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Ghostbusters (2016)
For months on end, Paul Feig's Ghostbusters has been hit with criticism - both from sexists and those just generally opposed to the idea of the original Ghostbusters not returning - but this review isn't about that. I may feel sympathy for Paul Feig and the cast because of the amount of unnecessary abuse they have faced from those who cannot accept that there are funny female comedians out there but I would never take it into account when reviewing a movie. I review films on here or on my Dalekbuster Screen 5 blog site based on their own merit and not on the hate campaigns that may or may not surround them.
The Ghostbusters reboot follows Columbia University professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), who is approached to investigate the haunted Eldridge Mansion by historian Ed Mulgrave (Ed Begley Jnr) after reading her book Ghosts of our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively. Erin is initially confused as she didn't publish the book however before long she realises her co-author Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) must be to blame and sets off to confront her. There she meets nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and after Erin tells them about Ed's request to investigate the mansion they set off to confront the ghost of Gertrude Eldridge (Bess Rous), who was locked in the cellar after murdering a bunch of people in the building. Their encounter is recorded and uploaded to YouTube. Erin is fired by her boss Harold Filmore (Charles Dance) as they don't consider the study of paranormal proper science. Abby and Jillian hope their boss Dean (Steve Higgins) will be more lenient due to their workplace being a less prestigious university but they are soon shown the door. Together Jillian, Abby and Erin decide to start a Ghostbusting business and set up shop at a Zhu's chinese restaurant after finding their first choice - a rather familiar firehouse - too expensive. They hire Australian Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their receptionist and before long are visited by their first client, Patty (Leslie Jones), who saw a ghost in the subway where she works. Through their investigations they find a guy called Rowan (Neil Casey) has been building devices to magnify paranormal presence and they set off to trap the ghosts he is releasing.
I hadn't seen any Paul Feig films before but after watching this movie it isn't hard to see why he has earned such a reputation as a highly-regarded comedy director. The Ghostbusters Reboot may not be as good as the 1984 original but it is a much more deserving follow-up than the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters 2. Whereas the sequel lacked the memorable lines of the original, the Reboot features many pieces of dialogue which I feel over time may gain an iconic status. One of my favourite lines was 'Rowan, pick up your virginity from the lost and found!', spoken by Abby during the confrontation with Rowan's Ghost. This is a line that I feel could become the new generation's 'This man has no dick!' as it has the same wit and charm of the quoted line from the original.
The directing of this film shows a clear understanding of what made the 1984 Ghostbusters work so well. Paul Feig has completely grasped that the comedy from Ghostbusters comes from the scary situations the characters are thrown into rather than it being a parody of the horror genre. The events of the film feel genuine for the characters who interact in it and this is reflected in the score by Theodore Shapiro, which feels more like a soundtrack for a horror movie than a comedy. There's no silly 'wah wahs' (despite the noise Jillian Holtzmann makes at the failed proton stream during the subway sequence) or music that cries 'THIS IS FUNNY'; instead the soundtrack consists of music that could easily have been taken from The Shining or The Blair Witch Project. You get the sense that the reboot could have taken a darker, more serious edge and it puts into context what Paul Feig had said in an early interview about taking inspiration from The Walking Dead. Talking about influences, I am sure he must have been inspired by a certain other show too.
The show I am referring to is Doctor Who. There is a scene in the film where Patty is chased by a plastic dummy that reminds me a lot of the Autons from the show. I am not certain if it is a deliberate reference but it does feel as though it could be an in-joke from the director. Indeed, the movie's approach is very similar to that of Doctor Who - particularly the 2005 revival. Like the popular BBC1 show, the Ghostbusters Reboot uses the notion of 'hiding behind the sofa' (or in this case, 'hiding behind the cinema seat') in that amid the more light-hearted elements it deliberately sets out to scare you. There are a few jump scares scattered through the film and it helps to establish how serious the ghost threat is. The film also ingeniously follows the way Doctor Who's 2005 Revival introduced its brand to a new audience: just like the episode Rose saw the debut of a new Doctor, Ghostbusters (2016) doesn't bring back the original team but instead showcases a new one in order to familiarise a new generation with the concept of Proton Packs and PKE Meters. This is a wise decision as it doesn't alienate those who are new to the Ghostbusters brand. There is no reason why the old team cannot be brought back later on anyway, especially when there are already plans to establish a Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe. Whose to say Ghostbusters (2016) can't be a parallel universe from Ghostbusters (1984)? Personally I would rather see a new audience introduced to Ghostbusters with the 1984 Ghostbusters returning later on than Peter, Ray and Winston to be brought back in a third movie that alienates those unfamiliar with the brand and ultimately becomes a flop.
