Summary
It is a fun Western with a supernatural twist that will keep you locked in for the majority of the film.
We review the Netflix film RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned, which does not contain spoilers.
To everyone’s surprise, RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned is a prequel to the under-appreciated RIPD film starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. The film’s premise is taken from a Dark Horse comic series: in the afterlife, a contemporary cop played by Reynolds is teamed with Old West sheriff Roy Pulsipher, played by Bridges, to return to Earth and track down “Deados” — wayward souls possessing human bodies. Not many people remember the film, so to make a prequel with an entirely new cast with no actual connection to that film is interesting.
Even though the title technically makes this one a sequel, it’s considered a prequel to that movie. RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned is set in the American West of 1876, and it is regarded as a “spiritual” sequel to the first installment. Sheriff Roy Pulsipher (Jeffrey Donovan) isn’t too thrilled about finding himself dead after a shootout with a notorious outlaw gang, but he does get a second chance to return to Earth after being recruited by the Rest in Peace Department. But avenging his own murder may have to take a back seat to save the world when a gateway to hell is opened in the old mining town of Red Creek, threatening not only locals… but all of humanity itself.
The reason why RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned is entertaining to watch is because it really doesn’t take itself too seriously. It brings in the standard Western tropes while adding a supernatural element to it. There are some fun moments and plenty of exposition to remind the audience about what they do exactly and why it’s important. There are a couple of stories mixed into this, but nothing is as important as Sheriff Roy’s story with his daughter Charlotte.
All he wants to do is be with her and see her again, but since he’s dead, there’s no concrete way to do that. Instead, he meets others who are just like him and help him navigate Earth to find “deados”. In the afterlife, Roy is paired with veteran deado-buster Jeanne (Penelope Mitchell), who is a total badass with a sword. Sheriff Roy gets used to his new place in the afterlife, but he still wants revenge on Slim (John Choi) the man who killed him. In the meantime, Roy and Jeanne’s assignment is to stop Otis Clairborne (Richard Brake) from unleashing an army of angry souls from hell. Naturally, the world always has to come to an end while avenging your own death. The fight scenes are actually quite fun, but it’s the banter between Roy and any of the characters that carry this movie out.
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