Everyone has an opinion on the new Ghostbusters. After posting on Twitter that I had gone to see the film, numerous people replied saying it would be rubbish. When I replied saying I had actually enjoyed it for numerous reasons their response was always “Oh, well I’m still not going to see it.” Why have so many people written it off so aggressively before even attempting to see it. I know the new Bridget Jones film is most likely going to be awful, but I’ll still give it a chance, and won’t be heckling everyone who goes to see it just because I think the trailer looks silly. Since seeing the film the backlash from these internet trolls has only got worse, forcing rising star Leslie Jones off of twitter during a time where she should be celebrating her success. I really enjoyed the new film, I understand there were many issues surrounding it, and can understand why some would be unhappy, but I thought it’s successes outweighed it’s failures.
The general premise – I spent a lot of the film waiting for someone to pass a comment about that time New York was attacked by ghosts back in the 80s. It never happened. Apparently I missed the information that it was a complete reboot, instead I thought it was a distant sequel. Because of this, the film did seem a little repetitive when it came to the plot, following the general premise of the original film, but at the same time it had such a new fresh air about it. Yes they could of been more creative, or tried something new, but seriously? Take a look at any reboot, remake or sequel. Most films follow the same structures, whether they’re original ideas or not.
Moving on to the cast, which is the biggest gripe from the petty fanboys, Kristen Wiig brings her usual indie charm to the lead role, somewhat shying away from the over the top zany antics that blew her into mega stardom, instead sticking to her oddball roots and creating a layered and flawed character. Plus, any role she does brunette just makes me happy.
Likewise I was delighted to see Melissa McCarthy playing almost straight, making me remember why I fell in love with her as Sookie all those years ago in Gilmore Girls. While I am a fan of McCarthy’s film work, it’s a wonderful reminder that she is a solid actress and she was still able to bring the wild eccentricities to the character without being too overpowering.
This made way for the outstanding Kate McKinnon to go completely wild in a scene stealing performance as engineer Holtzman. I’ve heard a few people complaining that McKinnon was too over the top and ruined it for them, but I couldn’t have loved her more. The charisma and energy she put in to the role had me, and my cinema buddy, hooked and I came out of the film with a rather large girl crush.
Rounding out the group we have Leslie Jones, another SNL recruit in her major big screen debut. She adds a wonderful touch of reality, whilst still being heartwarming and manages to drop in hilarious one liners without ever being too brash or playing up to stereotypes.
Whilst I really enjoyed the film and feel it in no way deserves the bashing it received, it is far from perfect, my two biggest gripes being the adult content and the cameos.
I’m not one for censorship and I swear probably more than any normal person should, but there was something about the swearing in Ghostbusters that irked me. The film as a whole was charming and the kind of film you’d happily watch with your kids (8+) except for two scenes shoehorned in and filled with profanity. It felt to me like the studio panicked and realised that no-one would want to go and see a PG comedy these days (which is a travesty in itself) and so scrambled to add some content that would raise the rating to a 12, making it more attractive to the all important teenage summer audience. You also have to remember, they’d already upset half of their audience by casting all female ghostbusters, because god forbid a boy sees a ‘girl movie’.
Even more unsettling than the random and sudden swearing were the awful, awful cameos. Again, maybe it’s because I stupidly thought it was a spinoff rather than a reboot, but when I saw Bill Murray I was so excited and then immediately disappointed. All of the remaining ghostbusters appear but in completely different, throwaway, blink or you miss it roles. Why on earth, when they’ve finally agreed to be in the film, would you waste them like that? It was such a disappointment and I actually wish they just hadn’t of bothered.
To end on a positive note however, I almost forgot about the charming and adorable efforts of Chris Hemsworth in one of his first comedy roles. Whilst a bit stupid and a bit like background furniture at the start, he really comes in to his own during the third act and had me sold.
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