5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie SzostakAction | 100% |
Fantasy | 60% |
Comic book | 36% |
Comedy | 35% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Rather than kick R.I.P.D. while it's down... writhing on the ground, desperate to grab hold of anything that might help it hoist itself up... ahem. Let's try that again. Rather than go on and on about R.I.P.D.'s box office woes, doomed-from-the-start script, unholy reliance on genre convention, Looney Tunes CG and moon-bounce action sequences... hrm. Let's give it one more try. Rather than focus on just how bad 90% of director Robert Schwentke's monstrously deformed supernatural Men in Black clone really is, it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I should try a different angle for once. "Touch on the positives," I thought. Unfortunately, that amounts to a single word: casting. Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker and (especially) Jeff Bridges clearly had the time of their afterlives bounding from one green-screen set piece to the next, laughing like madmen all the way to the film's shoot-em-up endgame; a bizarre concoction comprised of bits and pieces from MIIB, Ghostbusters II and Wild Wild West. Once I realized there's no defending R.I.P.D., though, I gave up trying. Schwentke's cast may be a godsend, but the rest of the movie is the stuff of development hell. That's right, it's as terrible as you've heard. At the very most, someone, somewhere will declare it a must-see guilty pleasure, and more power to 'em. The rest of you would do well to avoid this one at all costs. It'll swallow your soul; no Evil Dead reference intended.
Cool, calm and collected. Oh. And dead.
No matter how bad R.I.P.D. gets, it looks great getting there. Yes, the film's (mercifully sparse) CG is even more garish and unsightly in high definition, but it'd be unjust to hold the sins of the filmmakers against Universal's otherwise impressive 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Colors are natural and effective, with fiery reds and oranges, stormy blues and grays, convincingly saturated skintones, and satisfying black levels. Contrast is also consistent from start to finish -- never too dull, never too hot, but a wee bit dusty at times -- and detail is intact. Edges are crisp and clean, without any troubling halos or ringing to speak of. Textures are refined and revealing, and only lose their luster as practical makeup applications give way to the soft, rubbery CG faces and hulking husks of the undead. Delineation is quite good too, without anything in the way of debilitating crush or noisy shadows. Even the film's faint veneer of grain is present and accounted for. More importantly, macroblocking, banding and other BD Deados are nowhere to be found. The only time ugly anomalies creep into the image is, again, when they're attached to computer-generated beasties. All told, fans and critics alike will at least be able to agree on the quality of R.I.P.D.'s presentation.
Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a lot of fun, with plenty of directional wizardry that creates an entertaining, enveloping action-oriented experience. The LFE channel makes its presence known every other minute, embracing every explosion, implosion, shotgun blast, Deado landing, supernatural thoom and boom, and eruption of general disarray the film hurls into the mix. The rear speakers, meanwhile, are busy, busy, busy, latching onto the hustle and bustle of the RIPD precinct and offices, the convincing chatter of Boston's crowded streets and hum of its street traffic, and the sheer chaos that spills from one plane of reality to the next. Directional effects are playful and precise, pans boast ghostly transparency, and the soundfield is immersive. (For the most part anyway. Quieter scenes are a bit too front-heavy, de-prioritizing the sort of ambient aura more rewarding sound design might offer.) Moreover, dialogue is clean, clear and intelligible, without any lost lines or muffled deliveries. Bridges' thick drawl can be a touch difficult to understand, but it hardly matters. Misunderstanding the grizzled lawman proves to be just as funny as catching exactly what he says. Ultimately, it's a riotous, rambunctious lossless track full of life and spirit. No serious complaints here.
Even as an at-times shameless Men in Black clone, R.I.P.D. could be much, much better. A sharper vision, more decisive direction, a smarter screenplay and less generic baddies would have gone a long way to patching the film's wounds, which is where the cast -- Schwentke's saving grace -- comes into play. R.I.P.D. never amounts to a good film, but Reynolds and Bridges give it a go anyway and breathe as much life into the horrifying hijinks as possible. I hated almost every minute of Schwentke's supernatural romp and yet enjoyed watching Reynolds and Bridges have a ball. Go figure. Universal's Blu-ray release is another matter, thankfully. While its special features leave a lot to be desired, its AV presentation is sound, with a strong video presentation and terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Even so, I'd recommend proceeding with caution.
2008
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+ Unrated cut on the Blu-ray
2013
Extended Edition
2016
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Extended Cut
2007
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Director's Cut
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