Every summer blockbuster season gives us its share of misfires. John Carter, Battleship, Wild Wild West, Cutthroat Island – we’re not talking about quality or critical acclaim here, simply the issue of ROI – does the film perform. The knives are already being sharpened for R.I.P.D., which if you haven’t been following it features Ryan Reynolds as a recently deceased cop who joins the Rest In Peace Department alongside Jeff Bridges to police the undead.
It seems to be being slightly reductively marketed as MIB meets Ghostbusters, but its derivative concept shouldn’t be the end of it. After all, Source Code was Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day and that succeeded commercially and critically. The concept seems fine, the trailer looks interesting enough, the cast (add Kevin Bacon and Mary-Louise Parker to those already mentioned) is really strong and the director, Robert Schwentke, delivered solid enough entertainment on Red and Flightplan. Yet word (read: potentially self-fulfilling prophecies) is already circulating that RIPD is set to be a monumental turkey.
What we have for you today is a nice little featurette showing the filming of the car-chase carnage that features in what one can only assume is the third-act of the film as Boston starts to be torn apart by an influx of the dead. Lots of green screen, for sure, but also lots of real cars being really smashed up. Which is commendable. R.I.P.D. hits US screens this weekend, but the UK will have to wait until late September.
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIB9zPqosYs’]
