by Tim Gordon
A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department — and tries to track down the man who murdered him. Sounds fun, right? Well, don’t get your hopes up.
From its opening moments to its painful, joyless conclusion, R.I.P.D., based on Peter M. Lenkov’s comic, wastes the talents of Ryan Reynolds and Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges, who throw everything they have at a script that gives them absolutely nothing in return.
Nick (Reynolds) is a Boston detective betrayed and killed in the line of duty. But instead of eternal rest, he’s roped into the ultimate cosmic desk job: a 100-year stint as an officer in the Rest in Peace Department. His mission? Hunt down “Deados,” monstrous souls who refuse to accept the afterlife and hate Thai food for some reason.
Nick’s reluctantly paired with Roy (Bridges), a crusty 200-year-old lawman who’s all spurs and sass. Roy gives him the rundown: the rules, the disguises (Nick’s afterlife avatar is an elderly Asian man, because why not?), and the plan to stop the Deados from opening a hellish freeway straight to Heaven.
Unfortunately, none of this makes a lick of sense. The plot is riddled with head-scratching gaps in logic: Roy, a cowboy from the 1800s, conveniently understands modern tech, while Nick never questions why he’s immediately chasing the same criminals who killed him. It’s lazy writing at its finest.
What could have been a goofy, Men in Black–style romp with a supernatural twist is instead a tone-deaf mess. The jokes don’t land, the buddy-cop banter is forced, and the special effects, despite a whopping $130 million budget, look bargain-bin bad, aside from the single half-decent moment when Nick is sucked into the afterlife.
Director Robert Schwentke, who once delivered solid popcorn fare with RED and Flightplan, completely misses the mark here. The film is a lifeless mash-up of Men in Black and Ghostbusters without any of their wit, charm, or imagination.
In the end, the only “peaceful rest” you’ll get is the nap you might catch during this noisy, pointless slog. R.I.P.D. is truly D.O.A.
Grade: D-