I love all the Men in Black movies. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith work well together as the new, fresh and hip, agent verses the grumpy, seen it all, older agent. When I saw the previews for RIPD , I had a feeling that it was going to be an imitation of MIB, but….the sisters went, anyway. Did we like it?
RIPD is based on a comic book written by Peter Lenkov and published by Dark Horse Comics , check it out.
Plot
Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is an honest cop gone bad. Not
completely bad, mind you, but sort of stepped in a pile of dog doo type of bad.
His wife, Julia (Stephanie Szostak) thinks that her husband is a good man and
because she does; he wants to do the right thing.
No Good Deed Goes
Unpunished!
Nick tells his partner, Hayes (Kevin Bacon), that he wants to
return the gold they had found when they arrested a couple of drug dealers. Hayes
tells Nick that he understands and that they will return the gold after they
return from a drug bust. During the bust, Nick is killed and this is where the
fun begins.
Purgatory or Bust
Nick is sucked up through a wormhole in the sky. I’m hoping
that this isn’t the normal way our dearly beloved are transported to the pearly
gates. But maybe the effects of the bad economy even reach the heavens. Anyway, Nick
finds himself in front of God’s version of the H.R. Department. The Proctor,
played by the delightful Mary Louise Parker tells Nick the bad news. He’s
busted and has to work off his theft. How? He has to partner up with another
officer of the law, but this lawman is from the wild, wild, west. Roy (Jeff
Bridges) is a bossy, know it all, straight shooting cowboy and he doesn’t want
a partner. Apparently God’s H.R. department is just like it’s counterparts on
earth; H.R. personnel may have oodles of noodles of government regulations
telling them how to handle certain employee/employer problems, but the man in
charge of the company, usually has the last word and the most pull.
The Quest
Nick no longer looks like himself. His avatar on earth is an Asian
man played by James Hong, while Roy’s avatar is played by the stunningly
beautiful, Marisa Miller. Nick and Roy have to hunt down the demons that make
their way to earth, using all the technology featured in Men in Black, including
the guns and cars. The demons are looking for a gold altar, but the pieces are scattered
around the city. Unfortunately for Julia, Nick has some of this gold hidden in
their backyard. Nick and Hayes must find all the gold before the demons open the gates of hell. Can they do this?
Conclusion
Okay, so RIPD was a lot like Men in Black, but that was okay.
The inventive use of avatars led to some really funny scenes. But it was the
give and take between our heroes and the sharp wit of the Proctor that made
this movie enjoyable for all three sisters. The sisters are highly recommending this
fun summer movie. Let me know if you agree.
