Ever since the first day production of this film was
announced, it’s had a tough time winning the enthusiasm of movie goers. It
seemed like every form of promotional material was shat upon without any
reliable sources to warrant that type of response. And learning that the iconic
all-male cast was being switched to an all-female cast didn’t help convert the
naysayers either. That’s sad given the director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids)
has true talent behind the camera. Once again he decided to team up with Melissa McCarthy as one of the leads,
which on paper appeared to be a great idea. While a majority of film goers
clocked out of this film before its release, due to ridiculous assumptions, the
team up paid off again; being one of the better films of the summer.
From the start, the film knows where it’s going. Without
even seeing a single ghost initially, the tone of the film was set as a fun
laugh out loud comedy, not to be taken too seriously. That’s the attitude
suggested to validate your experience in the theater. And my goodness gracious it
was funny. The film embraced everything silly it had to offer, which is
interesting considering the tone of the film and the surrounding characters.
This made my respect level go up even higher. It’s filled with characters who
appear to be a joke, or laughingstock, and ridiculed. But none of the
characters cared in the slightest and just wanted to live their lives.
The backstory between the first two characters fit perfect
like a glove. Kristen Wiig and McCarthy’s chemistry was apparent from
birth. You know they’re friends, have a past, and respect each other. I had
reservations about the involvement of Kate
McKinnon. Not being too familiar with her work, it wasn’t clear if she
would gel with the others. However, she did a great job being another comedic
element and had a vast knowledge about technology. Leslie Jones, on the other hand, appeared to be a textbook
stereotype to the tenth degree. While she filled a few of those shoes, she
still ended up being a hilarious member of the team with a fair share of
involvement of her own.
While you’re already having a good time, the environment of
the film never ceases to rise. It was a delight to see the characters attack
ghosts with the proton packs we know from the previous films and new gadgets Kate McKinnon brought to the fold. One
may note the use of the characters’ real names, and that’s because they didn’t
feel like real characters. That’s not a negative, because I did enjoy everyone’s
performance. So if you’re looking for a real character, and not the actual
actress, look out. With all the fun action beats and seeing the women blast the
hell out of ghosts, the stakes felt inconsistent, and the film started to not follow
its own rules. During one scene we’re taught that they have to capture ghosts
to stop them, but later they decide to blow them up instead. There wasn’t any
consistency there.
This movie isn’t anything remotely close to the previous
films in the 80’s, and it wasn’t supposed to be. It was able to deliver enough
fan service and cameos from the past to deliver those necessary goods you may
be salivating for. With the trailer being disliked by all of the world during
its initial release online, it appeared there would be no chance in hell for the
film to survive. Even going in with high expectations still may get you smiling
after you walk out of the theater, because it’s fun. I’m glad it did survive.
This Ghostbusters remake was an
extremely fun, hilarious ride with four genius women who are strong, have no
fear, and are ready to get things done. That alone is enough to deliver a
worthy experience, and what’s great is that it offers so much more.
8.5/10
Director: Paul
Feig
Writer: Katie
Dippold, Paul Feig
Cast: Zach Woods,
Kristen Wiig, Ed Begley Jr., Charles Dance, John Milhiser, Ben Harris, Melissa
McCarthy, Karan Soni, Kate McKinnon, Bess Rous, Steve Higgins, Leslie Jones,
Neil Casey, Dave Allen, Katie Dippold, Chris Hemsworth, Nate Corddry, Daniel
Ramis, Pat Kiernan, Bill Murray, Michael McDonald, Jaime Pacheco, Adam Ray,
Eugene Cordero, Davey Jones, Ryan Levine, Dan Teicher
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 116
minutes
Production Company: Columbia
Pictures, Feigco Entertainment, Ghostcorps, LStar Capital, The Montecito
Picture Company
Genre: Action,
Comedy, Sci-Fi
Language: English
Country: USA
Budget: $144,000,000