I may be the only one to admit this. But I was wrong. I’ve just spent the last hour watching and reading reviews for Ghostbusters and they ranged from having valid complaints to straight up dbags like some guy named Angry Joe. So was this a terrible movie? No. No it wasn’t. Was this a great movie? No. Not at all. Check out my review to find out more.
A lot of the problems that nerds had with this movie may have been well founded but they were also too ready to hate it that they wouldn’t allow themselves to see what was good about it, and that’s a true shame. I think too many people also went into it holding onto the original too tight. The days of movies like Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 are long gone. This is the era of comedies like Bridesmaids, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and The Hangover. A different style of comedy for a new generation. This is a reboot that brings a beloved franchise and reworks it to go with the modern era and that’s what Hollywood does. Who needs original ideas when you can borrow from the past. Let’s make a quick comparison between Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The TMNT reboot was terrible in every way shape and form. It not only failed to get any of the magic from the late 80’s movies but even if it had been an original concept, it was still just a bad movie. Ghostbusters on the other hand was, at the very least, enjoyable even if it was a huge sidestep from the 80’s franchise.
Most of the blame for the bad rap this movie got before it was even released should all go to the people who made the trailers. My biggest problem that I’ve bitched about on my podcast a couple times was Leslie Jones being a stereotype. The good news is that she really wasn’t. Sure, she had the scenes that we all saw in the trailers but the trailers overplayed her stereotype. Also, what the trailer underplayed was the fact that Ghostbusters had a Force Awakens vibe to it in the fact that it mirrored its source material so much that it made certain parts predictable.
Let’s talk about the ladies. Some angry jerks were calling this a progressive publicity stunt. That the only reason they were all ladies was that it was a move to show America how forward thinking they were. Those people are also dumb. This was directed and written by Paul Feig you morons! He loves his all lady casts because that’s his brand of humor. All this was was Feig leaving his mark. It’s Bridesmaids with proton packs. And you know what? They picked good ladies to do it. I’m not a huge Melissa McCarthy fan because I don’t like her enough to be able to differentiate between her roles. My girlfriend can tell me how each and every one of them is different, but I just see the same thing copied and pasted. McCarthy was good in this. I may have just seen her as Molly from Mike and Molly but that’s what the role called for. Kate McKinnon was by and far the best of the four with Leslie Jones being a close second. McKinnon’s character Jillian Holtzmann was the most well thought out and the funniest one. Her comedic timing and delivery set her apart from the others and I hope she gets noticed is offered more roles because she’s hilarious. Leslie Jones had a nicely fleshed out character too. Someone who reeks of insecurities and seems like she has to prove to herself why she’s good enough to hang with all the scientists. Winston Zeddmore was just a dude who wanted a paycheck. Patty Tolan just wanted to belong. Kristen Wiig was in this too. She’s the poster child for mediocre at best.
There were very subtle hints to the first two movies and they were fun to pick up on. There may have been a total of two lines that hinted that the first ones even happened and I’m glad. This allows it to be it’s own thing. Most of the original cast has cameos expect for the late Harold Ramis, though he gets a nod, and Rick Moranis. The rest are in it and they have some good cameos.
Lets take a break to discuss what really was bad. The original Ghostbusters was a comedy but the actors played it straight. They weren’t in on the joke. They did funny things and had funny dialogue, but it was all delivered deadpan (from Dr. Egon Spengler) or sarcastically (From Dr. Peter Venkman). Feig’s Ghostbusters were in on the joke. They knew it was funny. The comedy was too “in your face” at times and I actually found that less funny than the jokes that were delivered as if they were real people, not paid comedians. See that picture posted above? Kate McKinnon with the wig and hat. That was funny and it got a laugh, but some of the funniest lines were more subtle. Chris Hemsworth’s character Kevin was funny but he was too over the top. While Hemsworth is great, the antics of his characters got old fast. When his character gets possessed by a ghost (it’s in the trailers, so don’t complain) he got a million times more interesting. I love Chris Hemsworth and have ever since 2009’s Star Trek. But Kevin was just a caricature and proof the Feig was trying too hard to force the comedy.
The last big problem I had with the movie was how the proton packs worked. In the beginning it was true to the original. The streams just hold onto a ghost while they get the trap ready. I won’t give any spoilers but lets just say that something changes without any explanation given. That really bothered me. It’s sloppy writing. All it would have taken was Feig to write one line. Have Holtzmann say “by the way guys. I did blah blah blah so we can do yadda yadda yadda.” Vague. I know. But I’m avoiding spoilers here. That’s how easy it would have been and one of my problems would have vanished entirely! Exposition can sometimes be a problem solver.
The final sequence, the big battle at the end, was very entertaining. Sure it got stupid at times but it was fun and flashy. It was a far cry from the final showdown in the original but it had to be. This was 2016’s Ghostbusters putting it’s foot down and saying ‘this is what we are.’ The OG Ghostbusters showdown had more of a duel feel to it. The four went up against Gozer The Destructor with Zuul and Clortho on either side. This one was a brawl between the four and their new adversary who summoned a horde of ghosts.
Let me wrap this up. Ghostbusters was WAY better than I thought it would be. But it was still just okay. I had fun and I laughed but they could have done a much better job. It doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s getting and I think that’s just from a mix of angry nerds who would have hated anything short of the return of Ivan Reitman at the helm and tightwad critics who hate anything that’s not indie. A word of advice. If you can’t allow yourself to look past the original into new territory. If you’re so ready to hate it that you’re just itching to pick it apart, then stop. Don’t see it. This movie isn’t for you. But if you think you can keep an open mind and understand that the days of the original Ghostbusters are gone, the this may be the movie for you. Reboots don’t destroy childhood memories. Michael Bay couldn’t take away the joy of the original Ninja Turtles and Paul Feig isn’t going to ruin the 1984 movie no matter how mediocre his movie is.
2016’s Ghostbusters gets a 7 out of 11.
There’s a really good article by Harold Ramis’s daughter Violet Ramis Stiel about her father and the new movie. It’s a good read. Check out the link below.