Already time has moved way too fast. My daughter is turning 1, my son starting school in four weeks, Ghostbusters is being released, everything is happening so fast. For two years straight we have have been overly negative about them, not because of women because we had little faith in the director in the team, that pretty much directed their negative feelings towards us. Instead of keeping quiet, they added their own two cents into the backlash by firing back at us. Now two years later, the movie is released and now is whether or not to prove we are right or wrong. With so many reviews surprising the internet, what do I feel about it?
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD, BE CAUTIOUS WHEN READING!
Pretty much as a remake, what most remakes do is take the concept of the original film and kind of spin it into its own, kind of like "bending the universe to your will" sort of thing. Our characters are different with the original, but sort of the same type of idea going on here. How? The film opens almost the same way as the first Ghostbusters film, a normal civilian doing his job is now scared to death from an incoming ghost that we do not see till later on. Different job from the original, different gender and all around different but same concept. I keep mentioning the concept because even though the film is different and the concept is still the same, it still manages actually to PULL IT OFF.
Our film introduces our main character Erin Gilbert (Wiig), who is desperate to try to be a professor at her college of Colombia University but finds out that her friend, who she is no longer speaking to Abby Yates (McCarthy); both who are believers in the paranormal or at least one of them are for sure. As the three are kicked out of the college campuses for their belief's in the paranormal and ridiculed all over social media, the three of them decide TO HELL WITH THEM! WE HUNT GHOSTS.
Pretty much how I felt about the movie was not a mixed bag but just a giant sense of relief. I really thought this movie was going to be a failure; from the mis-interpretated dialogue, from the CGI Scooby Doo jokes or stereotypical black woman backlash, the film works entirely better when the four of them are on screen. All four share this chemistry that seems oddly familiar to how well the first four Ghostbusters were with one another. They all deliver lines that don't make me cringe, they actually MAKE ME LAUGH. One scene in particular is when the four of them are out venturing through the subway due to our character Patty (Jones) witnesses a ghost for the first time, and calls on their help. They all have a sense of humor that doesn't make me roll my eyes but make me smile. Why do I fell this way though about a movie fans so whole-heartedly hated? Simple, IT IS NOT THE ORIGINAL AND CHOOSES TO IGNORE IT.
Being a fan of Ghostbusters, and learning of this remake to just ignore what came before seemed like an absolute sin to me. As reboots and remakes do go though, this seem surely to make the most sense to me to go down this approach. We all knew it was bound to happen, we all knew Ghostbusters would be something one day in a movie theater, and honestly I feel very glad I got this instead of Ghostbusters 3. In a film market that is totally devoted to showing off the older cast from a film released almost two decades ago to not only bring the nostalgia fans of the old to the seats, but also make the new audiences curious. In some form they sort of do that here with the obvious cameos, but in some form chooses to do it rather brilliantly. Harold Ramis is a statue, Bill Murray is Dr. Heiss who believes the Ghostbusters are frauds, Dan Akroyd as a cabbie who even mentions a Free Roaming Class V, Ernie Hudson is Patty's Uncle, who has an even funnier cameo and the one that is for sure to have a sequel is no doubt Sigourney Weaver who appears as a mentor of Holtzman (also Jeannie a hotel clerk)
Would I prefer the original Ghostbusters over the new ones? I think I would prefer either or. I mean that in a way that I think that neither or is better than the other. While it is obvious that the new film is more than just a comedy film, it seems like an opening to other films but also a blockbuster like quality. It offers explosions, great CGI, a lot of humor, action, suspense, thrills, everything a good blockbuster is supposed to do. Something the franchise needed was to be more than just your comedy film, but also to be the action packed sci-fi that many fans clamored for. Sure it is not the original four Ghostbusters, and I get the sense and need to have them back. You grew up with them. Like Rocky, Rambo, Terminator; they all have came back for some last hoorah because audiences think that they have an automatic timeless sense to them that re-doing it would be an injustice to not only them but to film as an art.
While I am kind of mixed about remakes, some remakes often try really to exemplify the concept of the past film and turn it on its head. Ghostbusters needed that. Should we embrace it? Why not? It is no harm has done if we try to embrace a potential franchise, a franchise that has had the potential since 1984 I might had. I embrace it because it dares to step up to the plate and claim it can be done, it dares to create a difference that doesn't harm the original but celebrates the biggest moments of past two films. The action, the comedy, the main four being extremely hilarious, the CGI, visual effects, everything that you loved about Ghostbusters is now of course modernized and that is OK.
The movie is not without its flaws though. Our main villain Rowan, wants to take over the world because he was bullied all his life. His idea is to take the world of the paranormal and merge it with our world. Seems diabolical, but often the characters motivation just seems rather well....bland. I like the idea, but I just don't really care that much about him. He is not a better threat than Gozer, but he is no doubt a bigger threat than Vigo. The movie does have sometimes some editing and pacing issues. Sometimes the movie does seem to have cut out a very pivotal moment, or maybe a moment that just doesn't add up sometimes happens. Example is when Kevin claims to go to a hide & seek tournament, and out of no where arrives right back without questioning, very random indeed that happens. Or one cut out which is completely obvious since they shove it in the credits are a giant dance scene, which I am sure will appear in the extended cut.
Overall my final thoughts?
Although it is a shame we will never see the original four strap on proton packs one last time due to a lost and the reluctance to return to such a well-known franchise; our new four heroes not only are funny but kick-ass in a relatively hated film that I think happen to make the best for what they got and roll with it and makes sure that everything works. Perfect it is not but highly entertaining blockbuster that no doubt has me wanting to see again and again