The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

It’s very unfortunate that everything about this latest comic book series adaptation – of the same name – reeks of a seriously depraved Men in Black sequel.  Directed by Robert Schwentke – the man behind semi-successful action-thrillers such as Fightplan and Red – this paranormal buddy-cop comedy could, and should, have been much better.

R.I.P.D follows the story of Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds); an occasionally-corrupt cop looking to stash away the gold that he and his partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon) embezzled some time ago. Despite his partner’s pleads, Walker has  change of heart; he no longer wants to continue down the road of corruption and is now focusing on being the good-guy in order to set up a bright and happy future with his wife, Julia (Stephanie Szostak). 

However, Walker is killed in the line of duty during a regular drug bust. But rather than finding himself in front of the Pearly Gates, he’s transported to the Rest In Peace Department (R.I.P.D); a paranormal agency that makes it their business to hunt down ‘Deados’ – deceased souls that have escaped from the afterlife.  

The agency’s cynical, stone-faced manager, Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker), convinces Walker that his skills could be of great use to the agency and he’s quickly teamed up with Old west lawman, Roy Pulsipher (Bridges) – who isn’t exactly thrilled about taking a newly-deceased apprentice under his wing. However, when they come across evidence that poses a serious threat to both the department and the waking world, the duo soon discover that they could learn a lot from each other. 

On paper, the plot –  scripted by Aeon Flux and Clash of the Titans writers, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi –  has plenty of Hollywood blockbuster potential. However, anyone who was genuinely excited by by the film’s dramatic trailers will be disappointed. Even the CGI visuals are extremely outdated to the point of downright bizarre.

The audience is deprived of really getting to know the characters before diving straight in to the fast-paced, action sequences of the whacky world that the film is trying to portray. On top of this, the lumbering script doesn’t seem to know whether it’s coming or going and the majority of the humour is of an extremely juvenile nature. 

The dynamics between Reynolds and Bridges, whose Southern drawl is highly amusing, is possibly the only saving grace in this entire production.  As for the rest of the cast, Parker’s brief turn as the poker-faced managing director is spot on, while Bacon seemingly gets lost in the story from the very beginning. 

Considering R.I.P.D’s whopping $130 million budget, one would expect better than a choppy script, appalling visuals and a bunch of underdeveloped ideas.