Ghostbusters 2016: Movie Review

Ghostbusters is a 2016 reboot of the 1984 comedy classic, featuring a new all-female Ghostbusters team made up of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Chris Hemsworth also stars as the dim-witted receptionist that the team hires. The film also features cameo appearances from members of the original cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts. 

Melissa McCarthy plays Abby Yates, who was high-school friends with Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig). The two write a book discussing the possibility of paranormal activity, but when the book turns out to be unsuccessful, Gilbert decides to get away from anything related to ghosts and becomes a physics professor at Columbia University. Yates republishes the book, leading to Erin losing her job, and, in exchange for Yates getting the book out of publication, she decides to help Yates and her quirky assistant Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) in an investigation on a ghost-sighting at a mansion. Shortly afterwards, an MTA worker, Patty Tolan, (Leslie Jones) witnesses a ghost in the middle of a subway tunnel, and she soon joins the Ghostbusters team. 

When the trailer for the film was first released online, it became one of the most disliked videos on Youtube. People commented saying the film was a slap in the face to the original. There were also misogynistic and anti-feminist comments being directed at an all-female Ghostbusters team. Given all of this hatred directed at the film, there was a dark cloud of pessimism hovering above it in the months and weeks before its theatrical  release. 

After viewing the film, I can confidently say it is NOWHERE near the disaster everyone was making it out to be. It pales in comparison to the original, but as a stand-alone version, it's actually pretty good. There are plenty of funny moments, and the members of the new Ghostbusters team have great chemistry together.  

High Points: 

- Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Wiig. These two were the funniest out of every major character in the film. Hemsworth makes several well-timed comedic remarks throughout, and while his character, Kevin, is not meant to be taken seriously, it's for good reason. Wiig provides a nice blend of humorous comments and maturity. She never pushes a joke too far, and is always able to come up with something new to keep the laughs fresh. 

- The chemistry of the team. All four work very well off one another, with everyone having a chance to make funny remarks. The relationship among the four feels natural and unforced. 

Low Points: 

- Basically every male character in the film is either clueless, mean-spirited, or not very helpful. I understand if the film was going for a theme of female empowerment, but if that involves making every male character seem stupid, it makes the movie look like it's promoting misandry.  It seems like it's the film's cruel way of responding to all the misogynistic responses it got when it was first promoted. 

- The plot shares too many similarities to the original. Let me list most of them below: 

• Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis all lose their jobs at Columbia University in the beginning of the original. Kristen Wiig loses her job at Columbia Univeristy in the beginning of this one. 
• A fourth team member is later hired on. 
• The Ghostbusters team is arrested and scolded by the government. 
• A receptionist that is the opposite gender of everyone on the team is hired 
• The Ghostbusters start out in a run-down building. 
• The team is seen as heroes in the end. 

Not EVERYTHING is the same as the original, but these similarities should not go unnoticed. 

While Ghostbusters 2016 can't hold a candle to the original, it still works by itself, thanks largely in part to the chemistry of its main cast. There are plenty of funny moments, especially from Chris Hemsworth, and the humor is never pushed too far. The final 20 minutes is a little over-the-top, but never drags or diminish the movie as a whole. Big fans of the original should definitely give this new Ghostbusters a try. 

Recommend? Yes, even if you didn't have high hopes initially 

Grade: B