GHOSTBUSTERS; Directed by Paul Feig; Written by Paul Feig and Katie Dippold; Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth; Running time 125 minutes; Rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some crude humor; In wide release July 15, 2016.
It’s finally here! The long-awaited and, oft maligned reboot of the 1984 classic has finally been unleashed on the big screen for everyone to experience. While a vocal minority online has been decrying this movie for having a mostly female cast, most sane people have been biding their time and waiting to see it before judging it for themselves. Not that it was always easy staying as open minded as possible — those trailers were pretty bad — but now that we’ve all seen it, a few of us here at Big Shiny Robot decided to get together and share our thoughts on “Ghostbusters!”
Lucas: I loved it. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. After listening to a lot of interviews and hearing more of the history of “Ghostbusters”, I honestly don’t think they could’ve made this film any other way. Each of the characters are far enough away from the originals, while the premise and things that made the series so fun is back. The dry wit, technobabble, gear, and spooky ghosts made it everything I ever hoped for. I can’t wait to see more installments, and I love how well it has been received.
Adam: Wow. I went in excited because I love “Ghostbusters”, Paul Feig and all of the actresses in this, but I don’t think I was even remotely prepared for what was in store. This was absolutely incredible, and I loved every second of it. As I write this, I just got back from my second viewing, and I’ll probably see it once more on Sunday and then maybe again next week sometime. I haven’t had this much fun with a movie or wanted to see it over and over again since “Deadpool!” Simply put, “Ghostbusters” fires on all cylinders and gives the audience everything they could be hoping for in a reboot.
Andy: This is the best movie of the summer and one of the best of the year. Paul Feig proves himself as the master of the modern action-comedy, and McKinnon, Wiig, McCarthy, and Jones are each individually impressive and collectively amazing.
In one sense, the film’s biggest asset is its only real problem: this is undeniably a “Ghostbusters” movie. It’s that perfect alchemy of comedy, scares, action and heart. And there are bits of fanservice in the film that are masterful and organic: Feig and his co-writer obviously know and love their source material. But a couple of pieces feel a little forced and take you out of the narrative to remind you, winking slyly, that you’re watching a movie based on another movie that you love. Wink wink.
That and a couple of jarring pieces of product placement are the only things that keep this from being perfect.
Adam: To be honest, aside from the “Papa John’s” moment, I didn’t realize much product placement. Well, except for Ozzy Osbourne which was even more jarring than a Stan Lee cameo. As far as the winks and nods to the original, I loved every one of those. Getting pretty much everyone from the original (and yes, that includes Harold Ramis) to have, at the very least, a cameo was fun and made for some great laugh-out-loud moments. I’m fully on your side that they need to take the Ghostbusters franchise and make it their own, but the connections to the original felt necessary — almost a handing off of the torch, if you will. If they continue in the sequel(s), then I’ll take issue with it.
Andy: This is also one of the few examples of a movie that gets 3D right. The day-glo fluorescent ghosts make sure that the colors don’t get muted by wearing the glasses.
Adam: Yes, 3D is definitely the preferred way to see this movie. I loved how they played with the effects and had them going outside the black bars like in “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” And as you mentioned, because it is such a bright and colorful movie, the dimming of the glasses has a smaller effect on the movie as a whole.
Lucas: The one spoilery territory I will get into is the after credits scene. Rumor is that is how they will be weaving these universes together. Gozer failed with the ‘84 boys in gray and is trying their hand at this universe.
Andy: Yes! The after-credits scene was great, and they made the credits fun with lots of extras. I need this sequel ASAP. Hopefully we don’t have to wait 27 years for another one.
Adam: And it didn’t hurt getting to watch Chris Hemsworth dance through half the credits either. In the end, though, this was an absolutely fantastic movie that fans of the original, especially, will enjoy. After all the complaining and vitriol it’s gotten online (from people who hadn’t seen it), the final product is one of the best movies of the summer and even surpasses what has come before in many ways. I’ve already seen it twice and can’t wait to go again, and again, and again. There is nothing I would change here, so I’m very excited to give it a 10 out of 10.
Andy: I’m almost there. At times I think there were a couple of jarring bits of fanservice, cameos, and, worst of all, product placement that took me briefly out of the movie. Instead of me enjoying this new “Ghostbusters” movie, it reminded me that I was watching a movie based on another movie paid for by corporate sponsors. Most of it was organic and helped enhance an otherwise excellent movie. And so it’s nitpicky but that’s the only thing I can find to complain about here. 9 out of 10.