"R.I.P.D." (2013) Review
The Summer of 2013 seems destined to be known as "The Season of Flops". I have never come across so many summer movies that bombed at the box office in such a short space of time. One of those flops turned out to be "R.I.P.D.", a recent adaptation of Peter M. Lenkov's comic book novel, "Rest in Peace Department".
The movie begins with the aftermath of the theft of gold found during a drug bust by Boston Police Department Detectives Nick Walker and Bobby Hayes. Nick buries the gold in his backyard, hoping to use his share of the gold for a better life for his wife and himself. But when he expresses regret for taking the gold to his partner Hayes, the latter kills Nick during a police raid at a warehouse in order to prevent the younger man from returning the gold. After ascending to the afterlife, Nick finds himself in into the office of Mildred Proctor, director of the Boston division of the Rest In Peace Department (R.I.P.D.), an agency that recruits deceased police officers to patrol the afterlife and capture "Deados" - spirits that failed to cross over and return to Earth as monstrous ghosts. Nick agrees to join the R.I.P.D. after Proctor explains that it would stave off a potentially negative final judgment for at least a century. He also meets his new partner, an ex-U.S. Marshal from the 1800s named Roy Pulsipher.
While attending his funeral, Nick learns that all R.I.P.D. officers have avatars - fake appearances perceived by the living. Nick is viewed as an elderly Chinese man named Jerry Chen and the living see Roy as a beautiful Russian woman named Opal Pavlenko. When the two partners nab and kill a suspect named Stanley Nawlicki, they find pieces of gold identical to the ones Nick and his old partner Hayes had stolen. The duo learn from one of Roy's snitches that the gold is connected to a dealer named Elliot. They trace Elliot to none other than Nick's former partner, Bobby Hayes . . . and eventually learn that the latter is actually a "Deado", who used a token to disguise his dead state. They also learn that both Hayes and Elliot have been gathering gold to construct a mystic device called the Staff of Jericho, which could reverse the tunnel that transports the dead into the afterlife, returning them to Earth.
What can I say about "R.I.P.D."? It was not perfect. Ryan Reynolds gave a first-rate performance as the movie's main character, Nick Walker. But the character also proved to be a somewhat dour and slightly off-putting personality who seemed to have little patience with his R.I.P.D. partner. Not only did I find Christophe Beck's score unmemorable, but almost undetectable. Once the Bobby Hayes character is revealed to be a "Deado", he struck me as . . . somewhat unthreatening. It did not help that actor Kevin Bacon portrayed the character with a less menacing air, after his character's big secret was revealed. And I do not know whether to blame Bacon, director Robert Schwentke or Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi's screenplay. My biggest beef with "R.I.P.D." proved to be the movie's final action sequence. The final battle between the two R.I.P.D. officers and Hayes and the other "Deadoes" struck me as anti-climatic . . . lacking in substance. The chase sequence through downtown Boston seemed fine. But the fight on the roof of one of the city's skyscrapers did not strike me as particularly exciting or eventful. Nick and Roy's defeat of Hayes and the other spirits almost seemed to easy. I cannot help but blame Schwentke, whose direction of the action finale in 2010's "RED" did not particularly impress me.
I could have easily accused "R.I.P.D." of lack of originality, pointing out that it seemed like a mixture of the MEN IN BLACK franchise and Showtime's 2003-2004 series, "DEAD LIKE ME". And I would be right. But I cannot blame the director or the screenwriters for the lack of originality. The blame belongs to Peter M. Lenkov, who created the comic book in the first place. But if I must be honest, I do not care if the movie's premise lacked any real originality. In the end, I realized I enjoyed the idea of supernatural cops reigning in dead spirits too much to really care. There were other aspect of"R.I.P.D." that I also enjoyed.
The makeup department did an outstanding job with some of the "Deado" characters, especially for the Elliot character, whose revelation as a dead spirit nearly blew my mind. I also enjoyed Alwin H. Küchler's photography of Boston, even if the scenes could have used sharper color. Despite Reynolds' dour portrayal of the Nick Walker character, I cannot deny that he and Jeff Bridges made a pretty decent screen team. But it was the interaction between Bridges' Roy Pulsipher and Mary-Louise Parker's Mildred Proctor that really seemed to sizzle to me. I also enjoyed the idea of Nick and Roy's avatars as a duo - especially in the form of veteran actor James Hong and model Marissa Miller. For some reason, the two clicked on screen . . . in a rather eccentric way. And although I had some problems with the story's finale, I must admit that I found the humor featured in the movie rather funny - especially many of Bridges' lines and some of his scenes with Parker.
Yes, I realize that "R.I.P.D." was not particularly perfect or even original. But you know what? I still managed to enjoy the film, despite its imperfections. The movie featured some outstanding visual effects, sharp humor from Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi; and some funny performances, especially from the likes of Jeff Bridges and Mary-Louise Parker. I am certain that many would disagree with me, but I did not find "R.I.P.D." a waste of my time.
