Friday, July 15, 2016

Ghostbusters 2016 Review

Just got back from watching the newest Ghostbusters movie. MINOR SPOILERS

Image result for ghostbusters movie poster 2016\
      Let me start by saying ever since I was a kid, I've been a fan of the Ghostbusters series as a whole. The first Ghostbusters movie remains one of the greatest comedies ever made as it's funny, exciting, scary, and just badass as a whole. As a child growing up, that movie was larger than life and presented a helluva nostalgia. No one will ever know the shock on my face when watching HBO late one night as a child and my mind being blown when I see a commercial announcing Ghostbusters ll was coming up next after the following previews. Ghostbusters ll was not as good as the first movie, but still remains a solid sequel in it's own right although it had some problems. The Ghostbusters saving New York City and later becoming hated by the public and going out of business for doing damage to the city while saving it from the ultimate evil was a bit far fetched along with Dana breaking up with Venkman played by both Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray. One also wishes that Walter Peck's character returned to continue to try and put the Ghostbusters out of business while knowing beyond a reasonable doubt about the existence of ghosts. Despite it's setbacks Ghostbusters ll proved to be a worthy sequel to it's predecessor as well as being the only one to come out before the franchise got it's reboot in 2016 with an all female cast best known for their work in the 2011 box office comedy smash titled Bridesmaids. When hearing the news of a new Ghostbusters movie being made with an all new cast, I wasn't completely against it but felt a great deal of sadness behind it given that Harold Ramis has passed, Rick Moranis declining to return for a cameo, and it was going to be a brand new story with none of the original movies characters returning. I never had an issue with it being an all female Ghostbusters team but I did find the trailers for the movie to be quite underwhelming and convinced me that the movie was going to suck. To my surprise, something miraculous happened which is the movie began to get good reviews from critics and praise from key figures such as Kevin Smith, which gave me hope going in that this movie was going to actually be better than I expected. Having seen the newest Ghostbusters movie which is undoubtedly a remake/reboot, I can happily say that the newest installment in the popular Ghostbusters franchise does not suck.
      Ghostbusters is not only better than expected, it does not disappoint and pays a great deal of respect to the original film while giving the concept a fresh new perspective with the main cast being an all female team that's not only funny but attractive and engaging. The four main actresses carry the film and have a chemistry that flows beautifully within the group. The film essentially takes the same story from the first film and gives it a fresh batch of new characters that go through the same scenario Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver experienced along with Rick Moranis. One of the key things that made the first Ghostbusters such a great comedy movie ,is that is showed a group of friends struggling to find their place in the world as the audience knows they are gifted but they don't know what their calling is just yet. Together they form this organization that not only proves their worth but also shows the city of New York that they are the one's who can protect it from supernatural forces. Director Ivan Reitman did such a beautiful job with making Ghostbusters not just a great friendship/team film but also a classic underdog story. Ghostbusters 2016 director Peter Feig clearly understands what makes the first film so great and brought that same feeling and concept over to this film. While some fans may have an issue with them completely ignoring the previous history of the Ghostbusters, it was done so the filmmakers wouldn't fall into the same trap Ghostbusters ll had in which they had to reestablish the Ghostbusters to the audience. The plot for the new Ghostbusters is the same as the 1984 film with a ghost invasion taking place in Manhatten where three paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert played by Kristin Wigg, Abby Yates played by Melissa McCarthy, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann played by Kate McKinnon, and subway worker played by Patty Tolan join forces to stop the ghost invasion threat by forming a supernatural fighting team called the Ghostbusters. The key to this movies success was always going to lie within it's group of four heroines regardless of how the script and directing was handled. If the girls didn't have chemistry nor came off as being likeable then the new franchise is doomed. Thankfully that is not the case here as all four girls come across as not only being likeable but work great together as a team. Kristin Wigg is clearly the Peter Venkmen of the story with Melissa McCarthy playing the Ray of this film with her turning in a surprisingly decent performance this time around compared to her prior films. Kate McKinnon hands down has the most creative and energetic performance of the lot as she does a great job breathing life into her character whose clearly a parallel of Egon, and Patty Tolan does a solid job playing a female Winston like character. Perhaps the most questionable performance out of the new cast is Chris Hemsworth as the Ghostbusters male secretary who clearly parallels Annie Potts Janine from the first two films with a combination of Rick Moranis character Lewis. While Hemsworth's performance isn't necessarily bad, his character is a bit awkward at times as one isn't sure what to make of his characters clumsiness but his character has some surprising twists of his own throughout the course of the film.
      One of the most important factors in terms of the new Ghostbusters movie succeeding is that this one maintains the heart of the original film along the fun and spooky tone of it. This movie feels like an October movie with all the Ghosts that appear in the movie boasting some nice visual effects moments trading in the scares and creepiness of the original for the laughs. The film has a goofy feel to it mixed with a Halloween feel that makes it exciting to watch with a climax that feels lifted straight from the original film. One of the more notable aspects of the movie is the large amount of callbacks it makes to the first film which allows it to carry a great deal of nostalgia for the audience to experience. Seeing the female team bear similar suits to the original Ghostbusters team, the updated Photon packs, the old headquarters, Slimer, Mr. Stay Puft Marshmellow Man, the new Ghostbusters vehicle, and the return of the main theme in the films opening credits which will make even the most stubborn Ghostbusters fan happy for a moment. This movie was made with love and respect for the original film but upgrades it's story for a newer generation. While the new Ghostbusters film never reaches the heights of the original, it holds its own as being a genuinely fun ride down nostalgic lane with brand new characters that come across as likeable, and a ton of cameos from the stars of the original films making their appearances throughout the film. Most notably is Bill Murray's, who makes a brief cameo appearance not as Peter Venkman but someone along the lines of his old nemesis Walter Peck.  While none of the original returning cast members play any of their original parts, they serve to pass the torch onto the new group of Ghostbusters while helping audiences decide that they will put aside their pre bias views and give the new characters and story a chance. 