Of course it is possible that the Reboot could be a flop anyway but on the strength of the cast I hope otherwise. The four leading ladies have a huge amount of chemistry together and as with the original four it feels like lightning in a bottle. Kristen Wiig is much funnier than the trailers give her credit for. Many of her best moments are left out of the trailers and suffice to say she makes for a better lead than I had expected. Melissa McCarthy is more entertaining than her trailer appearances also, although the standouts of the Ghostbusters are unsurprisingly Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Kate McKinnon is wonderfully quirky as Jillian Holtzmann; one scene sees her eating Pringles whilst Erin confronts the ghost of Gertrude. Leslie Jones certainly is not the racist stereotype the reboot haters like to claim; she may not be a scientist but she proves to be extremely knowledgable about the history of New York and is therefore no less intelligent than the other Ghostbusters. Patty feels like a progressive step forward for acting roles within the black community and I hope to see more black actors given the opportunity to play characters like her.
The star of the reboot is rather ironically one of the male cast members. Chris Hemsworth is a revelation as Kevin; he is brilliantly endearing as the bumbling idiot and for someone who is known more as a dramatic actor provides some of the film's biggest laughs. The scene where Kevin displays some of the logos he has created for the Ghostbusting business including a female ghost with big boobs and an 'invisible ghost holding a hot dog' is comedy gold. If this sounds sexist towards the male gender, I can assure you it isn't. Everybody who isn't a Ghostbuster be it male or female is portrayed as an idiot, which to be fair is pretty accurate to the present time given that we're living in a world where Boris Johnson is foreign secretary of the United Kingdom and Donald Trump is running for president of the United States.
Another complaint I have heard is that the cameos and references to the 1984 original take you out of the film. This wasn't the case for me. Whilst many of the cameos didn't add much to the movie they didn't ruin the cinema experience for me either. They were just there, with the exception of Bill Murray, who has a slightly bigger and more important role as skeptic Martin Heiss. Bill Murray is definitely the most meaningful of the cameos; whilst his character is significantly different to Peter Venkman it is fun to see him play the complete opposite of Peter. Martin Heiss is probably the closest to this movie's Walter Peck, although there is no direct copy of the character. Whilst Walter was acting under authority, Martin's motivations come more from his disbelief of the paranormal. This nicely ties in with Erin's character arc of wanting others to trust that she has seen ghosts, which date back to when she experienced her first ghostly encounter as a child and nobody believed her.
My biggest gripe with this film is the way it relegates what should be an important scene to the end credits. During the credits, a possessed Kevin is shown leading soldiers in a dance sequence. This was removed from an earlier point of the film and explains why the same soldiers are placed into such odd positions by Kevin when they are under his possession. With no context, any members of the audience who decide to leave during the end credits will wonder what the sequence in the film with Kevin and the soldiers was about as it makes little sense until the credits play. The dance is a fun moment that could have worked nicely during the ghost battle in New York and the way it is relegated to the credits feels like an attempt by the studio to convince cinema-goers to stay until the end of the film. I am guessing they were worried viewers would miss the numerous mid-credits scenes and decided to include it to give them a reason to stay in the auditorium. There is still a problem that some may leave before the end credits however and miss the last tantalising scene; perhaps they should have announced in the press that there would be scenes during the credits instead?
Overall, Ghostbusters (2016) is a fun reboot of the 1984 original and feels like a more natural follow-up for the first film than Ghostbusters 2. Paul Feig seems to have a perfect understanding of what made the original Ghostbusters work so well; the comedy comes from the scary situations the characters are placed into rather than a parody of the horror genre. Like Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters (2016)'s cast have a natural chemistry together and provide many laughs; they are the perfect ensemble and I doubt Sony would be able to find any actors more suitable for the franchise going forward than Melissa McCarthy and company. It seems like a lot of inspiration has been taken from Doctor Who (especially in the opening tour guide scene) and the way it sets out to scare its audience whilst offering a comforting blanket in the form of its heroes, as well as the strategy taken by the 2005 Revival to introduce an existing brand to a new audience. Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth are the star performances; both offer the movie's most hilarious moments be it eating Pringles in the face of danger or coming up with terrible logo designs. The only major problem is the way a major sequence becomes little more than a scene played during the credits. Kevin's dance sequence really should have been a part of the movie's story as its exclusion leaves a small hole in the narrative that doesn't really make sense.
If you decide to see this film, make sure you see it in 3D; the 3D effects are spectacular - proton streams, slime and ghostly hands all come out of the screen - and the film would likely feel flat without them. Ghostbusters (2016) seems to have been made with the 3D effects in mind much in the same way as James Cameron intended Avatar to be seen in the format.
Simply put: this is one film you don't want to miss in 3D. The power of Sean compels you!
