Ghostbusters (2016) [PG]

Many people have been rather sceptic or downright against the idea of a Ghostbusters reboot and yes, I was one of them. The original film starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Harold Ramis is just SO incredibly good that any attempts to remake it within modern cinema would result in something that sits at the highest level of ridiculousness, a little like Gus Van Sant’s Psycho. The trailers for Paul Feig’s remake of the 1984 classic did nothing to assuage fan fears that this movie was just a carbon copy of the original with ‘better’ special effects and women in the leading roles. I, definitely, was of this opinion before I went to go and see it, but was very pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s a very different movie to the original. 

The film begins with tenure candidate Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) being haunted by her previous career as a paranormal researcher when a strange man asks her to investigate a local tour site which he believes is haunted. Reluctantly, Erin teams up with a former friend and research partner (Melissa McCarthy) to discover that not only is this particular site haunted, places all over New York are harbouring spooks. With the help of a hot-headed tech designer (Kate McKinnon) and a subway booth lady with a passion for non-fiction (Leslie Jones) Erin signs on for the deranged mission of stopping a disturbed young man from flooding the city with spooks and bringing about the apocalypse. 

Already the story is different from the original and made larger by its intertwining stories of self-discovery and friendship as well as its reflection of contemporary society. Just as art imitates life, this movie is right in there, taking stabs at online troll culture, dependence on social medias to circulate research and portfolios, and the need for approval from total strangers. 

Whilst it’s easy to see which female lead is a reincarnation of their original male counterparts, there are many differences, some subtle some not so that move the film further away from being a copy of the original. Erin Gilbert’s character is Bill Murray: insecure and needful of support, though Kristen Wiig plays the role differently by being incredibly soft-spoken and introverted and the only one of the group who feels the need to have strangers on Youtube believe her research. Melissa McCarthy is the Dan Akroyd character minus the memorable lines like “listen, you smell that?” McCarthy is enjoyable to watch in this movie as she delivers a very genuine performance that is not so dominant as some of her supporting characters. The dominant character without a doubt is McKinnon’s, providing the film with much of its comedy and weirdness, being a complete 180-degree jump away from the mild-mannered and awkward Harold Ramis character. The difference in story and characters makes this movie fun and fresh and not what you expected from the trailers. 

Then on top of all this, a 21 Jump Street is pulled as all members of the original cast make ironic cameos (keep your eyes out for them). Whilst the CGI is crisper than the original, it is just as equally fun and out of place, grounding the idea that this is a fun movie and cementing that type of experience. In order to appreciate this reboot, go into the cinema with an open mind and don’t let comparisons between the original and this one get in the way of a good story because this movie is filled with fun, action, CGI, comedy, friendship, and many references to the original as well as other movies. It’s pretty glorious. 

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthey, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Zach Woods, Charles Dance, Ed Begley Jr., Karan Soni, Neil Casey, Daniel Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Michael Kenneth Williams, Andy Garcia, Matt Walsh, Cecily Strong, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver.