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| Image Source: imdb.com |
Three paranormal enthusiasts and a subway worker team up to
fight ghosts after a series of other-worldly forces threaten New York.
I can’t even attempt to review this film without
acknowledging the amount of negativity surrounding this film. I said in a
previous post that I was set on seeing this film no matter what and I stuck to
that, seeing it as soon as I had the chance. I wanted to really like this film
and when you want to really like something you can get a case of tunnel vision
but I couldn’t avoid the negative reviews that appeared on the day of the films
cinema release. I don’t agree with the amount of hate this film is
drowning in, but it’s true that this film is severely flawed.
First let’s talk about what I actually liked; the four main
cast members were great. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy have such great
chemistry and comedic timing together. While I wasn’t as aware of Kate McKinnon
and Leslie Jones pre-Ghostbusters I really liked their performances. Kate
McKinnnon’s wacky antics as inventor, ‘Jillian Holtzmann’ take a moment to get
used but eventually she has a certain charm. Understandably the CGI has
massively improved which quite simply means the ghosts look better. Although,
care has been taken to not lose the retro charm of the story and it isn’t lost in
technological advances. Green slime and floating bodies remain. The iconic
theme tune is back but there are multiple remixes that added a modern feel, my
favourite version is by ‘Fall Out Boy’ and ‘Missy Elliott’ which played on the
first assembling of the Ghostbusters in uniform. That whole sequence was
probably my favourite part of the entire film. The action sequences are also well
choreographed and up to a certain point the final battle makes for a satisfying
conclusion. (More on this later)
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| Image Source: imdb.com |
Now I have to talk about the things I did not like. First of
all, I did not find Ghostbusters funny. More than anything Ghostbusters should
be a comedy but apart from some well-timed pop-culture references and a little
acute self-awareness the ‘jokes’ fell flat. This was a big disappointment after
the many literal laugh-out-loud moments of Paul Feig’s other comedies, most
notably ‘The Heat’ and ‘Spy’. The male representations are horrendous. Every man
in this film is either evil or a total idiot. It annoys me so much that a film
that attempts to break new ground with a female led action/comedy would do so
by just flipping a stereotype dynamic. There is no need to stereotype to that
scale, to attempt comedy in this way is cheap and quite frankly lazy. While the
original film was male led, the female characters were worthy and developed.
Sigourney Weaver's ‘Dana Barrett’ was one of the most memorable parts of the original
for me. The constant appearance of stereotypes created an alarming anti-man
tone that reached its cataclysm in the final act. A certain part of the
concluding battle is currently doing the rounds on the internet for all the
wrong reasons. With the risk of spoilers all I will say is that the conclusion
revolves around something that I can only guess was intended as a joke but
ended up being a cheap and messy conclusion that you’d expect in a bad Adam
Sandler movie.
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| Image Source: imdb.com |
I saw the original Ghostbusters for the first time in full
last October at a drive-in. While I enjoyed it, it is not a favourite and I have
no loyalty to it. However, even I couldn’t help but closely compare the 1984
original to the 2016 reboot. The original is an iconic product of cinema of the
time and more importantly; has stood the test of time. Scratch the surface of
this reboot and there’s nothing new to boast about. The film also seems to be
afraid to stand on its own, it’s a reboot but with a ridiculous amount of clumsy
cameos and nods to the Bill Murray led original.
It wasn’t until I sat down and really thought about this
film that I really questioned why it had to be Ghostbusters in the first place.
The acting talent in this film could have been used on new characters that
broke gender norms but told a story in its own right. If all we need to create
something new is to swap the genders of characters then screenwriters can put
down their pens for the next 100 years. It’s about time that we are seeing new
roles for women in film but by simply stepping to the shoes of a much beloved
film, Ghostbusters was set up for a fall. With other all-female remakes in the
pipe line, including an all-female ‘Ocean’s Eleven’; I worry Ghostbusters will
leave a bitter taste.
I had high hopes for Ghostbusters but it has fallen short of
expectations. While undeserving of the lynch mob that is after it at the moment, CGI advances and acting talent couldn’t save it from a poor script and the
risks of remaking an 80’s classic.
