Ghostbusters: "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!"
More than 30 years ago, the movie 'Ghostbusters' was birthed and now, it is back with a new new team and new characters in a new adventure.
The original film included some of the funniest guys of the 80's – Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, they were considered the supergroup of funny guys. Fast forward 32 years later, the idea of giving the original franchise a new look was birthed from the mind of director Paul Feig (director of Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy). Instead of using men of comedy in the new film, he brought a fresh take to the supernatural "comedy", by joining some of the funniest actors working today – Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth.
Naturally, the idea for another 'Ghostbusters' – as a sequel – was one that had been explored for quite a while. “I’ve always wanted to do another sequel,” says Ivan Reitman, who directed and produced the first two iconic films in the franchise and produced the newest 'Ghostbusters' film with Amy Pascal. “It’s one of those movies that you should revisit and I was really hoping that I could do it. But unless we all agreed on something, it wasn’t going to get done. Getting four people – especially these four people – to agree was kind of impossible. And then, unfortunately, we lost Harold.”
With the passing of Harold Ramis in 2014, the studio and Reitman began to look for a new comedic talent to take the helm of a future film. That’s when Feig entered the picture. “I knew they’d been trying to put together a sequel for a long time,” says Feig. “I started wracking my brain. Funny people fighting the paranormal is still the greatest idea ever, and it felt like there was still so much to explore outside the worlds of the first two films. I thought, ‘How would I do it?’ Well, I’d make it with the four funniest women I know. That excites me, because it makes it something new.”
From the outside looking in, the idea of revamping the film sounds amazing, but once seeing it, not so much. Have you ever heard the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, it is one of those situations.
Going into the film, I was expecting the worse. Based off the previews, it did not seem too good. The start of the film, was very strong and it actually made me feel bad for doubting the movie. As time progressed, it was all downhill and turned out to be as expected. In a nutshell, the "comedy" was too corny and the jokes were flat, the chemistry between the characters were a hit and miss, and the movie seemed to be dragged out.
There were only two pros to the film. One being the 3D computer graphics used for creating the scenes and special effects in the film. They were great! I advise anyone who sees, 'Ghostbusters' to only see it in 3D. You have been warned. The last pro, were the cameos by original 'Ghostbusters' cast members Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, and Annie Potts — and here is a mini spoiler, neither of them played the older versions of their characters. It was pretty cool seeing them alive and well, but their cameos did not serve a real purpose.
All in all, an unpleasant attempt was made to revamp the franchise. The actresses did their best, but there's no compensating for just bad writing. Whether you are a fan of 'Ghostbusters' or not, you will equally be disappointed. Overall, it was just okay.
'Ghostbusters' is set to release July 15, 2016 and is rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some crude humor.