Here Come the Men in Flak

RIPD— the Rest in Peace Department—is based upon a comic of the same name. We’re not sure about the source material, but the film is just a unabashed Men in Black ripoff.

There’s the wisecracking rookie who’s new to the job; and the crotchety old vet who’s stuck with him. Their job is to protect the earth from monstrous spirits, or deados, who walk among them, avoiding their fate in the afterlife.

So, let’s run this down. Secret government agency? Check. Young, quippy star? Check. Elder curmudgeon? Check. And plot that revolves around said agency protecting the unsuspecting public from a threat they have no idea exists? Check.

Thus, RIPD is just a 2013 version of a 1997 film, and in no way is that a compliment. Why? Well, because most of it does not work. And it’s central elements are just grifted from better movies. The villain, played hammily by the great Kevin Bacon, is essentially just the budget Gozer from Ghostbusters.

With all that in mind, you can probably guess that this flopped and was buried by critics. On a budget estimated to be as high as $154 million, it earned a putrid $78.3 million. It’s 12% on Rotten Tomatoes is also as moldy as one of the deados who’s been hiding out on earth for too long.

Now, sit back, enjoy the after life with a Dead ‘N’ Dead from Rogue, and stay frosty! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Chumpzilla, and a special guest are hunting down evil Kevin Bacon in the mean streets of Boston!

This Week’s Segments:

Introduction/Plot Breakdown – They’re defending our world one soul at a time! (00:00)
Lingering Questions – After a word from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA, we all choose our RIPD avatars. (30:37)
The “Sounds Like an STD” Trivia Challenge – The Double Turn Podcast handcuffs some deados, and then Chumpzilla challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (49:29)
Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We kick off “Hops and All I Want for Christmas Flops” with the GI Joe: The Movie! (58:27)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—the direct to Netflix sequel and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, Amazon Music, and more!