It’s not long into R.I.P.D. that you figure out it’s a pretty obvious rehash of the Men in Black formula. Based on the Dark Horse Comics’ mini-series of the same name, the homage runs deep with Ryan Reynolds playing recently deceased/resurrected cop Nick Walker partnered-up with Jeff Bridges playing gnarled, surly “Agent K” facsimile, Roy Pulsipher. Initially Nick seeks to identify his killer, but before long the pair end up in the generic, supernatural vague world-saving using bizarre technology and secret identities plot you’re expecting.

The ‘undeath’ mechanic is the same as in “Dead Like Me” or Heaven Can Wait – where the characters’ outward ‘avatar’ appearance is dramatically different to their identity’s (Nick is outwardly played by Hollywood bit-part veteran, James Hong. Roy is outwardly Marisa Miller).

At least the cast and crew are fresh to the theme, unlike M.I.B. 3, which was decidedly ‘tired’. Despite its unabashed unoriginality, the movie is relatively fun and good for a few mindless yuks. A nice development is that Ryan Reynolds arguably does not suck in this, but his fish-out-of-water character type was always going to be overshadowed by Bridges’ Cogburn-cum-Custer (Even the avatars are more interesting, but that’s really to be expected).

So: silly humour, wild special effects, secret bunkers, futuristic gizmos, surreal bad guys, cataclysm aversion – it’s got it all, go have fun and try not to step in the plot-holes.

The Pythons open this with a 17-minute supporting feature about elderly office clerks commandeering a building, turning it into a pirate ship and overthrowing a large multinational corporation. Why does it open like that? Well, probably for much the same reasons as they did pretty much everything in this movie: because they could, damn it.

You get the impression that this is the movie the Python Crew most enjoyed making. They never really had any conventions to be freed from, but they somehow seemed to manage it anyway with this movie. I guess you’d say it’s that movie exploring all those jokes about live organ transplants you’ve always wanted to make but couldn’t, because you’re not Monty Python and you couldn’t get away with it.

Oh, yeah, and it’s really funny and awesome; which is kind of a redundant statement, really, because Monty Python made it.

Anyway, if the thought of a Catholic man selling his children off for medical experiments while leading a sing-along called “Every Sperm is Sacred” offends you deeply, I would really appreciate your coming along to see this movie. It will make that scene a little more hilarious for the rest of us.