t rear it’s head in the near future in fear of him becoming nothing more than a self imitator.

2 and a half VCR repair shops out of 5

30 responses to “Film Review – R.I.P.D (2013)”

  1. It’s not the biggest waste of your time, but it’s definitely not memorable. Just fine for what it is, I guess you could say. Good review.

    • That’s right man, it’s just what it is nothing more nothing less and it is most sad that it could of been a lot more popular and well constructed if it had a more original plot arc.
      Eddie

  2. Good review! I still haven’t seen RIPD but it sounds like it is the type of movie I thought it was. I think a lot of people thought it was going to be The Avengers of 2013…which it was never going to be. I love MIB so I think I”ll love this. Hopefully I get to watch it soon.

    P.S.–I love your rating system! I miss VCRs and VHS tapes 😦

    • It’s very much in the same mold as MIB so I think you’ll have an enjoyable enough 90 minutes and long live VHS’s I still have my collection can’t seem to part with them.
      Eddie

  4. Might be worth a watch some time, I have always loved Men in Black. Kind of shocked 100 million was put into this though, the people who made it must have been in tears when it flopped. Glad that you enjoyed it!

  5. Has anyone told Jeff Bridges he’s no longer playing Rooster Cogburn? It seems like the last several movies he’s been in he’s been doing a his best version of Sam Elliot. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him in ‘True Grit’ and ‘Crazy Heart’, but I’d like to see him in something more along the lines of the excellent ‘Fearless’. It’s depressing to see great actors do such schlock.

    • I think the pay check spoke to him on this one sadly!
      I do agree with you man, he really should look to do something quality again sometime soon. Hopefully the Coens give him a call.
      Eddie

      • That’s exactly what I was thinking! I couldn’t remember the name of the movie(though I did know he was adapting a Thomas Pincheon novel about a pot-smoking private detective.) Seems like the role he was born to play.

        Alas, I’m sure Phoenix will play the role perfectly.

      • Oh for sure man, Phoenix really is in some rare form at the moment. The whole case of Inherent Vice looks so juicy, expecting big things.
        P.S – speaking in concerns to the Coen’s can’t believe how badly Inside Llewyn Davis was snubbed at the Oscars, I am sure they don’t care but seems strange when so much love was given to some other more generic films.
        Eddie

      • I agree. It seems ‘Llewyn’ isn’t getting the love I think it deserves. Then again, neither did ‘A Serious Man’ and I thought that was absolute genius.

      • Oh was great man, never forget that awesome ending. I love all there “Serious Men” movies – The Man Who Wasn’t There, A Serious Man and Barton Fink so I just can’t wait to partake in some Davis once I get the chance.
        Eddie

      • Absolutely. All of those you mentioned are absolute favorites of mine. Billy Bob Thornton was amazing in ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’. Was there a scene in that where there wasn’t a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth? And the black and white was beautiful.

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