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Saturday, July 23, 2016

Ghostbusters 2016 - Not a Professional Review - Just a Hardcore Fan Expressing Some Thoughts

Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Ghostbusters, of course! The Ghostbusters franchise is one of the most important entertainment influences in my life. Ever since I was a small child I was a Ghostbuster at heart. The original movies are Science Fiction Comedy genius. The original cast - Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler), Dan Akroyd (Ray Stanz), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zedmore)- had a natural chemistry on screen that has never been matched, in my opinion. The Ghostbusters fought the paranormal with science not religion. That was appealing to me. In fact, even as a child I knew I wanted a Ph.D. in something because Dr. Venkman, Dr. Spengler, and Dr. Stanz all had them. Moreover, in the newest rendition of the original cast in the 2009 Ghostbuster video game (with an original movie script written by Akroyd and Ramis), Winston is now a Ph.D. as well - so Dr. Zedmore applies here in the newest lore. In fact, if you just watch the video game cut scenes, you will feel like you are watching a fantastic sequel to the original films. Check it out below, you will not be disappointed if you are a Ghostbusters fan.

So it goes without saying, I am a fan of all things Ghostbusters. I loved the Real Ghostbusters cartoon - possibly even more than the movies. I watched them every Saturday - including the Slimmer spin off from the original show. Several years later, the release of the 1997 Extreme Ghostbusters cartoon was highly welcomed! Although I was now in High School I watched (and recorded) the show. The premise that the Ghostbusters were too old to continue to fight ghosts and needed a replacement team was perfect. The new Ghostbusters included Kylie Griffin (the leader of the team and the first female Ghostbuster), Eduardo Rivera (a very hysterical and cynical member of the team, who is also a Latino), Garret Miller (a paraplegic athlete who fights ghosts from his wheelchair), and Roland Jackson (a genius engineer, who is also an African American). The cast also featured Egon and Janine from the original series. Slimmer was there as well. The Extreme Ghostbusters were - without a doubt - the most diverse Ghostbusters team in history, even more so than the 2016 Female cast. This version of the Ghostbusters is often underrated, but I think it was fantastic! Check out the pilot episode embedded below. 

I still have all the Ghostbusters toys - from both the Real Ghostbusters and the Extreme Ghostbusters cartoons. I own DVDs of the Real Ghostbusters cartoons (every season). I own and have read the comic book spin-offs of the Ghostbusters. I have the movies on DVD and BluRay. I have memorized the songs and own the soundtracks from both movies. I have the coloring books, posters, children's graphic novels, etc. from Ghostbusters 2. Ghostbusters 2 had a much more illustrious release in terms of children's toys and merchandise than did the first movie. I wanted it all because I loved the Ghostbusters - they were and still are my favorite movie/cartoon franchise. 

Extreme Ghostbusters Episode 1 [Full Episode] by regeboyez

Ghostbusters 2016

If you are still reading, then surely you are now convinced that I am worthy of the Ghostbusters Super-Fan title. So, when I heard that a new Ghostbusters was in production I was super excited! Frankly, I didn't care what the movie was going to be like, I was just happy that it was finally being made. But I did have a framework that I was convinced would work - basically the Extreme Ghostbusters template. For me, it needed to be a spin-off from the original, picking up where Ghostbusters 2 left off. The idea that the original team was too old to continue to fight ghosts seemed perfect. The beginning of the movie would feature a brief scene of the old team - minus - Egon - on a regular bust that goes wrong. The ghost gets away. The team even comments on how they are not the same since Egon passed away - a proper remembrance of Harold Ramis. They devise a plan to recruit and pass the torch to a new team. This is how I imagined the movie to go. In fact, the original script for the movie given to Paul Feig was in fact exactly this plot line. See the list of potential plot lines here with New Blood being like the one I am describing. Anyway, soon it became clear that we were getting yet another 1980s movie rebooted - others include Judge Dred, Robocop, Day of the Dead, Halloween (although the first film came out in 1978), The Fog, Red Dawn, Conan the Barbarian, The Karate Kid, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th, among others. I was disappointed with a reboot, as were many others, but I was going to give the movie the benefit of the doubt. 

Unlike so many others, I could not care less that the cast was all female. When I found out who the cast would be, I was excited - these were great actors with a record of hilarious movies (although I am still not a fan of Mellissa McCarthy's style of humor). As the movie release date approached I began to get more and more excited. I looked though the toys and saw Rowan would be the new villain. I watched the trailers. I followed the blogs. I discussed the movie with friends and family. I could not wait. Then I saw the movie. 

Here is the Bottom Line

If you are looking for an objective professional review, this is not it - but here is goes anyway. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 equals extremely dissatisfied and 10 equals extremely satisfied, I give the movie a 7.5. On a grading scale, it gets a C, maybe a C+.  I definitely do not completely agree with Brody from the New Yorker who has less than nice things to say about the movie and its fans (although he still wants everyone to see it for social reasons). In any case here is my breakdown. 

