Recently, the movie industry has been forced to deal with outside factors coming in and changing the way people go and see films. The introduction of new technology (online streaming sites) combined with the rising cost to produce movies has made it even more difficult to get audiences to go out to the movie theater and purchase a ticket. When you look at it that way, it is almost understandable that, as my parents would say, “the only movies coming out right now are remakes.” If something did well the first time, it’s a safer risk to fund that project. This leads us to one of the summer’s most controversial and disruptive remakes: "Ghostbusters."
Paul Feig’s "Ghostbusters" was released on July 15th in the United States, but audiences have been aggressively against the project for a good while before that. Plenty of YouTube rants exist explaining the many, somewhat stubborn but supposedly level-headed, reasons why people have chosen to not see the movie, but the main one seems to be the way the remake process was approached. They didn’t take enough time to ease the new characters into the franchise. Others are upset that it is not a continuation, like "Star Wars," "Jurassic World," or "Independence Day." Some would have liked the name tweaked or a subtitle added like "X-Men: First Class." And then, softly, it’s mentioned that it just doesn’t make sense to change the gender of the characters either — it would be like making a female Indiana Jones or Harry Potter, and that’s just ridiculous. But they’re more upset about the former arguments, and also the reboot is not as funny as the original.
I will admit, I went into the movie with incredibly low expectations. Although all four leading ladies had already won me over in previous roles, whether in "Bridesmaids" or on "SNL," I generally don’t think blockbuster action films should be seen through too critical of a lens.
Much to my pleasant surprise, I thought Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones performed beautifully. They balanced each other out well, Wiig’s levelheaded and calculated Dr. Erin Gilbert clashed with McKinnon’s eccentrically brilliant Dr. Jillian Holtzmann. McCarthy, much more serious than her traditional goofy screen persona, was foiled by an upbeat and hilarious Jones. While the story itself wasn’t mind-blowingly fresh or inventive, the film itself stood up impressively and stepped up to the plate when it came to comedy, drama, and ghosts.
The whole film is a nod to the original, with all four men making appearances throughout the movie. Additionally, the busters themselves are not the only ones who are awarded screen time as the whole movie is filled with familiar faces of all forms, corporal or otherwise. "Ghostbusters" is a joy to watch, filled with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and wonderful themes of friendship and strength.
The theaters have been saturated with remakes recently, but this was the only one that was faced with such criticism before it even began. The trailer was completely ripped apart the moment it was released. Why were people so much more upset over having Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy as "Ghostbusters" than they were having Ben Affleck as Batman? Comics are constantly remade, and as they adapted to fit a new viewer mindset they are able to reveal things about popular thought. We can trace Batman through the years and examine the different issues that are being addressed. The fact that people were protesting the movie, claiming that their childhoods were being "ruined" and willing to engage in childish acts like ruining the IMDB ratings, speaks to the issues surrounding women’s roles we are still attempting to deal with. That, or people are much more protective over Dan Aykroyd’s roles than they’d care to admit.
Representation is important, and although I would love to see an original, all-female, blockbuster action film released, I’m not completely sure it would get funded. So, if we have to settle with representation through remakes, I’m willing to accept it as a step in the right direction. If there is anything this movie proved, it’s that women can be scientists, all kinds of women in any shape or size. These diverse women, with all different kinds of character traits and interests, can be focused on their passions and careers. They can be friends who don’t fight over clothes or boys or earrings, and they are completely capable of saving the New York tri-state area. Most importantly, since they ain’t afraid of no ghosts, they sure as hell won’t let some close-minded internet trolls stop them from saving the day.
