'R.I.P.D.': Haven't We Seen These 'Men in Black' Before? (Photos)
Box office analysts are predicting that Universal's "R.I.P.D." is going to tank this weekend, and it's not hard to figure out why: Audiences have already seen it -- three times -- but it was called "Men in Black," or you know, "M.I.B."
"R.I.P.D." stars Ryan Reynolds as a dead hot-shot cop who is the newest recruit in the "Rest in Peace Department" -- a supernatural agency that protects the living from malevolent souls that secretly exist among them. Jeff Bridges plays Reynolds older, wiser partner, who mentors the new officer as the two prepare to face a ghoulish menace threatening to unleash an army of the dead, who will wage war with mankind.
Also read: 'R.I.P.D.' Is D.O.A. With Critics
Sony Pictures' "M.I.B." stars Will Smith as a hot-shot cop who is the newest recruit in the "Men in Black" -- a non-government agency that protects humans from malevolent aliens that secretly exist among them. Tommy Lee Jones plays Smith's older, wiser partner who mentors the new agent as the two prepare to face an intergalactic menace threatening to steal an entire galaxy -- an which will start an alien war with mankind.
Also read: Ryan Reynolds-Jeff Bridges' 'R.I.P.D.' Set to Kill Universal's Summer Hot Streak
But it's not just the identical plots and acronym titles that will have moviegoers seeing double. The marketing should already be giving audience deja vu. Take the posters, for example:
At least Hollywood's newest men in black are capable of striking their own pose.
But let's give Universal some credit. Sure, Reynolds' character is almost a carbon copy of Smith's Agent Jay (a cocky wise-crackin' cop who has to sacrifice his ego in order save the world), but Bridges' lawman is way different than Jones' Agent Kay. While Jones played a hard-nosed, no-nonsense veteran in the field who plays by the rules, the trailers make it appear as if Bridges plays an eccentric, unpredictable veteran in the field who doesn't always play by the rules.
Way different.
The main characters aren't the only clones that screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi called upon while adapting Peter M. Lenkov's 2001 Dark Horse graphic novel.
Just like the aliens in "M.I.B.," the dead who wander amongst the living in "R.I.P.D." don't always look so dead:
And we can't forget what really makes a sci-fi summer blockbuster a summer blockbuster.
You know...
...the creatures...
...the explosions...
...the cars...
...and, of course, the guns.
The critics, who were not given much of a chance to watch "R.I.P.D" before its Friday release, have been quick to pick up on the similarities, too.
Also read: 'R.I.P.D.' Is D.O.A. With Critics
"For a movie that so strenuously rips off 'Ghostbusters' and 'Men in Black,' 'R.I.P.D.' manages to come up with fresh new ways of being absolutely terrible," Kyle Smith of the New York Post wrote in his half-star review.
While "R.I.P.D." is only expected to recoup around $15 million of its $130 million budget this weekend, Universal is hoping audiences can forget the past and embrace the present. So please, look right here for a moment:
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