For months on end, Paul Feig's Ghostbusters has been hit with criticism - both from sexists and those just generally opposed to the idea of the original Ghostbusters not returning - but this review isn't about that. I may feel sympathy for Paul Feig and the cast because of the amount of unnecessary abuse they have faced from those who cannot accept that there are funny female comedians out there but I would never take it into account when reviewing a movie. I review films on here or on my Dalekbuster Screen 5 blog site based on their own merit and not on the hate campaigns that may or may not surround them.
The Ghostbusters reboot follows Columbia University professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), who is approached to investigate the haunted Eldridge Mansion by historian Ed Mulgrave (Ed Begley Jnr) after reading her book Ghosts of our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively. Erin is initially confused as she didn't publish the book however before long she realises her co-author Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) must be to blame and sets off to confront her. There she meets nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and after Erin tells them about Ed's request to investigate the mansion they set off to confront the ghost of Gertrude Eldridge (Bess Rous), who was locked in the cellar after murdering a bunch of people in the building. Their encounter is recorded and uploaded to YouTube. Erin is fired by her boss Harold Filmore (Charles Dance) as they don't consider the study of paranormal proper science. Abby and Jillian hope their boss Dean (Steve Higgins) will be more lenient due to their workplace being a less prestigious university but they are soon shown the door. Together Jillian, Abby and Erin decide to start a Ghostbusting business and set up shop at a Zhu's chinese restaurant after finding their first choice - a rather familiar firehouse - too expensive. They hire Australian Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their receptionist and before long are visited by their first client, Patty (Leslie Jones), who saw a ghost in the subway where she works. Through their investigations they find a guy called Rowan (Neil Casey) has been building devices to magnify paranormal presence and they set off to trap the ghosts he is releasing.
I hadn't seen any Paul Feig films before but after watching this movie it isn't hard to see why he has earned such a reputation as a highly-regarded comedy director. The Ghostbusters Reboot may not be as good as the 1984 original but it is a much more deserving follow-up than the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters 2. Whereas the sequel lacked the memorable lines of the original, the Reboot features many pieces of dialogue which I feel over time may gain an iconic status. One of my favourite lines was 'Rowan, pick up your virginity from the lost and found!', spoken by Abby during the confrontation with Rowan's Ghost. This is a line that I feel could become the new generation's 'This man has no dick!' as it has the same wit and charm of the quoted line from the original.
The directing of this film shows a clear understanding of what made the 1984 Ghostbusters work so well. Paul Feig has completely grasped that the comedy from Ghostbusters comes from the scary situations the characters are thrown into rather than it being a parody of the horror genre. The events of the film feel genuine for the characters who interact in it and this is reflected in the score by Theodore Shapiro, which feels more like a soundtrack for a horror movie than a comedy. There's no silly 'wah wahs' (despite the noise Jillian Holtzmann makes at the failed proton stream during the subway sequence) or music that cries 'THIS IS FUNNY'; instead the soundtrack consists of music that could easily have been taken from The Shining or The Blair Witch Project. You get the sense that the reboot could have taken a darker, more serious edge and it puts into context what Paul Feig had said in an early interview about taking inspiration from The Walking Dead. Talking about influences, I am sure he must have been inspired by a certain other show too.
The show I am referring to is Doctor Who. There is a scene in the film where Patty is chased by a plastic dummy that reminds me a lot of the Autons from the show. I am not certain if it is a deliberate reference but it does feel as though it could be an in-joke from the director. Indeed, the movie's approach is very similar to that of Doctor Who - particularly the 2005 revival. Like the popular BBC1 show, the Ghostbusters Reboot uses the notion of 'hiding behind the sofa' (or in this case, 'hiding behind the cinema seat') in that amid the more light-hearted elements it deliberately sets out to scare you. There are a few jump scares scattered through the film and it helps to establish how serious the ghost threat is. The film also ingeniously follows the way Doctor Who's 2005 Revival introduced its brand to a new audience: just like the episode Rose saw the debut of a new Doctor, Ghostbusters (2016) doesn't bring back the original team but instead showcases a new one in order to familiarise a new generation with the concept of Proton Packs and PKE Meters. This is a wise decision as it doesn't alienate those who are new to the Ghostbusters brand. There is no reason why the old team cannot be brought back later on anyway, especially when there are already plans to establish a Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe. Whose to say Ghostbusters (2016) can't be a parallel universe from Ghostbusters (1984)? Personally I would rather see a new audience introduced to Ghostbusters with the 1984 Ghostbusters returning later on than Peter, Ray and Winston to be brought back in a third movie that alienates those unfamiliar with the brand and ultimately becomes a flop.