"IRON MAN 3" (2013) Review
One would think after the release of last year's "THE AVENGERS", Marvel Studios would call it quits on its saga about the team of superheroes who foiled an alien invasion in said movie. But the "THE AVENGERS" opened the possibility of a new threat to Earth, paving the way for a new slew of stories for the costumed Avengers.
The beginning of this new group of films resulted in the release of "IRON MAN 3", the third movie about the sole adventures of billionaire Tony Stark aka Iron Man. The alien invasion from "THE AVENGERS" had left its mark on Tony. He has become even more popular than ever with the public. The U.S. government (including S.H.I.E.L.D.) seemed to be leaving him alone for the moment. And his relationship with Pepper Potts seemed to be going strong. However, Tony also seemed to be in the process of ironing out the kinks for his new method of accessing his Iron Man armor - a method that turned out to be a technological copy of Thor's habit of summoning the Mjölnir hammer. His chauffeur Happy Hogan has been promoted to Head of Security for Stark Industries. But Happy's caustic "Super Friends" indicated the latter's resentment toward Tony's newly forged connections to the other Avengers. Worst of all, Tony has been experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the Avengers' battle against the invading Chitauri aliens.
But these problems are nothing in compare to the re-emergence of an old acquaintance whom Tony first met at a New Year's Eve party in 1999. Thirteen years earlier, a drunken Tony and his date Dr. Maya Hansen encountered the disabled scientist Aldrich Killian, who offered them positions in his new company, Advanced Idea Mechanics. However, Tony rejects the offer, humiliating Killian in the process. Sometime after this encounter, Killian met Dr. Hansen and used her Extremis virus - an experimental regenerative treatment intended to allow recovery from crippling injuries - to heal his own disabilities. However, Extremis also gives the individual superhuman strength and allows him or her to generate heat. As it turns out, Killian is working for the latest threat to strike into the heart of American intelligence, a terrorist known as Mandarin. The latter has been responsible for a string of bombings that have left the intelligence agencies bewildered by any lack of forensic evidence. But Happy's encounter with Killian's major henchman, a former Army officer named Eric Savrin, in front of the Hollywood Chinese Theater leads him badly injured. And a very angry Tony issues a televised threat to capture the Mandarin. Former paramour Dr. Hansen appears at Stark's Malibu home to warn him about Killian and the Mandarin, but the latter orders Savrin to lead an attack on the house. Tony, Pepper and Dr. Hansen all survive. But the house is destroyed and Tony is forced to disappear to somewhere in Tennessee and discover a way to defeat the Mandarin.
I was surprised to learn that Jon Favreau did not return as director for this third IRON MAN movie. Although "IRON MAN 2" proved to be a box office hit, many critics and moviegoers claimed that it was not as good as the first movie, "IRON MAN". It was not an opinion that I shared, but . . . it was an opinion that led Marvel Studios to ask Favreau to step down as director of "IRON MAN 3". Star Robert Downey Jr. suggested that the studio hire Shane Black to direct this third film. Downey Jr. and Black had first worked with each other in the 2005 comedy, "KISS KISS BANG BANG". Did changing directors help the IRON MAN franchise? I do not think so. I am not saying that "IRON MAN 3" was a bad movie. I thought it was far from bad. But a change in directors did not improve the franchise. It was a change that I believe was unnecessary in the first place. However . . . I still enjoyed this third film very much.
One of the best things I could say about ""IRON MAN 3" is that it presented Tony with a very formidable opponent. The Mandarin proved to be not only scary, but very intelligent. The attack on Tony's Malibu home was mind boggling. But the manner in which the Mandarin managed to track Tony down to a small Tennessee town and steal the War Machine (re-named Iron Patriot) armor by tricking American intelligence and the military regarding his location, and luring James Rhodes (aka War Machine) into a trap struck me as pretty flawless. And in using the Hansen/Killian Extremis virus on disabled military veterans, the Mandarin managed to create a formidable private army. There were other aspects of Black and Drew Pearce's screenplay that I found very appealing. Although I had no problems with the Pepper Potts character in the previous two movies, I enjoyed the fact that Black and Pearce really put her through the wringer in this one - dealing with Tony's panic attacks, surviving the Malibu house attack, and becoming a prisoner. Pepper's ordeals finally paid off when she played a major role in defeating the Mandarin. Although Rhodey had a small presence in the movie's first half, his presence increased tenfold in the second half. And like Pepper, he played a major role in the Mandarin's defeat that I personally found very satisfying.
