RIPD

Synopsis –A murdered police officer must join a supernatural law agency to police the world of the living in order to make up for past sins. Many films can frustrate by starting a strong concept and not going anywhere with it. RIPD certainly has a strong and imaginative concept, a body that polices the afterlife. Thankfully RIPD is able to take the concept and make something of it. Our main character, Nick Walker, (Ryan Reynolds) is a flawed hero who makes a mistake early on that leads not only to his early death but ripples through the supernatural world. Giving us such a character for our protagonist raises the film above the usual ‘fish out of water’ story; our character has a clear goal and something to fight for. It has to be said that he is somewhat overshadowed by his partner Roy (Jeff Bridges) who gives an enjoyable performance that even a wild west theme show would find over the top. The extreme Odd Couple vibe that runs through the film is a main source of the fun and saves the dialogue from becoming too bogged down in plot, speaking of which. Story-wise things aren’t quite on the same level, we have one semi-decent twist that comes in the third act, both the afterlife and the world of the living interconnect throughout the story .Otherwise everything is a bit more clichéd with a magical object made of gold that comes from who-know-where. Now it’s not a bad story by any means but it does seem that the writers are sticking on very safe ground. If this film warrants a sequel I would certainly be interested in seeing our heroes thrown into a more complex adventure. We’re on a much sturdier footing in the visuals department, with “deados” (souls who have escaped judgement) literally bursting out of their skin - harking back to Men in Black (1997) Edgar (the giant cockroach in human skin) Such body horrors are distinct and grotesque in their own way (though they tend to blur a bit in the finale). Our view of the RIPD department is interesting, if a little too restrained, we get to see huge open spaces near the start but the action rarely moves from the main booking office after that. The evidence vault (literally a giant vault) is visually interesting if a little “Looney Toons”. Going back to what I said earlier about the concept, RIPD does not squander what it’s got, nor does it take it to its full potential. Take, for example, a concept the film brings up about history’s greatest law enforcement working for them. Roy is the only one we see, some other cameos like Elliot Ness or would have been interesting. FINAL VERDICT 6/10 Entertaining will be interested to see if they can take any possible sequels in new directions.