What can I say about the original Ghostbusters movie? It's a comedy classic. I''m not going to be like everyone else and go "Yes, Ghostbusters is PERFECT!!!" (I don't believe in PERFECT movies) But the cast is great. The jokes are great. The effects still hold. And it has a nice balance of horror and comedy. As for Ghostbusters II... I'm rather mixed on it. On one hand, the plot is a rehash of the first movie and it's stupid how people just forget the events of the first one and label the Ghostbusters as frauds. On the other hand, the comedy and cast is still good and the characters are still fun. Espicially with the addition of Peter MacNicol. Now we have this new Ghostbusters that has started quite the controversy. See, here's the thing. The descision to reboot the franchise so soon after the passing of Harold Ramis, got people upset. And it's understandable.
But then, when it was announced they would all be women, SOME (not all) people got upset. However, SOME (not all) people thought SOME did mean ALL. Then the trailer came out. While SOME people who didn't like the trailer simply shrugged it off and said "Yeah, I won't see that" and SOME people looked at the trailer and said "this could work", there was still a war between one group of idiots and another group of idiots. Group A kept ranting about how this movie would tarnish the legacy of the original film and "ruin their childhood" and pointed a finger at some people who wanted to see the film, accusing them of being SJWs. Group B pointed a finger at everyone who didn't like the trailer and accused them all of being sexist. Because the trailers were so good. So will this movie be worth all the rants? No. No matter what the quality of this is, it won't be worth the rants from either group. But what is the quality of the film.
CONS
Let's get the worst part out of the way: The editing. While it's not like 'Fant4stic'-style editing where you look at it and you realize "This is where everything went wrong". But there are points where it doesn't feel like the film was edited, but more like somebody was running with scissors and they tripped and fell in the editing room. There are a good number of scenes that end way to abruptly. Like if you're watching one scene and you blink or you look down and you look back up, BOOM, you're on the next scene. I think the worst part comes near the end and you realize that there's one scene that should have been there, but wasn't. Let's just say when you're in the climax and they're all "YOU'RE BACK!!!", you'll know what I mean.
And let's get to the villain. This villain falls into the camp that a lot of villains this year fall into. The villains that have an interesting idea behind them, but they end up falling short. In this case, it's Rowan. The idea behind him is that he's been bullied all his life for his beliefs and is seeking revenge on everyone. That is an interesting idea. There are many cases in life where people who were bullied just went mad and tried to get revenge and horrible ways. Hell, I was almost like that in one point of my life. Plus, the actor gives a decent performance. However, where he falls short is that they try way too hard to show he's an outcast and he just comes across as a dull and awkward creep.
Now, I don't hate or even dislike the movie. I felt that it's a lot funnier than the trailers make it out to be. However, not all the jokes land. Some just come across as awkward, like the Exorcist joke or the scene with Kevin's logos. There are a few more examples (like Ozzy's cameo or this odd running gag about wonton soup). And while the effects are a lot better than in the trailers, they're not that great. Some of the ghosts in the first two acts look good, but by the end, most of them aren't very good (with the possible exception of Slimer). I know the effects don't make or break this movie, but it says something when the best effect is a short 2D effect involving the Ghostbusters logo near the end. But, I do have some compilments to give to this movie.
PROS
Let's talk about the part that really works about this movie: the cast. The main four actors playing the Ghostbusters are great. Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones shine the most. They get the best jokes and they inject the most personality into their characters. Melissa McCarthy is also good, even if she's playing a tone-down version of herself (except without the 'fat schtick' people except from her. Which she's thankfully using less and less of). I think she does a fine job, and some people who are starting to grow a bit tired of her might be happy to know she isn't as 'in-your-face' in this as her previous films. Kristen Wiig also does a good job and her character does get some development. Although, Chris Hemsworth is the stand-out of this, as the dumb but good-hearted Kevin.
I also really like the characters. Holtzman is my favorite of the Ghostbusters, as she's pretty much playing a crazy Ghostbuster, which is interesting. And while the trailers painted Leslie Jones as "the street-smart" Ghostbuster, her 'knowing New York' actually means she knows a lot of the history, which has some bearing on the plot and shows she's a smart characters without being a scientist. Like I said, Wiig's character has some nice development. And McCarthy proves to be likable, even if she is some of McCarthy's usual schtick.
The action scenes (all two of them) are also pretty cool. The concert scene is cool, showing off some usual Ghostbuster action, but the climax is a standout. As it shows off some cool new gadgets and some cool action. Even if, near the end, we get way too close to the original Ghostbusters ("What form would you like me to take"). Plus, there are a lot of good jokes. There aren't of huge laughs, but there are a lot of chuckle-worthy moments, most coming from Hemsworth and McKinnon.
Also, I liked the cameos from the original cast. Annie Potts is the most reminiscent of the original. Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver's cameo are pretty cool. (Although Weaver's cameo is nowhere near as cool as her cameo in Finding Dory). Bill Murray's cameo starts off cool, but when he shows up again, it just becomes... sad. The best cameo in this movie is Harold Ramis's cameo (Don't ask. Just keep an eye out)
VERDICT:
Ghostbusters is far from a classic with some hit-and-miss effects, some sloppy editing, and a weak villain. But it does have some decent action, humour, characters, and cast. If you're one of the people who thinks this will "ruin your childhood", you'll still hate it. If you're one of the people who are all "if you don't like it, you're sexist", you won't think much of it. If you looked at the trailer and think "this doesn't look that good", just rent it and see how it goes. If you watch the trailer and think "this could be something", then give it a watch. Like I said, this movie would never be worth the controversy. But I'm kinda glad it wasn't either amazing or horrible. Why? Because i want this stupid controversy to end. When I came out of this, my first thought was "there's no way this was the movie that people were ready to kill each other for". I mean, look, it's fine. But it's not at the point where either side was right. And I don't want to give them that satisfaction.
7/10