Director Paul Feig’s latest comedic endeavor was released on July 12 – the highly anticipated and, in some cases, contested, Ghostbusters reboot.
It’s no surprise that the reason this remake stirred some controversy was because of the change from ghost busting men to a cast of ghost busting women. The team includes comedy actresses Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, most of which are current or former Saturday Night Live cast members, like the cast of the original Ghostbusters directed by Ivan Reitman.
The film does well to pay tribute to the 1984 Ghostbusters and even includes ‘70s SNL members and original Ghostbusters Bill Murray as a famous debunker of the paranormal, alongside Dan Aykroyd as a taxi driver.
From the plot to the score, many aspects of the film are pulled directly from the 1984 version. Some people may praise this as an homage, while others might consider it copying and insult the film for lacking originality – just like the split reaction to the newest Star Wars film.
There is, of course, the obvious change from an all-male Ghostbusters crew to a female dominant cast. The position of the Ghostbusters’ receptionist – which, in the original, is one of the film’s two female characters – is instead played by Chris Hemsworth as a hot dumb blonde who’s literally too stupid to answer phones. Erin Gilbert, played by Wiig, hires him on the spot because of his handsome physique, and he is frequently the object of her female gaze. How’s that for role reversal?
Feig is known for making comedies with a dominantly female cast like Bridesmaids, where viewers were first exposed to the dynamic comedy duo of McCarthy and Wiig on the big screen. Feig has worked with McCarthy on multiple occasions in films like “Spy” and “The Heat.”
However, the reason to see the Ghostbusters remake is not for the performances of either Wiig or McCarthy. The show is stolen by two of the funniest members of the current SNL cast, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
The dialogue is full of one-liners and zingers from Jillian Holtzmann, played by Mckinnon, in a hilarious dry humor presentation. She and Jones’ character Patty Tolan develop an entertaining on-screen repertoire.
Abby Yates, played by McCarthy, and Gilbert are meant to emulate Aykroyd’s Dr. Raymond Stantz and Murray’s Dr. Peter Venkman. Unfortunately, the characters based on these comedy giants don’t shine in terms of humor, and instead serve only to push the plot forward. That’s not to say that McCarthy doesn’t give a humorous performance, because she does. Wiig, however, only gets a couple big laughs in the entire two hours.
Viewers will recognize shout-outs to the original film like the old fire-house headquarters, the giant marshmallow man, the classic ghost that looks like a green lump of dough with arms and the cynical doctor being slimed with ectoplasm during the discovery of her first ghost. However, these recognizable scenes are not incorporated as major plot points but subtle shout-outs to the original.
This is not your parents’ Ghostbusters. The ghosts are more violent, the climax is more action heavy and the 3D graphics made audience members jump out of their seats. Both smart and silly humor is incorporated as the actresses do as much as they can to make the film a laugh-out-loud comedy.
Though the interactions between these hilarious actresses are the highlight of the film, the production value definitely reflects that they’ve brought Ghostbusters into the 21st century.
You may think you’ve seen this film before, but the revamped version makes it worth experiencing this classic tale over again.