The Good

The movie has some great aspects. First, it tries to keep the science alive in Ghostbusters. The theories, engineering, gadgets, and tools are fun to watch and think about. In many ways, I felt that the lines in the film surrounding the science were overly complex and meant nothing substantial to the audience. At one point Abby Yates (Mellisa McCarthy) tells Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) that she invented a meter to read PKE in the environment. She doesn't actually explain what PKE (Psychokinetic Energy) is or that ghosts produce this field. At another point they discuss some shift in a field (I think it was an APX field) and the audience has no idea what is happening. Essentially, the characters say things that sound smart, but what they are saying is meaningless mumbo jumbo (the science did not really get explained enough to fit with the plot). Of course, I know most of the science is fake in the movie, but it still needs to be explained to fit with the Ghostbusters world. I also know that the directors actually consulted real scientists to make it as real as possible, but this did not help to seriously integrate the science with the film and that is the most important part!

The same was true for the original Ghostbusters, but the old movies went to greater lengths to explain the jargon (which had real meaning within the realm of the fictional movie) and let the audience know how it fit with the plot line. The new movie did not do this do well and I wish the fictional science was more readily explained and applied to the plot line, but at least the movie was still about geniuses ahead of their time completely breaking into new realms of physics. There was one scene in the new movie that did explain the science well enough to fit with the plot and it is when they are discussing Ley Lines.  This scene reminds me of the jail scene in the original Ghostbusters film. 

Next, the acting from Melissa McCarthy (Abby Yates), Kristen Wiig (Erin Gilbert), Kate McKinnon (Jillian Holtzmann), and Leslie Jones (Patty Tolan) was very good. The chemistry sometimes felt forced. The dialogue sometimes felt contrived and over-done. The jokes did not always hit - I think they hit less often than I would have liked. But, in the end, the team was believable and by the end they meshed fluidly. I will say, I think that Kate McKinnon was a breakout performance and is now my favorite of the new Ghostbusters. She was awesome!

I actually like the very dumb and silly portrayal of Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), the team's secretary that wasn't fit to even answer the phone. He was funny and I laughed out loud at several of his scenes. I still think he could have had a bit more intelligence and played off the other characters with some sarcasm and snark (i.e. Janine Melnitz style). But still, his parts were pretty funny. 

The plot was fine. Frankly, I can think of at least 20 episodes of the Real Ghostbusters with better plot lines. Sorry, but it's true. In fact, there is a Real Ghostbusters halloween special that has some real similarities with the movie, but is better. In any case, the plot is fine and works with the franchise well. The special effects are fantastic. I loved the old Ghostbusters use of special effects for the ghosts, weapons, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man etc. It was classic and the best of its time. But the new film uses special effects well and CGI really makes the weapons and ghosts come alive on the big screen. 

The Bad

I think the entire crew should have had Ph.Ds and/or been scientists/academics. I don't like how Patty Tolen (Leslie Jones) has the street smarts. She could have been a New York historian with a history Ph.D. who joins the team - when you see the movie it is clear she is of genius intellect with her knowledge of New York City. This felt too much like Winston Zedmore, but even he had a Ph.D. in current times. The New Blood script had Zedmore as a Ph.D. as well. I know that not everyone needs to have a Ph.D. - but I also think that our "more diverse" Ghostbusters repeated some of the old mistakes- I will leave it at that. 

The movie is poorly shot. It moves way too fast in what feels like snapshots or short clips. The team never really has the chance to form a bond or demonstrate chemistry. Moreover, each scene is filled with over the top jokes, rather than subtle lines that are actually quite hilarious without taking away from the seriousness of the film's characters. The original Ghostbusters did this so well. Just watch the jail scene from the original movie - this is a classic mix of fictitious science, subtle jokes, a serious discussion of the plot, and that famous chemistry that made this movie so amazing! Egon and Ray are so serious, while Peter is gently giving us a string of jokes though the entire scene. All the while Winston is trying to distance himself from the Ghostbusters and show them how crazy what they are saying actually sounds. This scene encapsulates the chemistry, comedy, and fictitious science the original film is known for doing so well. Plus, nobody fell down, screamed a line at the top of their lungs, said something super outrageous, or slapped anyone. I just did not see scenes like this in the new 2016 reboot. 

The scenes from the reboot felt rushed and overly bombastic. There are a few scenes with Holtzmann and Gilbert that actually get there, but they are far and few between. The plot is underdeveloped from the very beginning - even Vigo the Carpathian's return is explained better than Rowan and his vortex. Earlier I mentioned Mellissa McCarthy's comedy style - it is load, slapstick, and aggressive. This is how I felt the entire comedy style of the movie was portrayed. Outside of a few scenes with Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon, the movie felt somewhat obnoxious and loud, like the one person at the party that had way too much to drink. 

I will say, as the movie went on, it got better. The chemistry was better. The group felt more comfortable. This is why I am excited for a sequel to the film. If another Ghostbusters is made I will be there opening day. 

The bottom line is, I think this film is mediocre to good. It was never going to be be as good or surpass the original films - we all knew that going into the theater. In many fan's eyes that is impossible. This is why I was really hoping for a continuation rather than a reboot - reboots are almost always a bad idea. In the end, although I am hypercritical of the movie, I liked it and I do not think it was a total disaster. Actually, it is a pretty good beginning to a possible new franchise - and I hope that happens! 

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