R.I.P.D. (12A, 96 mins) ** Starring Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie Szostak, Devin Ratray, Mike O’Malley. Director: Robert Schwentke

Adapted from a series of comics, R.I.P.D. (an acronym for Rest In Peace Department) is an otherworldly action adventure in a similar vein to Men In Black, which pairs a grizzled veteran and a gung-ho newcomer in a hunt for earthbound monsters.

The trajectory of the central relationship from fractiousness to do-or-die camaraderie is achingly familiar. So too is Ryan Reynolds’s wise-cracking schtick as the cocksure new pretender, while Oscar winner Jeff Bridges chews limp dialogue like tobacco as a 19th century US Marshal whose moral compass is misaligned with the modern world.

While Men In Black enhanced the buddy comedy with outrageous action set-pieces, R.I.P.D. is woefully underpowered in the visual effects department. The souls – known affectionately as “Deados” – take on the guise of humans, but when they are unmasked by the R.I.P.D., they metamorphose into hideously-deformed creatures that have to be shot in the head in order to move into the afterlife and restore the cosmic balance. It’s an excuse for a miasma of unrealistic digital splatter, which fails to get the pulse racing.

Boston detectives Nick Walker (Reynolds) and Bobby Hayes (Bacon) steal gold bullion from a high-profile drugs bust. Nick hides his share as an investment for his wife Julia (Szostak), then gets cold feet and tells Bobby he intends to return the booty to the evidence room.

At a subsequent raid, Bobby murders Nick to guarantee his silence. As his soul ascends to final judgement, Nick takes a detour to the Boston division of R.I.P.D., where director Mildred Proctor (Parker) enlists him for a 100-year tour of duty capturing nefarious spirits that have failed to cross over.

Nick is partnered with Roy Pulsipher (Bridges), who adopts a no-nonsense shoot-first approach to his work. The veteran and protege initially clash, but then gradually form a tender bond as they become embroiled in a far bigger case involving the stolen gold.

Unfortunately, R.I.P.D. is almost as lifeless as the creatures Roy and Nick have to apprehend, and Schwentke’s unimaginative direction is the final nail in the film’s coffin.