June 25, 2013 : R.I.P.D. Looks A Lot Like A Lot Of Things
I’m not sure how long trailers for R.I.P.D. have been airing; but seeing as how it comes out next month, I was surprised I saw this for the first time tonight.
R.I.P.D. is based off a comic by Peter Lenkov, but many critics are claiming it to be a rip off of Men In Black and one of several other properties (ranging from Undead to Ghostbusters). While I can see the similarities, one could easily draw parallels to countless shows and movies. If I had to, I’d channel my love of anime and say it’s a mash up of Bleach and YuYu Hakusho.
While it isn’t completely original, it still looks interesting enough to me; and I’d like to think it’ll have its own personal spin on the genre. Plus, I have been a fan of Ryan Reynolds ever since Two Guys, A Girl, And A Pizza Place – so you can’t go wrong with that. Also, I am really glad they went with Jeff Bridges versus the original choice of Zach Galifianakis – but that’s just my irrational dislike of the guy. That notwithstanding, you can’t top The Dude so good casting call.
posted by Pi Visuals at 9:26 pm
Tags: Bleach , YuYu Hakusho
I saw the trailer for the first time last night, too, and was going to ask you if you heard about it. I’ll admit, one of my first thoughts was that it reminded me of Men In Black, but I’m surprised that people are immediately criticizing it just because it has a common theme found in a ton of other movies/shows. Anyway, awesome to see Ryan Reynolds in a somewhat comedic role!
Visually I can definitely see the aesthetic parallels to Men In Black – specifically, the organization’s headquarters. I’m sure there are plenty of other anime similar in theme… any that you can think of?
And yes, I am glad to see Ryan Reynolds in a comedic role. I wonder if Pete or Sharon will make an appearance. I would also be equally stoked to see Nathan Fillion, but I don’t see that happening.
It’s tough based on a trailer, but the headquarters seem totally different to me. MiB has a very “60’s version of the future” look to it which includes a lot of curves, ornamentation, and dramatic lighting, while I think this one is just a lot of brightly-lit white walls, gray accents, and color used sparingly to draw attention to specific set-pieces. FYI, the MiB trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv35TyeRb9M.
For themes, it’s just a combination of the “Old Cop and New Cop” routine and the Soul Reapers from Bleach. Just like MiB was a combination of “Old Cop and New Cop” and aliens. “Soul Eater” is a more recent example of a similar idea, having partners from an organization that go out and hunt bad souls.
Anything “new” probably has some precursor that is similar or at least can draw comparisons. Ultimately, the deciding factor should be on the actual quality of the new work, not how similar its premise is to something else you already know. Otherwise “The Simpsons” would preclude anyone from ever creating anything ever again. Simpsons did it!!!