       Overall, Ghostbusters 2016 is a marvelously cast supernatural comedy that actually works while paying a great deal of respect to the original film. Is the movie perfect? No, it still somehow pales in comparison to it's predecessor but one must also realize that the original movie was great for it's time and this movie is it's own film and holds up as being one.  The film is essentially a remake of the first movie with the exact same storyline paralleling the original with the girls trying to find a Ghost and trap it while slowly building their organization much to the disapproval of the city's Mayor. Subplots such as the shutting down of the power and the releasing of the Ghosts are also repeated making the film feel like a remake of the original in the same scenario that Force Awakens feels like a remake of A New Hope. Nothing can ever hope to recapture the spontaneous feel of that film but this movie does a pretty solid job of separating itself from that movie while recreating the experience of the first one for today's generation of filmgoers. As good as the new Ghostbusters musical theme is, you can't beat the original masterpiece done by Ray Parker Jr. but it's certainly an improvement from the Ghostbusters ll theme. Yikes. If you're a fan of the originals and are skeptical about seeing this film, then one should go into it with an open mind and just allow themselves to have a fun experience. It is the girls that make this one worth watching as they prove themselves worthy of being called Ghostbusters. The film is brilliantly cast and works as being a supernatural comedy giving audiences a great deal of nostalgia from the first movie. Whereas the original team felt like they were having a great time making the first one together, the girls in this one appear to be having the same kind of fun with their excitement making us feel good to follow them in their journey towards becoming heroes that we've all grown up loving and worshipping to this point. Ghostbusters 2016 is it's own movie and should be treated as such and not judged on the basis of it's cast being all female which I fear is one of the main reasons besides the awful first trailer that premiered making it the most polarizing trailer in you tube history. The film isn't deserving of such hate as it's an entertaining supernatural comedy, that is worthy of earning it's legendary title while potentially setting up a brand new franchise that has potential to flourish depending on how audiences receive this movie. Personally, I hope it does well enough to get a sequel as I would like to see where they take the story from here and see more adventures with these characters. The film did exactly what it set out to do and feels pretty satisfying for the most part. Thumbs up, the movie is satisfying for fans and will even make you feel like a kid again at times.

Note: Be sure to stay tuned for the end credits as the final scene reveals the next villain in the sequel if this movie does well. Here's hoping it does as these characters deserve a chance to shine with their own trilogy.
                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                               8/10

Our characters for this evening:


Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics
Image result for ghostbusters 2016 movie pics


1 comment:

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