The movie also featured some top-notch action sequences. For me, the second best of them all was the Mandarin's attack on Tony's Malibu house. But there were other sequences that I found impressive; including Happy's encounter with Eric Savrin and another benefactor of the Extremis virus in Hollywood, Tony's encounter with Savrin and Extremis muscle Ellen Brandt in Tennessee, and the final battle on an oil rig. Mind you, the latter was not perfect, but Pepper and Rhodey's actions in this sequence made it memorable for me. If the Malibu house attack was my second favorite action sequence, my favorite turned out to be Iron Man's encounter with Savrin aboard Air Force One and his rescue of the President's personnel following the plane's destruction. The use of free fall in Iron Man's rescue of the Presidential passengers really blew my mind.
There were some complaints that Robert Downey Jr. seemed to be going through the motions in his portrayal of Tony Stark in this film. I cannot say that I agree with this opinion. Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony seemed more sober or stressed out, due to the character's inability to deal with the aftermath of the events in "THE AVENGERS". Perhaps this is not a Tony Stark that fans and critics wanted to see. But I congratulate both Downey Jr., Black and Pearce for allowing audiences to see how Tony dealt with the aftermath of encountering invading aliens. I had been impressed by Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal of a stressed out Pepper Potts in "IRON MAN 2". Considering what she had endured in this movie, Paltrow pulled out the stops as she conveyed Pepper's array of emotions from wariness to fear and finally to anger. Frankly, I feel this movie featured her best performance as Pepper. I noticed that Don Cheadle seemed a lot more relaxed in the role of Lieutenant-Colonel James Rhodes aka War Machine (re-named Iron Patriot). As I had earlier stated, his presence in the movie's first half seemed rather minimal. But once the movie shifted toward Tony and the American government going after the Mandarin in Miami, his role became more prominent. Not only did Cheadle displayed his talent for comedy, but his James Rhodes proved to be just as much of a bad ass without his War Machine armor, as he was with it. Denied the director's chair for this movie, the screenwriters gave Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan was allowed a bigger role in the story, when the injuries he suffered at Eric Savrin's hands snapped Tony out of his lethargy to deal with the Mandarin. And Favreau gave a performance that I found both funny and poignant.
In one article I had read, Guy Pearce described his role in "IRON MAN 3" as merely a cameo. Frankly, I think he may have exaggerated a bit. Like Don Cheadle, Pearce's presence in the movie's first half seemed minimal. In fact, his presence as Aldrich Killian did not seem to fully develop until the movie's last forty-five minutes or so. And his character slightly reminded me of the Dr. Curt Conners (the Lizard) character from last year's "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN". But I must admit that Pearce did a great job of conveying the character's development from a pathetic and desperate man eager to use science to heal his disabilities to a charming former acquaintance of Pepper's and finally a truly scary and difficult-to-beat villain. I have never seen James Badge Dale portray a villain. But I have heard that he once portrayed a serial killer on two carryover episodes from "CSI: MIAMI" and "CSI: NEW YORK". I need to see those episodes, but I found Badge Dale's portrayal of henchman Eric Sevrin rather frightening and intimidating. Rebecca Hall portrayed Dr. Maya Hensen, the true creator of the Extremis virus, who found herself regretting her decision to work with Dr. Killian. Hall gave a sharp and witty performance, but I think her presence seemed pretty much wasted. William Sadler gave a solid performance as the President of the United States. Considering his talent, I do wish the script had allowed him to do more. I can say the same about Miguel Ferrer's ambiguous portrayal of the Vice-President. I finally come to Ben Kingsley's portrayal of the Mandarin. Many fans were upset over the changes that Black and Pearce made to the Mandarin character. I was not. I found their portrayal of the super villain amazing and mind boggling. And one has to thank Kingsley for giving what I feel was the most entertaining performance in the movie. In fact, I feel that the scene in which Tony meets the Mandarin for the first time is one of my favorite "hero-meets-villain" scenes of all time from any Marvel film. It is a scene I will always cherish.
I do have a few complaints about "IRON MAN 3". I had already pointed out my slight disappointment at the limited manner in which the Maya Hensen character was utilized. Also, Tony's trip to Tennessee seemed a bit offbeat to em. I did not need to watch his developing friendship with the kid Harley, which struck me as trite. And I also wish that the script had been a little clear on how the Mandarin and Killian tracked Tony down to Tennessee. Although I found some satisfaction in the oil rig sequence - especially in regard to Pepper and Rhodey's action - I must admit that overall, it struck me as somewhat convoluted. It did not help that the entire sequence was shot at night. Between the night setting, Jeffrey Ford and Peter S. Elliot's shaky editing and the numerous Iron Man droids, I almost found the sequence disappointing. Well, let me put it another way . . . I have seen better.
Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures are promoting this film as the best IRON MAN film ever. I cannot say that I agree. I feel it has a more complex story than the somewhat simplistic tale for "IRON MAN". But it has a set of flaws that makes it difficult for me to declare it as "the best". I guess "IRON MAN 2" is still my favorite. But I do believe that "IRON MAN 3"proved to be a very entertaining and exciting film. In the end, Shane Black did a top-notch job with the help of a decent script and excellent performances from a cast led by Robert Downey Jr.
