The Need for a Revolutionary Cinema in the Belly of the Empire

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)

Greetings everybody and welcome to my review of the new Ghostbusters!

The best way I can sum this film up is by calling it “The Best Possible Version of a Dumb Idea”. Remaking the original Ghostbusters (and yes, this is more of a REMAKE than a REBOOT) is the very definition of futility. The original was such a huge hit with audiences and still looms so large over modern popular culture that remaking it would be like trying to remake Citizen Kane. You just cannot recreate the perfect formula that led to such a wide reception and legacy. Not even the original creators could recreate the formula when they made Ghostbusters II and audiences hated it. I know a lot of other critics have already said this, but I just feel that it’s important to point this out because it just illuminates how refreshing it is that this movie doesn’t suck. As a matter of fact, it was a lot better than the marketing made it seem!

Premise: Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is a professor at Columbia University, but her academic reputation is put in jeopardy when she finds out that a book on the paranormal that she and her friend, Dr. Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) had written has been republished. She confronts Yates – who is working at a technical college with Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) – but is then forced to help them in a paranormal investigation in exchange for getting the book out of publication. They see a ghost and gleefully document the experience…which winds up on YouTube and ends up getting them all fired. After this, they decide to go into business as “the Department of the Metaphysical Examination” (colloquially known as ‘Ghostbusters’), hire a New York history expert named Patty (Leslie Jones) as another Ghostbuster and a completely moronic hunk named Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their receptionist. As the team of four get deeper into their job, they uncover a conspiracy in which a depraved individual (Neil Casey) is amplifying paranormal activity in New York in order to take over the world. It’s up to our four heroes and their stupid receptionist to stop him!

The best thing this film has going for it is the cast. They all work off each other very well and most of the jokes land with extreme comedic precision (save for a few that go on a little too long, which is why I said “most”). But what is interesting is how they managed to switch up some dynamics from the last film. In the original film, all three of the scientists – Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler – were wacky characters while Winston Zeddemore was just a regular guy and the straight man on whom the audience could project their feelings. This time around, it’s a little bit different. The “normal” team member – namely Patty – is still a little strange in her own way while Gillbert, one of the scientists, is very much a straight-woman and the most normal out of the group. It just seemed like a very interesting switch up of dynamics which helps the film stick out. Another aspect I found interesting is Patty’s characterization. Because of the fact that she’s black, it could have been so easy to just make her token black character who’s always screaming, joking around, and just being outright annoying. And while she does succumb to those tendencies every once in a while (THE POWER OF PATTY COMPELS YOU!!!!), I like that she actually has something to offer to the team, i.e. her historical knowledge of New York City.

My favorite performance out of the four actresses, however, is Kate McKinnon, because she owns playing a weird, totally deranged scientist who serves to spout out a bunch of non-sequitur randomness…and it is awesome! I hope Kate McKinnon gets more work after this because she is part of what made the movie so enjoyable and hilarious. She was hilarious!

And speaking of hilarious, let’s talk about Chris Hemsworth as Kevin. Wow. Who knew this guy could be so funny? Up until now, we’ve only known Hemsworth as the brooding Norse god from the Avengers film. But in this, he is absolutely funny as this stupid, kind-hearted male model who is so idiotic that he covers his ears when he hears a loud noise instead of covering his eyes. I love it! I wanna see Chris Hemsworth in more comedies because he is great. All the other actors, including Neil Casey, Andy Garcia, Michael Kenneth Williams, bring their A-Game as well.

Now for the technical elements: I really liked the effects. Even though I wished there could have been some more practical stuff (I’m a sucker for well-integrated practical effects), I think the computer effects looked really good. They were bright and colorful, and they were able to help the ghosts give off a very eerie vibe. The music by Theodore Shapiro is pretty good too. He makes great use of the original Ghostbusters theme while effectively composing some rousing climax music (I love it when composers use choirs in their scores).

The only major problem I have with this new film, and it is kind of a major one, is the plot. Not that it’s bad, but I feel like it’s very reminiscent of the original 1984 film. This is why I think Ghostbusters 2016 is more of a remake than a reboot: 1. because it takes place in a different universe than the original. And 2. Because it copies some major plot points from the original. The Ghostbusters’ first gig in this film is in a hotel…just like the last one. They all get fired from their jobs and are looked down upon by academia…just like in the last movie. The final battle (SPOILERS) involves a giant creature which was imagined by one of the characters in a New York that is overrun by ghosts…just like the last movie! I wouldn’t mind so much, except for the fact that the film really comes alive when it’s just doing its own thing and all the cast members are just charting their own path. Plus, there’s the added fact that apologists for this film have asked skeptics to not compare this film to the original. Well, how can we not when the film itself is inviting a lot of those comparisons by outright copying the original? On the other hand, maybe this will be like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where the first film is a little more familiar just for the sake of playing it safe, but because it proved itself so effectively, the next film will go a little farther with its originality (I am TOTALLY DOWN for a sequel, by the way, the cast is that good).

There are a bunch of other tiny nitpicks (i.e. the villain not being very interesting, the cameos being a little gratuitous) that I just don’t think warrant much conversation. All in all, this movie is fairly solid. It’s not a masterpiece by any means, but it’s definitely entertaining. If you’re a huge hardcore Ghostbusters fan who has been skeptical about this movie, it MIGHT win you over (in your case, the best I can say is “you can relax, it is fine”, though I can understand why it may not win you over). But, if you’re a moviegoer just looking for a good time, this is definitely worth the price of admission!

And if you’re one of the misogynists who has had it out for this movie simply because of the fact that the main cast is comprised of women, do the world a favor and just don’t say anything. Please.

And that is my review of the new Ghostbusters! Stay tuned for my next Throwback review!