I’ve never made any bones about not liking the original
Ghostbusters. While many of my generation have proclaimed it a comedy
classic, I always saw it as a lumbering movie that was hijacked by Bill Murray,
who left his co-stars with nothing to do but pick up the pieces in his
wake. It’s too bad that so many of those
who love the 1984 film were unwilling to give the reboot a chance. If response from message boards and various
other social media sites are to be believed, the fact that director Paul Feig
cast four women as the leads was a sin akin to sacrificing your first born.
Those naysayers who dismissed the movie without looking at a
single frame of it are missing out on a well-made, clever version of the tale
of four misfits who prevent a poltergeist apocalypse from destroying the Big
Apple. Respectful of the original while
making its own mark, Feig and his co-writer Katie Dippold manage to dot all of
the ghostly I’s and cross their spectral T’s with a sense of energy and humor
that proves surprisingly fresh, aided by their four leads who all prove indispensible before the last ghost is busted.
There’s little new here where the story is concerned though
the dynamic between the principal characters is effectively tweaked. Childhood friends Erin and Abby (Kristen Wiig
& Melissa McCarthy) have been fascinated with ghosts since they were young. While the later has pursued a career in paranormal
investigation, the former has tried to put all of that in her past. However, Erin’s made a believer once more
when she’s attacked by a ghost while reluctantly investigating a haunting with
Abby and her partner Jillian (Kate McKinnon).
Before you know it, these three, along with amateur city historian Patty
(Leslie Jones), are following and capturing ghosts, putting clues together that
lead them to believe that a major poltergeist invasion is about to occur.
While Feig errs in having Wiig and McCarthy play straight men
to their co-stars, McKinnon and Jones shine, proving their comic mettle again
and again. Equally fun is Chris Hemsworth playing against type as their
receptionist Kevin, the dimmest of dim bulbs who, among other things describes
an aquarium as “a submarine for fish.”
Punctuating the fun are excellent special effects used to create imaginative
and at times frightening spirits who are great fun to behold.
However, in the end the biggest difference between this
outing and its predecessor is the overall attitude and tone of the films. The original was smug and cynical, its four
principals separate from the fray, commenting on the action with a knowing,
condescending manner that showed that not only were they in on the joke, but
looked down on it as well. Feig’s version embraces the premise from the start,
its characters far more sympathetic as their response to the spectral threat is
one of wonder, curiosity and fear.
They’re not above the action but rather in the mix, responding to the
myriad ghosts as we would. As such,
they’re far more sympathetic and easy to relate to, something I never felt
where Murray and his crew were concerned. Wiig, McCarthy, McKinnon, Jones and
Hemsworth make for a likable group, so much so I wouldn’t mind seeing them bust
ghosts again.
This article appears in Jul 21-27, 2016.
