FORGET ALL THE HATE (AND THE TRAILERS), THE NEW GHOSTBUSTERS IS AN ENTERTAINING AND SATISFYING SUMMER RIDE
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Ed Bagley Jr., Charles Dance, Michael McDonald and Andy Garcia
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG
Running Time: 1 Hr, 56 Mins
Perhaps the most hated movie of the century has finally arrived in theatres, and it’s a fun summer popcorn ride. The release date for Ghostbusters: Answer The Call has been Christmas in July for online haters and trolls and this movie has been mercilessly skewered the last year and a half (especially after Sony’s underwhelming trailers started to see the light of day). But if you can divorce yourself from your nostalgia for the original 1984 classic and accept that the world has changed over the last thirty years, you’ll likely leave the theatre both surprised and entertained.
Video: Sony Pictures EntertainmentÂ
Physics Professor Erin Morgan’s career (Kristen Wiig) is jeopardized by a previous preofessional collaboration with paranormal investigator Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy). When Morgan confronts Yates to try and conceal their partnership from her colleagues the two somehow wind up investigating a supernatural occurrence instead. Along with engineer extraordinaire Jillian Holtzman (Kate McKinnon) they stumble upon a growing epidemic of violent paranormal activity.
Unfortunately word of their first adventure ends everyone’s academic careers and the three scorned scientists go into business as professional supernatural investigators. They are soon joined by former transit employee Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) and intellectually challenged receptionist Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) and it isn’t long before the newly formed Ghostbusters not only find themselves facing a city full of dangerous and hostile spirits all serving the calculated plan of an unseen mastermind, but growing public skepticism and a two faced Mayor as well.
Despite all the hate and venom, this movie works. Like everything else with this film, the choice of the four leads was heavily criticized but the ladies share great collective chemistry. The friendship between Wiig and McCarthy’s characters is evident in every scene and relative big screen newcomers McKinnon and Jones completely sell their respective roles, quirks and all. Hemsworth meanwhile, steals the show as the effectively brain dead beefcake Kevin, who manages to charm his way into the ‘Busters heart. The performances and the successful play between the four stars is one of the big reasons why Ghostbusters succeeds. The top four perform as an ensemble rather then separate units working against each other while Hemsworth is more then content contributing in a role much smaller then he’s used to. Each performer establishes a different comedic rhythm and sticks to it without fear that one of their co-stars will step on their toes. Feig shows his strength as a comedic director by just letting his leads go and do their respective things.
The special effects were surprisingly good and it is one of those rare circumstances where the presence of 3D actually adds to the movie instead of distracting from it (particularly during the slime vomiting scenes). The FX wasn’t really groundbreaking but it suited what the film needed and then some. Unlike too many other movies, the visual effects weren’t just a crutch to carry a poorly written story along. Rather, like the acting they were a vehicle that kept the plot successfully moving forward. It’s worth seeing Ghostbusters in 3D if only to appreciate the effects even more.
That isn’t to say Ghostbusters didn’t have its warts. The pacing does stumble a little in the second half and most of the successful jokes seem to belong to the first half of the movie. There are a few scenes in the middle that lag a little but a strong action sequence during the climax (something not seen in the previous two films) more than makes up for those shortcomings.
One thing that could have made Ghostbusters truly great would have been a greater villain. When you think about it, the villains in the 80’s films weren’t exactly awe inspiring despite their god-like powers, so consider this an opportunity missed. It’s one way Answer the Call could have really separated itself from the predecessors it will be measured against and established its own identity. ATC’s villain didn’t have any backstory or development, his motives were vague and stereotypical at best and it felt like he was a set piece. Making him a formidable, fearsome villain could have completely sold this movie, even to the fan boy haters.
The surviving cast of the originals all make cameos (the producers still made sure to include a touching nod to the late Harold Ramis, who the movie is also dedicated to) and while some of them were seamlessly woven into the film (Annie Potts was my personal fave), some were clumsy and ham-fisted. It was obvious the movie wanted to make sure it paid appropriate homage to the original but often seemed confused how to do it.
In the end, there’s one thing to remember; despite the cameos and references to the franchise’s past, this isn’t your father’s Ghostbusters. This is a film for a new generation of fans, one where women don’t have to be supermodels or damsels in distress to earn their screen time. The good outweighs the bad and there’s plenty to enjoy here. If you were a fan of the originals you can love both because neither insults the other. Remember Bill Murray and the Boys with as much fondness you can muster, just don’t let it trample your appreciation for this new imagining. After all, letting an obsession for the past blind you to the promise of the future doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you a fool.
Make sure you stick around for the end credit scene that sets up a possible sequel. With the origin story and the obligatory nods to the past and all the online poison out of the way, hopefully the next movie can roll up its sleeves and tell a truly excellent Ghostbusters story.
Shayne Kempton
Picture Sony Pictures Entertainment
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