There's a new breed of comic-book flick heading to theaters this summer, and it's arriving in the form of "Jeff Bridges.
The trailer packs in a lot of information in a briskly paced three minutes, so here's a bullet-point guide to this summer's freakiest crime-fighting force.
High Concept
The trailer does a solid job of compressing the source material's out-there concept enough to not overwhelm the trailer. Mary-Louise Parker does the heavy-lifting as Proctor, injecting a bit of charm into the explanation of Reynolds' grim new occupation. "You have skills that we want," she explains. She represents the R.I.P.D., the afterlife's police division charged with arresting the soul's that escape judgment. This concept is unlike anything else in theaters this summer, making the film's originality stand out from the crowd of sequels.
Heavy on Humor
For a film focused on death, Bridges and Reynolds sure do bring the funny. Sure, it's a dark style of humor, but Bridges is clearly enjoying his turn as a character that seems a bit like the bombastic cousin of "True Grit" character Rooster Cogburn. Reynolds employs his should-be-trademarked incredulous stare well here, casting a suspicious eye to all of the over-the-top proceedings. The trailer has as many sight gags and witty one-liners as it does escaped souls.
Effects Extravaganza
The film's likely to draw comparisons to "Men in Black," another film focused on an unknown peace-keeping unit. But whereas the men in black hunted rogue aliens with inhuman features, the R.I.P.D. come face to face with fugitives who just look a bit left of human. With elongated mouths, hulking forearms ...