BREAKING NEWS: THE NEW "Ghostbusters" DOESN'T SUCK!!

 

   No other movie in recent history has been met with such a mix of hostile and timid response than the reboot of Ghostbusters. From nostalgia-filled sexists who feel that an all women cast is blasphemy, to out-right, raged-induced fans who feel that the original is an untouchable masterpiece, the Paul Feig directed re-telling has a huge hill to climb for movie-goers. This negativity isn't a new thing, spawning just prior to its release. From the moment they announced that the third ever Ghostbusters movie was going to be an all-female cast reboot, the internet was ablaze with spooky hate. In fact, the first trailer for the movie has made history for being the most hated video on YouTube. So, as the release date crept ever closer, the question still remained: Does the finished product warrent this level of negativity? My answer: Absolutely NOT.

    For quite some time, no thanks to the trailers, no one knew if this movie was a reboot or a continuation. If a trailer can't establish what the movie is, it's gonna have a hard time garnishing buzz. This movie is in no way a continuation. It's a completly new story with new characters and I have to say I really appreciate that. Had it been 1984's Ghostbusters but with just a different cast, I think the fan hostility would've multiplied exponantially once it released. So, I'm happy to say that's not the case. This version follows Erin Gillbert (Kristin Wiig), a college professor, who seeks out her former friend and collegue Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), a paranormal enthusiast, after their co-authored book about ghosts gets published without Erin's permission. Erin and Abby, as well as nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzman (Kate McKinnon) are summoned to an apparent ghost sighting, where indeed there is a ghost, and we're off to the races. The gang adds a history buff to their mix named Patty (Leslie Jones) after she sees a ghost, and a doofus of a receptionist named Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), who is arguably one of the funniest parts of the movie. Enter proton packs and jump suits and you've got yourself a reboot.

   This movie isn't perfect, in fact it's probably average if you want to really get critical. The writing is mediocre, the story is filled with plot holes, the villain is kinda weak, but you know what? It's pretty stinking funny, and entertaining to boot. The cast is really great. All four women are comedic giants individually and their chemistry together is fun to watch. Both Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig have established themselves in successful comedies, and yet the standouts for me were Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. Both come from SNL fame, and they really kill it in this movie. Leslie Jones has such a huge personality that it's hard to imagine that she isn't much different than Patty in real life. Holtzman is a zany, weird, eccentric character and there are times that it seems like McKinnon is over the top in her performance, but for me it worked. She's playing a "character", which is what she does skit after skit on SNL. But she does some things in this movie that are laugh-out-loud histerical, and there's a particular action scene that clearly showcases the love the filmmakers had for her character. It's also one of the coolest action scenes, too. Let's not forget ole Thor himself. Chris Hemsworth is down right funny in this movie and he plays the doofus brilliantly. I laughed at pretty much everything he said or did, which was really great.

   The CGI was hit and miss. I didn't see this in 3D but I've heard that it's actually amazing in that format. The take on the ghosts is cool, and the throwbacks to the original movie were nicely done. There are a handful of cameos, which I suppose would be expected. Like I mentioned earlier, the story was a bit weak, but that's okay. The original Ghostbusters will forever be cemented as the awesome film it is, and this movie doesn't seek to overthrow it. Despite its flaws, when you see these ladies in their jump suits weilding their proton packs...I felt like a little kid again. It's really cool. Do I wish that the original cast got together and made Ghostbusters 3? Sure, that would be cool. But this is the version we get, and it's not bad. This version is very much its own thing and I'm sure should it do fine in the box office that we'll see plenty more Ghostbusters movies. For those of you worried that your childhood will be destroyed because this movie exists, I say give it a chance. For those of you who felt that an all-female cast would be blasphemy, I say shame on you. This movie is really funny, super fun, cheesy at times, and for crying out loud...it's a movie with a premise about paranormal janitors, how serious should it be? Forget the nay-sayers and go form your own opinion. It's nowhere near as bad as the internet would have you think and it's worth checking out.