R.I.P.D. 3D arrests itself on Blu-ray in 3D with an edition that runs long on glitz and slick effects while running sadly short on soul. There isn’t much to recommend in the film beyond the occasionally interesting visual effects, some of which work quite well in 3D. A fine cast seems to be having a lot more fun than the audience, particularly Jeff Bridges and Mary-Louise Parker, both of whom waste little time going way over the top. I wish I could find something to recommend here beyond the technical specs, but this just isn’t the movie for that review.
R.I.P.D. is a truly strange movie. It’s mostly a technical exercise, combining some high powered CGI with an effective use of stereoscopic 3D and an immersive sound mix. Watching the movie is an exhilarating technical experience, with plenty of wild 360 degree spins and eye popping moments of visual splendor. Which would be great if there was a good movie driving all the technical specs. Sadly, there isn’t one here. The actual story underneath all the gimmicks is a simple one, and a warmed over one at that. In the most basic terms, R.I.P.D. is about a young-ish cop (Ryan Reynolds) who finds himself working for the post-life Rest in Peace Department.
The R.I.P.D. apparently prowls the Earth looking for the souls of dead people who have refused to leave their mortal lives and who must be rounded up before they morph into truly grotesque creatures and menace the living population. The young cop is paired off with a more experienced and cynical elder partner (Jeff Bridges) and the two of them go off to save the world from the usual impending apocalypse. Does this sound familiar? It should. Move a few of the proper nouns around and you’ll have a fairly concise description of Men in Black. R.I.P.D. shamelessly pulls almost its entire plot from the earlier comic book and movie.