OK, so yesterday I had a burger, and then went to see the Ghostbusters-movie. Sat front row, in the middle. Ate some tasty chocolate candy bars, drank my chosen beverage (tried a mineral water infused with a taste of a popular chocolate pastry – it was disgusting!).
It was a matiné showing, on a smoldering hot, picture perfect summer day – so no, it wasn't packed. Not by a long shot. Still, I did share that front row with three other people, and the theater was probably at least half full. It was insanely difficult to shake the feeling of slight trepidation, this was after all the first time I went to see a movie not ONLY because I thought it was going to be great (I did think that though), but also because so many people had decided to hate it – on general principle – that I wanted to see it just to make a statement; You CAN NOT judge a movie unseen!
There really is no end to the stupidity among the people calling themselves "real Ghostbusters fans". Oh they will say that it isn't the female leads that bothers them, it is the story, or the effects, or the humor, or simply the fact that it doesn't star Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (2014) and Ernie Hudson. But trust me, most of them are bothered – to one degree or another – by the female leads.
So, there I was. Expecting to be entertained, hoping that I would be THOROUGHLY entertained. And guess what All these small minded people judging the film way before it ever came out – they are MORONS!
The opening scene set the tone pretty well, being somewhat eerie and having a nice jump scare, leading right into the title and the theme tune. Somewhat mirroring the original's librarian-scene. This follows throughout the movie, with humor added to the mix.
I'll skip walking you through the story, as I run the risk of spoiling things, and cut right to the chase In the original I had to suspend disbelief when it came to Venkman getting as far as he did without studying, and the department they were at at the university staying open as long as it did. There was also the problem with the firehouse – as rundown as it was it would still have been a fortune, even back in 1984 – a problem dealt with in the reboot. There was also very little said about the four 1984 leads. You knew basically nothing about them, except that Venkman was a possible sexual harassment suit recipient. The characters of Ghostbusters 2016 actually got some meat, meaning I felt I got to know more about them, who they were, where they came from and why they ended up where they are. They also made more sense to me, in a way I love the initial dynamic between Erin (Kristen Wiig) and Abby (Melissa McCarthy), you get a real sense of bitter history there, and it was great seeing Melissa McCarthy in a position of actual power. I also love the fact that they gave Patty (Leslie Jones) a real story, instead of letting her succumb to the Ernie Hudson fate of having basically no character. One of my favorite moments though, was right at the end, where (and I'm not gonna give too much away here) they let the awesome but basically cartoon character of Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon, rocking it out!) give a real tear jerker of a speech.
Also, Chris Hemsworth has to be mentioned! He plays the part of Kevin, the Busters air head receptionist. Kevin spends his time not answering the phone, trying to chose which photo of himself makes him look most like a doctor and drinking (and spitting out) coffee. I really like Hemsworth as Thor, but this was another side of him. The guy is hilarious! More comedies please, Mr.Hemsworth!
I know the effects have taken a lot of heat, what with them looking all glowing green and blue. But I really don't mind it – and the fact (yes, FACT, straight out of director Paul Feig's mouth in a Total Film interview) that there is very little CGI involved when it comes to the ghosts and monsters I find encouraging. The glowing doesn't bother me one bit, and in comparison with the original the effects are consistent – adhering to one style throughout!
The people whining – HATING – on this are usually very quick to claim that they wanted a sequel, not a remake, that they wanted the principal actors from 1984 in the lead roles, and also that this movie is basically feminists hating on men. What I don't understand is this; Ghostbusters 2016 is executive produced by, among others, Ivan Reitman (original director of Ghostbusters 1984) and Dan Aykroyd (one of the principal actors from the original). It is visibly supported (you figure it out) by Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts (all starring in the 1984 original) and the whole thing is dedicated to Harold Ramis (the only one of the four original leads to not be alive today).
SO WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!?
This wasn't the best movie I have ever seen, but it was pretty damn entertaining! Entertaining enough to make me laugh out loud several times, and it made me choke back a tear (believe it or not).
