The new Ghostbusters certainly had its fair share of haters, even early on. The first trailer of the reboot became the most disliked movie trailer in the history of YouTube, with the second trailer also badly received by viewers.
It also did not help the film's reputation that reviews were allegedly embargoed until opening day, which is a practice usually done when a movie has bad reviews.
However, Ivan Reitman, the director of the original Ghostbusters movies, defended the film, stating that he is confident that the reboot will be a great one due to the talent of the movie's stars.
Proving doubters wrong, Ghostbusters reviews that are coming in are mostly positive, and this spoiler-free review will continue that trend.
The new Ghostbusters is a ghastly good movie, and both fans of the original movies and those curious of the franchise will come out of theaters humming the film's iconic tune.
The SNL Spirit
The new Ghostbusters, with Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates, Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert, Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann, and Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan, call upon the Saturday Night Live spirit to deliver the laughs in the movie, with Wiig, McKinnon and Jones having their roots in the show and McCarthy being a multiple-time host.
In fact the whole movie, with a zinger being released at least every minute, has the feeling that you are watching an episode of SNL, but with ghosts. However, it is not one long sketch that grows tiresome after a while, but several short sketches that is somehow able to pull off a common theme.
Nostalgia Mixed With Fresh Faces
The fresh faces presented by the four ladies in the leading roles are complemented nicely by the similarities that the film has with the original franchise, including several things that only fans of the first two Ghostbusters movies will appreciate. The movie does not create too many new things that moves it away from the formula that made the original movies classic, but it also does not entirely focus on the throwback elements and cameos of actors and actresses from the original Ghostbusters to make it feel like it is banking too much on the popularity of the older movies to become successful.
Brilliance Of The Ladies (And Kevin)
Certainly, the talent of the movie's female lead cast, and yes sure, including Chris Hemsworth as the bumbling receptionist Kevin, was what brought all the jokes, throwbacks and fresh take on the franchise together for a hilariously entertaining film.
Making their work more impressive is the fact that there was a fair share of improvisation on the lines of the film. These are inherently funny ladies, and it shows right on the screen.
The Bigger Message
One of the bigger messages of the new Ghostbusters is that brains might not always be popular, and in some instances even misunderstood and unappreciated, but it is still very cool. And nothing is cooler than the nuclear-powered proton packs, along with the powerful arsenal that Holtzmann engineered for the team.
An even bigger message, however, is the misogyny that the characters in the movie, and the movie itself, are able to overcome. No, rebooting Ghostbusters with an all-female crew will not ruin your childhood, mister — it just gives a fresh and modernized take on the franchise, and it will prove to be a good one if you give it a chance.
Is the new Ghostbusters better than the original classic? Maybe, but most likely not. However, that does not mean that the movie is bad. In fact, I am still humming the Ghostbusters tune as I type this, and probably will see it again later in 3D.
