While there is some imagination involved behind R.I.P.D. (for Rest in Peace Department), and occasional moments of enjoyment, the results on the screen leave little to be desired.

Ryan Reynolds plays a Boston policeman who is killed by his partner Kevin Bacon when he wants to stop being a dirty cop. He goes to some office in the sky, where, because of his police experience, he is assigned to the R.I.P.D. to hunt down Deados (undead bad guys) responsible for all the bad things in the world. And that is just the beginning of the rather ludicrous plot about dead people returning to take over the universe.

Reynolds partners with a deceased western lawman played by Jeff Bridges, who seems to be channelling his Rooster Cogburn character from True Grit. They chase their prey in the real world, but to living people Reynolds appears as an older Chinese man and Bridges a sexy blonde, a cute piece of visual humour that quickly wears thin.

There is the usual overreliance on special effects (not to mention yet another 3D rip-off), some of which are not bad. Several reviewers negatively compare it to the Men in Black series, however, it is more like a bad steal. It is sad to see A-list stars like Bridges, Reynolds and Mary Louise Parker in such a badly executed and preposterous film, even if it started with an original idea. This is a movie that should rest in peace and be seldom seen.

Rating: one deer out of five

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Alf Cryderman is a Red Deer freelance writer and old movie buff.