Of course it is possible that the Reboot could be a flop anyway but on the strength of the cast I hope otherwise. The four leading ladies have a huge amount of chemistry together and as with the original four it feels like lightning in a bottle. Kristen Wiig is much funnier than the trailers give her credit for. Many of her best moments are left out of the trailers and suffice to say she makes for a better lead than I had expected. Melissa McCarthy is more entertaining than her trailer appearances also, although the standouts of the Ghostbusters are unsurprisingly Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Kate McKinnon is wonderfully quirky as Jillian Holtzmann; one scene sees her eating Pringles whilst Erin confronts the ghost of Gertrude. Leslie Jones certainly is not the racist stereotype the reboot haters like to claim; she may not be a scientist but she proves to be extremely knowledgable about the history of New York and is therefore no less intelligent than the other Ghostbusters. Patty feels like a progressive step forward for acting roles within the black community and I hope to see more black actors given the opportunity to play characters like her.
The star of the reboot is rather ironically one of the male cast members. Chris Hemsworth is a revelation as Kevin; he is brilliantly endearing as the bumbling idiot and for someone who is known more as a dramatic actor provides some of the film's biggest laughs. The scene where Kevin displays some of the logos he has created for the Ghostbusting business including a female ghost with big boobs and an 'invisible ghost holding a hot dog' is comedy gold. If this sounds sexist towards the male gender, I can assure you it isn't. Everybody who isn't a Ghostbuster be it male or female is portrayed as an idiot, which to be fair is pretty accurate to the present time given that we're living in a world where Boris Johnson is foreign secretary of the United Kingdom and Donald Trump is running for president of the United States.
Another complaint I have heard is that the cameos and references to the 1984 original take you out of the film. This wasn't the case for me. Whilst many of the cameos didn't add much to the movie they didn't ruin the cinema experience for me either. They were just there, with the exception of Bill Murray, who has a slightly bigger and more important role as skeptic Martin Heiss. Bill Murray is definitely the most meaningful of the cameos; whilst his character is significantly different to Peter Venkman it is fun to see him play the complete opposite of Peter. Martin Heiss is probably the closest to this movie's Walter Peck, although there is no direct copy of the character. Whilst Walter was acting under authority, Martin's motivations come more from his disbelief of the paranormal. This nicely ties in with Erin's character arc of wanting others to trust that she has seen ghosts, which date back to when she experienced her first ghostly encounter as a child and nobody believed her.
My biggest gripe with this film is the way it relegates what should be an important scene to the end credits. During the credits, a possessed Kevin is shown leading soldiers in a dance sequence. This was removed from an earlier point of the film and explains why the same soldiers are placed into such odd positions by Kevin when they are under his possession. With no context, any members of the audience who decide to leave during the end credits will wonder what the sequence in the film with Kevin and the soldiers was about as it makes little sense until the credits play. The dance is a fun moment that could have worked nicely during the ghost battle in New York and the way it is relegated to the credits feels like an attempt by the studio to convince cinema-goers to stay until the end of the film. I am guessing they were worried viewers would miss the numerous mid-credits scenes and decided to include it to give them a reason to stay in the auditorium. There is still a problem that some may leave before the end credits however and miss the last tantalising scene; perhaps they should have announced in the press that there would be scenes during the credits instead?
Overall, Ghostbusters (2016) is a fun reboot of the 1984 original and feels like a more natural follow-up for the first film than Ghostbusters 2. Paul Feig seems to have a perfect understanding of what made the original Ghostbusters work so well; the comedy comes from the scary situations the characters are placed into rather than a parody of the horror genre. Like Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters (2016)'s cast have a natural chemistry together and provide many laughs; they are the perfect ensemble and I doubt Sony would be able to find any actors more suitable for the franchise going forward than Melissa McCarthy and company. It seems like a lot of inspiration has been taken from Doctor Who (especially in the opening tour guide scene) and the way it sets out to scare its audience whilst offering a comforting blanket in the form of its heroes, as well as the strategy taken by the 2005 Revival to introduce an existing brand to a new audience. Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth are the star performances; both offer the movie's most hilarious moments be it eating Pringles in the face of danger or coming up with terrible logo designs. The only major problem is the way a major sequence becomes little more than a scene played during the credits. Kevin's dance sequence really should have been a part of the movie's story as its exclusion leaves a small hole in the narrative that doesn't really make sense.
If you decide to see this film, make sure you see it in 3D; the 3D effects are spectacular - proton streams, slime and ghostly hands all come out of the screen - and the film would likely feel flat without them. Ghostbusters (2016) seems to have been made with the 3D effects in mind much in the same way as James Cameron intended Avatar to be seen in the format.
Simply put: this is one film you don't want to miss in 3D. The power of Sean compels you!