R.I.P.D (2013) Movie Review

R.I.P.D (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Kevin Bacon, Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds. Based on the cast alone I should love this movie, the most important word used here was SHOULD.

Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is a member of the local police and is just about to raid a group of drug dealers which he and the police have been tracking for some time. Upon busting in, something goes terribly wrong which leads to his untimely death. After he has died, Nick suddenly gets transported to a office resembling something that of an interrogation room. Sitting across from Nick is a woman known as The Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker) whom tells him that he is dead, though she wants him to work for the R.I.P.D, the Rest In Peace Department. The R.I.P.D is more or less a police unit that are dead and have to make sure any undead are not among the living, attempting to live a second life as it were. Because of this, Nick is now partnered up with Roy (Jeff Bridges), an eccentric cowboy who is normally used to being a one man army. With no other choice though, these two must now attempt to work together all while Nick tries and finds out how he died and possibly seek vengeance. I don't know what it is, but this plot sounds all to familiar  Oh wait. That's because I've more or less heard this same plot with Men in Black. Seriously, the only difference between the two are that they are dead but that is literally it. While the story did have elements of originality to it, the entire story more or less feels like Men in Black 4, just with weaker surprises and characters. 

Still of Kevin Bacon, Ryan Reynolds and
Jeff Bridges

For a film that holds actors that I KNOW can show some incredible charisma, the film really doesn't show any charismatic acting from..well..anyone. Ryan Reynolds plays the typical, cliché movie cop with very little humour. Jeff Bridges plays the role of an annoying cowboy out of his period too well as his voice really does paint the picture. Lastly, Kevin Bacon plays the best friend of Nick who (I guess spoiler) betrays and kills him. Seriously, whenever Kevin Bacon is on screen, you just know he is going to be a bad guy in some way. There was also one plot point in the film that I believe if it was taken out, the movie would be no different. In the film, Nick has a wife in which he sees more or less 2 or 3 times throughout the entire movie, at the start, once in the middle and once at the end. I feel if that plot point was taken out, it would have made the movie much more enjoyable as if the film just focuses around what real friends are to a person, it actually would have made the movie more relate-able (to me at least). At least Larry Joe Campbell is in the movie, for like 10 seconds for absolutely no reason but to look fat. 

Still of Jeff Bridges, Mary-Louise Parker and
Ryan Reynolds

Like I mentioned before with the whole underused message of the movie, which is finding your real friends, there are some other elements in the movie that could have been expanded upon or at least more developed with it's execution. One of the biggest things that was such a good idea though was incredibly underused were the avatars, in which Ryan Reynold's was a small Chinese guy and Jeff Bridge's was a hot supermodel. This could have made for some hilarious interrogation scenes, though the film instead does a weird thing where it cuts to the avatars for a second and then back to the actors for the rest of that scene. I would have preferred if they executed these scenes where before they enter the room, the say something along the lines of "get ready". Then when they have begun talking with the person, it stays with the avatars until something goes wrong or until the questioning is over, the film shows them as their original forms. If they had done it like this, I feel it would have created for some good chemistry between the two avatars and possibly increase the chemistry between Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds (even though there isn't much to begin with). 

Still of James Hong and Marisa Miller
(Nick and Roy's Avatar's)

Overall, R.I.P.D could have been a funny movie, but it just fell on it's face due to a cliché plot, boring characters and humour that is just way too easy to come up with makes R.I.P.D just another quick cash in. 

OVERALL: 5.6/10