It has also made me make space on my shelf, right next to the original.
It was a matiné showing, on a smoldering hot, picture perfect summer day – so no, it wasn't packed. Not by a long shot. Still, I did share that front row with three other people, and the theater was probably at least half full. It was insanely difficult to shake the feeling of slight trepidation, this was after all the first time I went to see a movie not ONLY because I thought it was going to be great (I did think that though), but also because so many people had decided to hate it – on general principle – that I wanted to see it just to make a statement; You CAN NOT judge a movie unseen!
There really is no end to the stupidity among the people calling themselves "real Ghostbusters fans". Oh they will say that it isn't the female leads that bothers them, it is the story, or the effects, or the humor, or simply the fact that it doesn't star Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (2014) and Ernie Hudson. But trust me, most of them are bothered – to one degree or another – by the female leads.
So, there I was. Expecting to be entertained, hoping that I would be THOROUGHLY entertained. And guess what All these small minded people judging the film way before it ever came out – they are MORONS!
The opening scene set the tone pretty well, being somewhat eerie and having a nice jump scare, leading right into the title and the theme tune. Somewhat mirroring the original's librarian-scene. This follows throughout the movie, with humor added to the mix.
I'll skip walking you through the story, as I run the risk of spoiling things, and cut right to the chase In the original I had to suspend disbelief when it came to Venkman getting as far as he did without studying, and the department they were at at the university staying open as long as it did. There was also the problem with the firehouse – as rundown as it was it would still have been a fortune, even back in 1984 – a problem dealt with in the reboot. There was also very little said about the four 1984 leads. You knew basically nothing about them, except that Venkman was a possible sexual harassment suit recipient. The characters of Ghostbusters 2016 actually got some meat, meaning I felt I got to know more about them, who they were, where they came from and why they ended up where they are. They also made more sense to me, in a way I love the initial dynamic between Erin (Kristen Wiig) and Abby (Melissa McCarthy), you get a real sense of bitter history there, and it was great seeing Melissa McCarthy in a position of actual power. I also love the fact that they gave Patty (Leslie Jones) a real story, instead of letting her succumb to the Ernie Hudson fate of having basically no character. One of my favorite moments though, was right at the end, where (and I'm not gonna give too much away here) they let the awesome but basically cartoon character of Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon, rocking it out!) give a real tear jerker of a speech.
Also, Chris Hemsworth has to be mentioned! He plays the part of Kevin, the Busters air head receptionist. Kevin spends his time not answering the phone, trying to chose which photo of himself makes him look most like a doctor and drinking (and spitting out) coffee. I really like Hemsworth as Thor, but this was another side of him. The guy is hilarious! More comedies please, Mr.Hemsworth!
I know the effects have taken a lot of heat, what with them looking all glowing green and blue. But I really don't mind it – and the fact (yes, FACT, straight out of director Paul Feig's mouth in a Total Film interview) that there is very little CGI involved when it comes to the ghosts and monsters I find encouraging. The glowing doesn't bother me one bit, and in comparison with the original the effects are consistent – adhering to one style throughout!
The people whining – HATING – on this are usually very quick to claim that they wanted a sequel, not a remake, that they wanted the principal actors from 1984 in the lead roles, and also that this movie is basically feminists hating on men. What I don't understand is this; Ghostbusters 2016 is executive produced by, among others, Ivan Reitman (original director of Ghostbusters 1984) and Dan Aykroyd (one of the principal actors from the original). It is visibly supported (you figure it out) by Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts (all starring in the 1984 original) and the whole thing is dedicated to Harold Ramis (the only one of the four original leads to not be alive today).
SO WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!?
This wasn't the best movie I have ever seen, but it was pretty damn entertaining! Entertaining enough to make me laugh out loud several times, and it made me choke back a tear (believe it or not).
It has also made me make space on my shelf, right next to the original.
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