Ghostbusters (2016)

“Ghostbusters” stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth.  Released on July 15, 2016, the film is about four female parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business and must save New York City from a supernatural threat.

The film is directed by Paul Feig, who also directed films such as Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy, and it is a reboot of the 1984 supernatural comedy of the same name.  A third Ghostbusters film had been in the works for quite some time, but with Harold Ramis‘ passing and Bill Murray’s refusal to commit to the project, Sony decided to reboot the franchise instead.  This time, with female actors.  This announcement caused a lot of ridiculous controversy and debate, resulting in having one of the most disliked trailers in Youtube history, a lot of disgraceful comments to the cast and director, and of course, my ‘personal favorite‘, people attacking others for giving the reboot a positive review.  Jeez, no wonder society has gone downhill.  What got me interested in this reboot was not because I really liked the original Ghostbusters nor that Paul Feig has a talent in making funny female comedies, but it’s because of the unusual direction they took by having an all-female team instead of just getting new male actors as the new Ghostbusters.  I can see that the road towards the film’s release was quite bumpy in terms of its troublesome marketing, but unlike the people who are wasting their lives posting nasty comments on the internet, I did the honorable thing by judging the final cut of the film.  Also, I invited my mom along to review this latest reboot with me.  Oh, before I tell you my thoughts on Ghostbusters, let me remind you that Sony did not pay me to write this review.  Neither did anybody else who reviewed it before me.  Just pointing that out.

Let’s start off with the pros, because that’s how I roll.  As I stated before, the reboot has four female actors playing the Ghostbusters: McCarthy, Wiig, McKinnon, and Jones.  One of the most important factors of the Ghostbusters films is the chemistry between the main actors.  The 1984 film has Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson as the ghost-catching team who cracked some jokes and busted some ghosts.  The actresses in the reboot successfully captured that kind of chemistry that the original had.  There was a lot of speculation that these women are unfunny, but from what I saw, they were so gosh darn funny.  While McKinnon and Jones delivered some pretty big laughs as Holtzmann and Patty, respectively, it was Chris Hemsworth that almost stole the show as the dim-witted receptionist Kevin.  It may feel like his personality might become a nuisance to some people, but like Jason Statham in Spy, Feig managed to insert some unexpected laughs into Hemsworth.  Going back to McKinnon as Holtzmann, it does feel like at certain points she’s trying to channel her inner Harold Ramis.  I think it worked most of the time despite some of her acting feeling a bit flat, but overall she did a nice job representing her character.  The CGI for the ghosts and monsters was pretty impressive, offering a bit of the update from the effects used in the 1984 film.  The third act of the film does remind me of the other summer blockbusters that have big CGI spectacles in their third acts, but it doesn’t bother me that much.  In terms of the humor, it was quite a challenge for Paul Feig to capture the amount of humor and fun that the original offered, especially since it’s PG-13, unlike his previous R-rated comedy titles.  But in the end, he managed to pull it off.  Not only was this film funny, but it’s also a very fun ride, and isn’t that what going to the movies is all about? Having fun?  Speaking of the humor, there were a couple of jokes that poked fun at the online haters that I found to be pretty clever.  There were also some several nods and cameos to the original film, with Bill Murray being my top cameo of the film.  The other cameos were just there for show.

There were a couple of flaws I had with this female Ghostbusters film.  First off, the pacing felt a bit uneven, especially how they transition from one scene to the next.  There were times where the pacing felt rushed and then it returned to its normal speed.  If there’s something else that I felt was unnecessary, I would say it has to be where Wiig’s character, Erin Gilbert, was hitting on Kevin.  I don’t think it serves a purpose to the story and that it’s only there to get some more laughs.  If they removed that from the script, it would’ve represented more girl power to Erin.

Mom: To be honest, with all of the controversy, I had no idea what to expect.  Worse case scenario is I got to spend some one on one time with Marcus, so there was no way I could lose.  I have to say though, that I was caught up in the ride.  I like Melissa McCarthy and thought she did a good job in the movie.  I’m not sure how I feel about Holtzmann (McKinnon).  I had a hard time relating to her, but she did pull me into a few scenes.  I like the story line and how they pulled in the cameos.  Overall, I think they did a great job of choosing the actresses for the part.  Best way to describe the movie was a roller coaster - if you are out there to have fun, the movie - as goofy as some parts are, just pulls you in.

Overall, with its engaging chemistry between the main actresses, hilarious humor, and its series of fun antics and ghostly visuals, the 2016 reboot of “Ghostbusters” is a type of film that should be judged by its final cut instead of the marketing.  Sure, it’s not as great as the original, but it manages to capture the amount of humor and fun that made the franchise so popular, while also serving as a splendid introduction to a new generation of fans.  So, this is the part where I would recommend it to the fans of the original Ghostbusters films.  Well, to be honest with you, I’m not so sure if I should.  I mean, I would, especially to those who liked female comedies, but after what these die-hard Ghostbusters fans did to the cast and to those who gave the reboot good reviews, I don’t think they deserve to be Ghostbusters fans.  During the end credits scene, they gave out special thanks to a Ghostbusters super fan who supported the film entirely.  That is a fan who supports the Ghostbusters without worrying about the members being female.  That’s what these fans should’ve been doing instead of just bashing Feig for making the team all women and giving the film low ratings without even seeing it for themselves.  To those who are still interested in seeing it, if you still want to see it, go for it.  Don’t let the haters keep you from having a good time at the movies, and if you don’t like the reboot, that is fine, because all that matters is that you gave it a chance.  To all of the haters out there, you guys have gone too far and it’s time for you to grow up.  The way you bring out feminism in a negative way and the fact that the reboot is going to “ruin your childhood”, especially when you’re a Ghostbusters fan, is completely disrespectful.  You also crossed the line when you posted those immature comments towards the cast, the director, and the people who happened to like this movie.  If there’s one thing I learned from watching this film, it’s that anyone can be a Ghostbuster, whether it’s a man or a woman or someone with a disability.  They just need a chance to prove themselves and to me, this film succeeded in showing me that even women can kick some ghostly butt, not just men.  I’m not asking you to stop being jerks, I’m asking you to think of the consequences you might receive before posting something negative on the internet.  I would gladly watch this film again sometime in the future because I support the franchise entirely.  I ain’t afraid of no ghost and I absolutely ain’t afraid to speak out my true feelings.  Ghostbusters 4 Life.

B+
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My Mom's Letter Grade: B