I will confess that I haven’t read the comic book that this film is based on, so I can’t compare the two. However, what I can say is that – just like pretty much everyone else who’s seen it – it’s like Men in Black. The obvious similarities to the other franchise come at the beginning when (newly-deceased cop) Ryan Reynolds is recruited by a supernatural organisation who hunt deceased souls on Earth and then partnered with veteran cop Jeff Bridges. And, seeing as MIB hit the big screen first, people will see R.I.P.D. as ‘the one that copied the other.’
No sooner are our deceased heroes on the case than they’re given an array of special weapons... just like the ones Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith use in Men in Black. They also have a long-suffering ‘chief’ in charge of them who is naturally infuriated by their rash and destructive actions – think Rip Torn’s role in Men in Black.
However, despite the similarities, there are plenty of plus points – the banter between the two leads is spot on and the chemistry between Ryan Renolds and Jeff Bridges is there for all to see. Of course it does sound a lot like the conversations between Agents J and K from our friends in black!
Also, there are some good special effects, but the monsters were pretty blatantly CGI. Again, you have to overlook that and just focus on the nice touches of humour concerning the RIPD agents’ ‘real’ appearances (you’ll see what I mean if you watch it).
It’s not a long film so the whole movie seems a little rushed, like they were trying to cover too much ground too quickly. So, if you can forgive the ‘Men in Blackness’ of it all, RIPD is an enjoyable enough (short) romp and everyone involved in its making tries their best, although you may not remember it in about a week’s time.
7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that
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