Lost in Translation 456 – Defusing Bombs: R.I.P.D. (2013)

Last week, Lost in Translation looked at the 2013 film, R.I.P.D., finding it a functional adaptation, if not ideal. Liberties were taken, but the essence of the original comic was still there. Short version, the Rest In Peace Department consists of deceased law enforcement agents on a one hundred year contract to keep the dead and the forces of Hell at bay. The 2013 film made half of its budget and is considered a flop. What happened?

Let’s start with the marketing. RIPD came out summer of 2018, in the middle of blockbuster season. Its main competition was Red 2, released the same day as RIPD. The trailer for RIPD depicts the film as an action movie with supernatural elements. It lays out the film’s plot and almost gives away key moments; so, it’s a typical Hollywood trailer.

The trailer does not mention the comic book. Superhero movies were beginning to become the blockbuster standard in 2013, but RIPD isn’t a superhero comic. Dark Horse is also not one of the Big Three of DC, Marvel, and Archie. People who did read the comic would know the connection, but the backlash against comic book movies hadn’t started in 2013. The trailer presents a popcorn movie, the traditional summer movie fare.

RIPD stands up as a popcorn movie. It’s not a great movie, but for over an hour and a half, it’s a fun watch. The cast includes solid names. Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, and Jeff Bridges have all starred in other movies. Compared with Red 2, it’s about the same star power, with Reynolds having been named “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine in 2010. The plot adds a supernatural twist on the Buddy Cop flick. While the movie could have followed the plot of the comic, some of the action is separate from the main characters and the approach is more “older cop mentors younger cop,” with the mentor “dying” – read, moves on to his final destination – at the end, precluding potential sequels with the same cast. The movie, by adding fifty-three years to Sheriff Roy’s contract, leaves room for more supernatural Buddy Cop shenanigans. With some handwaving, even Kevin Bacon’s Hayes could return for a sequel.

The studio spent at least US$130 million according to Box Office Mojo, with the movie grossing a little over US$78 million worldwide. In comparison, Red 2 had a budget of US$84 million and grossed US$148 million worldwide, almost a mirror image of RIPD‘s numbers. Of additional note, the average movie budget had reached its lowest point since the turn of the millennia, but blockbuster budgets were growing. Both films are star studded, so why did RIPD cost US$46 million more? Even at Red 2‘s budget, RIPD would have lost money, but could easily make up the difference through home video and streaming.

RIPD does make extensive use of CGI. Every Deado on screen, the effects of shooting a Deado, the portals that open and the destruction they cause, all of that is CGI. There are practical effects, like when cars fall out of a destroyed parking garage, but there are some effects that are only possible with CGI. Directors and studios are also known for tweaking how a CG effect looks on screen, trying to perfect the look, leading to overtime for the digital effects artists working with a time crunch. That might not account for all of the excessive budget, but it may take up a good percentage of the US$46 million difference.

It could just be that audiences weren’t in the mood for a supernatural buddy cop action comedy. Film and TV urban fantasy had been shaped by series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and the then-ongoing Supernatural, so while the genre can be light hearted, comedy wasn’t the draw. The Walking Dead may be the closest RIPD comes in comparison, with zombies in the former and Deados in the latter, but The Walking Dead is also a drama. There may not be an equivalent for an audience to compare RIPD to, leading to a reluctance to go to the film.

R.I.P.D.‘s problem may just be the wrong film at the wrong time. The movie is too light for fans of horror and urban fantasy and too odd for fans of buddy cop films. The budget may be a little high for the type of film, but CGI isn’t necessarily cheap. Star power isn’t a problem; Ryan Reynolds is usually a draw, and Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon aren’t unknown actors. The movie is inoffensive, a decent popcorn movie. Sometimes, a movie just fails to draw an audience.