For any person who enjoys movies, casual or hardcore, one of the biggest movie controversies finally was put to the test last Friday. This was when the long-awaited reboot of the movie "Ghostbusters" was released.
The original "Ghostbusters" was released back in 1984. Directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, the film starred the two, among other acting and comedic talents such as Bill Murray, Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver. Since "Ghostbusters" is known as a classic film and one of the most influential comedies of all time, it was no surprise that there was going to be backlash when the total re-imaging of the franchise was announced. Looking through many people’s opinions, there are two reasons for why people were upset about this.
The most noticeable one was that the newest installment in the "Ghostbusters" franchise would not star the original cast. Originally planned to be a direct sequel to "Ghostbusters 2," Harold Ramis’s death in 2014 led to the project for Ghostbusters 3 to be scrapped. Instead, it was revealed the franchise would return with a fully female-led team. This would consist of talents from current and past SNL members (Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon), as well as Melissa McCarthy. These would be the new four leads. Much backlash came from these casting choices with many taking to online to complain about their dismay to the film now being taken over to cater to the feminist movement. Was there some who thought the film shouldn’t star females? Of course. But looking online you could see this really was just a small (though pretty vocal) part of why people had a problem with this movie before it came busting (I tried) into theaters. The next reason is what most were worried about, and with good reason…
The fact that this movie was a reboot was a huge worry, due to the plague of remakes, reboots and sequels taking over the box-office. Examples of almost universally panned reboots of classic movies and franchises include "Point Break," "Terminator Genysis" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," just to name a few. Some directors are playing on nostalgia for beloved franchises in order to make some quick cash-grabs with these films. As a result of these pure money-makers, much of the franchises reputations are beginning to tarnish. None of these movies (though some made it close) are as cherished as "Ghostbusters." When the chance that the legacy of one of the greatest comedy movies ever was put at risk, those who loved it did what all people who love something (and are angry) do and took to the internet to try and…I don’t know, “have their voice heard?”. Not many times are these complaints heard, so the movie obviously came out. As a comedian, I was constantly paying attention to this movie. Not that it was just a remake of one of my favorite films, but who was at the helm of this operation…Paul Feig.
For those of you who don’t know who Paul Feig is, he is an actor, writer and director of the comedy variety. Why I leave that part a little vague (the world is full of actors and writers, which we certainly don’t need all) is because I want to explain in full what Feig has created. Starting with some of his simpler accomplishments, he has directed many critically acclaimed shows, which include "The Office," "Arrested Development," "Parks and Recreation," "30 Rock," and "Mad Men." The man knows how to direct a TV show, which gives experience, but the small screen and silver screen are two different realms. Well, Feig has also directed movies such as "Bridesmaids" and "The Heat." The two were both critical and financial successes. Let’s now look at what Feig has written. Looking at TV again, he was the creator of the critical hit and cult-classic show, "Freaks and Geeks." As for movies, he has written one of the most underrated comedies of last year (critics loved it, but didn’t get much press attention), "Spy." Feig is a comedy titan if you take a look at his track record. He has been involved (usually at the head) of many of the most successful female-led comedies of this decade and has never done a single reboot or remake in his career. So having Feig both write and direct this movie meant it had the potential to be a success.
I’m a huge fan of Feig, so I was expecting at least a mildly entertaining comedy with the new "Ghostbusters." That also means I could have been a little biased. I know how to have your expectations crushed when you want to believe something will be good (talking about you, "Fantastic Four"). The only thing was I was ever going to know if the movie lived up to the legacy it was built upon was to go see it myself.
When it finally came into theaters, I saw it opening night. I’ll start off right away by saying that it was a pretty damn good comedy film. It didn’t compare to the original, but those are pretty big shoes to fill. Though what was great about it was that it wasn’t trying to be the original, it was its own thing. The plot was different, with really the only similarity being ghosts taking over New York (not exactly a spoiler, it is a movie about busting ghosts). Other than that, the plot took its own direction. It wasn’t an overly complicated plot, but it was enjoyable and had a lot of excellent jokes that made for a pretty extensive amount of laughs. The whole cast was fantastic, but I have to single out both Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth for giving hilariously stand-out performances. It even had some cameos from the original cast that worked very well and didn’t rely on constantly bringing up jokes from past movies ("Dumb and Dumber 2" *cough cough*). Plus, it also gave some relatively new faces to comedy a chance to shine in minor roles, like "Silicon Valley" Zach Woods and SNL’s Cecily Strong (who are both hilarious in the movie). Overall, it felt really genuine. Like Feig had a good idea for a "Ghostbusters" movie and went through with it.
A few things I could have done without in the film included the new theme song. Nothing against Fallout Boy or Missy Elliot, but it was completely apparent it was a remake of an 80s song trying to sound contemporary. That's a pretty specific way of describing something, but if you want to subject yourself to listening to their version of the theme song, you'll think the same thing. As jokes went, most were good, but a few of the slapstick gags you could see coming from a mile away. Most of it involved the slime the ghosts gave, which happened just a few too many times to not notice and give a slight sigh.
In the end, the "Ghostbusters" legacy is still intact. Does the new movie outdo the original? Absolutely not. The original was a perfect storm that contained a completely original idea and amazing talent to back it. It is a hard comedy to top, even if you’re not in its franchise. The 2016 "Ghostbusters" was miles better than "Ghostbusters 2" (which really is just the same plot as "Ghostbusters," when you look at it). It is completely worth, in my opinion, a watch.
