Ghostbusters (2016)
"Ain't no bitches gonna hunt no ghosts" Paul Feig and an abundance of female talent set out to prove otherwise.
Director: Paul Feig. Columbia Pictures, Feigco Entertainment, Ghostcorps, et.al.
Comedy/ Adventure.
Three Stars.
Cast & Credits.
Producers: Amy Pascal, Ivan Reitman.
Writers: Katie Dippold, Paul Feig.
Music: Theodore Shapiro.
Camera: Robert D. Yeoman.
Sets: Jefferson Sage.
Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Neil Casey, Andy Garcia.
Synopsis:
When they were younger, ghost enthusiasts Erin Gilbert (Wiig) and Abby Yates (McCarthy) co-wrote a book about the existence of the paranormal.
But when said book threatens Erin's reputation at her teaching job, she reunites with her old friend to ask Abby to stop publishing it.
Abby agrees to only if Erin joins her and mechanic Jillian (McKinnon) to a supposedly haunted exhibition.
Soon they realise that ghosts are indeed haunting people across Manhattan. Along with receptionist Kevin (Hemsworth) and new friend Patty (Jones) they set out to not only prove the existence of ghosts, but to stop a potential apocalypse.
Review:
Safe to say that the announcement of the all female Ghostbusters remake did not go down well.
Social media went in to a frenzy. People cried that their childhood nostalgia was being torn apart.
Misogynists exclaimed that this was a feminist statement and nothing more. Their trailers vastly went down as the most disliked trailers on YouTube history.
I must admit I too was angered by this all. To me the whole concept was ludicrous. Why do we need a Ghostbusters remake?
Why not just make an original film about female ghost hunters instead of piggybacking off the franchise? My hopes were low. So when I finally sat down to watch this obvious fail of a film, I found it to be.....not as bad as I was expecting.
Now, this is by no means a great film and no way comes close to the original. But as a simple, entertaining, fun experience, Ghostbusters is fine.
I'll happily admit that I laughed plenty of times throughout, and that is mainly due to its cast. Kristen Wiig is subtle in her comedic performance as the socially awkward teacher and Melissa McCarthy shines as the oddball scientist.
The chemistry these two actresses have gained from previous collaborations continues to be evident.
Newcomer Kate McKinnon as the kooky mechanic gives a memorable performance. She is the one who creates all the ghost fighting weapons and explains the science nonsense. At times she can get a little gimmicky with her crazy quirks, but this is down to the writing rather than her acting. Instead I found the terrific Leslie Jones as Patty the MTA worker who gets the most laughs and the best lines.
Of course the Ghostbusters are nothing without a secretary and this time we are treated to Chris Hemsworth as Kevin. In an obvious statement against previous film portrayals of female secretaries, Kevin isn't the brightest and is employed solely for eye candy reasons. His stupidity does gain a few laughs however, naming his dog 'Mike Hat' being a highlight. Come to think of it, I don't think this film offers any strong, smart male presences. A tad hypocritical don't you think?
Where the film fails short is the speed of the script. At time the film feels rushed and we don't get to fully relate to our leading ladies.
There are moments in which characters talk about their backgrounds, but even then it feels forced. A witty retort later and they're back to ghost hunting. It limits the characters to their single characteristics and unfortunately they don't develop.
The film also doesn't know if it wants to stand as its own film or heavily rely on the original.
There are definitely original moments, but those moments are encased in plentiful of predictable nods to the original films; The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Slimer etc. The cameos are enjoyable to see but are uncomfortable and somewhat insulting to watch.
I'm always happy to see Bill Murray, but you can tell he phoned it in.
But in the end, Ghostbusters is a solid entertaining film.
With impressive action sequences and comedic performances, the film doesn't deserve the automatic hate it is getting. At least give the film a chance before you judge it. I just wish the film and media industries would understand that we don't need female ghostbusters, or a female James Bond or a female Iron Man.
We need our own original, strong and developed female characters.
