Alright guys, I've just got back from a screening of the new Ghostbusters film. It released here in Australia today and has been the subject of some pretty hefty controversy! We all know about the hate that this film received right of the gate, going as far as the trailer being one of the most disliked videos on Youtube. Granted, we didn't need a remake of one of the most beloved films of all time. Nobody asked for a remake but we've got one. Let me just say right out of the gate: I could not care about the "stunt casting" that many people have condemned about this film. Women or Men, the casting does not make a difference to me as I believe that gender does not necessarily have a specific role in film (unless the script calls for it). Additionally, I'm going to say that I was not a hater on the internet who had damned the film before it came out - I did, however, go in with low expectations because of the poor marketing of the film. Finally, I will not be comparing any of this film to the orignal in terms of quality, as we know that that's a losing battle! Now that that's over, onto the review!
Paul Feig is quite a decent director. Having directed more than a few episodes of one of my favourite T.V. shows (The U.S. Office), Bridesmaids which was a massive success, the less successful but still perfectly watchable The Heat and last years brilliant Spy, I was completely interesting in seeing Feig's take before going into this film. Let me just say, this has Feig's fingerprints all over it. If you're not a fan of Feig's style or comedy - BACK AWAY! Feig directs quickly and inserts some quite brilliant moments of humour into the film which comes very quickly and sharply. Unfortunately, most of the gags don't land and there is quite a bit of slapstick - which, to me, is the most laziest form of humour. For example, there is a scene where Holtzman (played by Kate McKinnon - easily the best new character of the bunch) is equipping the team with new weapons and Melissa McCarthy's Abby can't control the beam of the new Ecto-pack, which basically results in her being tossed around like a kid with a firehose for a good minute or two. To me, jokes like these aren't funny, are not intelligent and just feel straight out lazy.
Let me touch on the cast really quickly. McCarthy is passable but she doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert is okay too and I have no gribes with her performance. She is the main character in this film and is our "in" into the film.
Leslie Jones as Patty was, again, okay. I was initialy concerned from the trailers that she's just going to be screaming the whole film and devolving into a steretypical performance, but she was better than expected.
Again, the standout of the new cast has to be Kate Mckinnon as Holtzman. Mckinnon brings a craziness to her character and is the "dark horse" of the new team. She has a certain energy that the others don't have and I'd love to see more of her!
Chris Hemsworth as Kevin is another standout of the film. As seen from the trailers, he plays the idiotic receptionist and Hemsworth absolutely nails the performance, keeping his casual Australian accent. My favourite moment is when Wiig asks him not to listen to a conversation and Hemsworth responds with "I won't" convering his eyes.
The villain, played by Neil Casey, is a bit of a misfire. He's just another lonely individual who has been bullied his whole life and ignored, wanting to get revenge - like Electro from The Amazing Spiderman 2 *shudder*.
The cameos were brilliant! I expected the main Ghostbusters to make an appearance (R.I.P. Harold!) but I most certainly was not expecting Sigourney Weaver (stay during the credits) and Janine! Unfortunately there is not Rick Moranis though!
The plot of the film is pretty basic and follows the basic structure of the original film. The ladies bust a ghost and are not belived by anyone in the city until more ghost run rampant after a maniac sets them loose. There's also moments where they're looking for a residence (which includes a moment with a certain Firehouse) and where they Mayor attempts to shut them down. These are familiar elements which are brought back here and they mostly work well as they did the first time around. The climax of the film is certainly fun and very CG heavy (as you'd expect from a $140m movie called Ghostbusters).
Altogether, I was quite surprised with this remake! No it is not as good as the original by any stretch. But, is it fun? Yes. Is it entertaining? Yes. To me, that's all you need from a film like this! I give it a good 7/10. Let me know what you think below!