Ghostbusters

Call off the trolls; Paul Feig’s female-led reboot of the 1980s film is great fun and, dare I say it, better than the original.

Back in October 2014, when Paul Feig confirmed he was making a reboot of Ghostbusters, Ivan Reitman’s 1984 supernatural action comedy, it took less than two hours before his revelation was highly criticised. Many feared the reboot would somehow degrade the original, as well as being a blatant act of unoriginality by a Hollywood struggling to come up with any new ideas. These were both genuine and understandable concerns. However, much of the subsequent backlash the film received stemmed from the fact Feig’s version would feature an all-female Ghostbuster team. From then on, it became clear that this hostility was founded less on rational concerns, and more on misogyny.

Image: Sony Pictures

I went into Ghostbusters earnestly hoping these trolls would be proved wrong. Thankfully, they were.

The film’s journey to the big-screen has been tumultuous to say the least. The first trailer was downvoted in such large quantities upon its release that it became the most negatively received trailer in YouTube’s history. Admittedly, even I found the trailer underwhelming, but it was nowhere near bad enough to justify the reaction it received. Hence, I went into Ghostbusters earnestly hoping these trolls would be proved wrong. Thankfully, they were.

The premise is largely similar to the original, focusing on a team of four people investigating and locating supernatural entities around New York. However, the four protagonists are all brand new characters and aren’t rehashes from the original. Dr. Erin Gilbert (a hilarious as-ever Kristen Wiig) is a Physics lecturer at Columbia University trying to obtain tenure, when the re-emergence of a book she previously co-wrote about the paranormal threatens to derail her academic credibility. Erin visits her co-author and old-friend, Dr. Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), who is continuing her study of the supernatural with a new colleague, the eccentric Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon).

Chris Hemsworth’s role as ditzy assistant, Kevin, is weak and the constant gags about his excessive attractiveness and ineptitude are a little overplayed.

To stop Abby from re-publishing the book, Erin agrees to assist her and Jillian in a paranormal investigation. This eventually leads them to savvy public-transport worker, Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) who witnesses a ghost while at work. Patty joins the team and the four endeavour to track down ghosts, attempting to convince an apprehensive public of their existence, while simultaneously trying to save New York from an odd, basement-residing maniac (Neil Casey) who’s set on bringing about the apocalypse.

One of the film’s triumphs is its fantastic cast who display great charisma and effervescent chemistry. Each of the four leads give terrific performances, although McKinnon (a brilliant comic performer best-known for Saturday Night Live) isn’t given as much screen time as I’d have liked.

Equally, Chris Hemsworth’s role as ditzy assistant, Kevin, is weak and the constant gags about his excessive attractiveness and ineptitude are a little overplayed. Nevertheless, McKinnon and Jones are welcome newcomers to the big screen, both effortlessly fitting in alongside comedy veterans McCarthy and Wiig. Also, Jones’ character contributes significantly to the film, making her inclusion as a fourth ghostbuster understandable, something Ernie Hudson’s role in the original failed to establish.

Image: Sony Pictures

Stalwart comedy director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy) continues his successful comic streak, with his and Katie Dippold’s script containing several brilliant gags. Not every joke hits, but more hit than miss. Also, the film isn’t afraid to tackle the plethora of misogynistic comments it’s received since its inception, with Feig making several nods to it. Plus, the film’s nerdy villain wouldn’t be out of place amongst these keyboard-warrior fanboy critics.

Hopefully Ghostbusters will pave the way for future female-led summer blockbusters. These Ghostbusters certainly ain’t afraid of no trolls.

The story is well modernised, nicely bringing Dan Aykroyd’s and Harold Ramis’ premise into the twenty-first century. Though the film also includes several pleasant, nostalgic nods to the original, as well as bringing in a few guest cameos. Likewise, the story is better expressed in an age of CGI mastery; with these special effects producing a more credible romp, although Feig lays on the CGI a little too thick in the final act.

Overall, Feig and the cast deliver a solid, family-friendly blockbuster which manages to be fresh and innovative, while sincerely paying homage to Reitman’s original. Hopefully Ghostbusters will pave the way for future female-led summer blockbusters. These Ghostbusters certainly ain’t afraid of no trolls.

Director: Paul Feig

Run Time: 116 minutes

Country: US

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth