Movie Review: Ghostbusters

As far as remakes go, Ghostbusters is certainly toward the top of the list.

Well, well, well... the Ghostbusters are back, ladies and gentlemen. But predictably enough, there was unwarranted backlash toward the idea of rebooting the franchise. Look, I get it, Ghostbusters with Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis was a comedic masterpiece. I loved it. Nothing will ever top it, and to think the reboot would do so is just incredibly naive. The original has hung over the reboot since the first trailer dropped. This is what we like to do. As a country, we are so resistant to change, and we refuse to accept that something new could be as enjoyable as it was 30 years ago. Well guess what? It can.

But let's take a look at the clear difference: the leading cast members. They're women! It's 2016, everyone. Women can do stuff now. Oh, and by the way, they're just four of the funniest women on the face of the earth. Part of me wants to believe that four women starring in a major motion picture wasn't part of the backlash. But I'm not dumb. I know it was part of it. But if you were able to sit through Ghostbusters II, there is legitimately no reason not to check this movie out.

If you look closely, there aren't any
lenses in those glasses

To be frank, the most offensive part of the movie was Fall Out Boy singing the theme song. It was so bad that I won't even post the link here. You can find it for yourself. I definitely could've done without that.

And just to appease your appetite, yes, we see brief cameos from Murray, Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Siguorney Weaver, Annie Potts, who played Janine Melnitz, and even this class 5 full-roaming vapor. Sorry, no Rick Moranis.

Here's a piece of advice: Don't walk into the movie theater with any pre-conceived notions. Because if you sit down and begin to compare this Ghostbusters with the original Ghostbusters, you're going to walk out of the theater disappointed after wasting two hours of your life along with 25 bucks. Ghostbusters paid homage to the original while also separating itself from the previous two by highlighting the abilities of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Three of these ladies are current or former members Saturday Night Live, similar to the original cast. So the banter and the constant back-and-forth is natural and free.

There are lenses in her glasses

The movie starts with Erin Gilbert (Wiig) trying to earn tenure at Columbia University. But after discovering a book, which she believes is a less-than-flattering depiction of her, that she co-authored with her best friend Abby Yates (McCarthy) on Amazon, she tracks Abby down to have the book removed from the site. While visiting Abby, we meet Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon), a truly eccentric tech genius.

Holtzmann and Yates were somehow able to convince Gilbert to go on a ghost hunt, which ultimately costs Gilbert, not only her tenure, but her job entirely. So the three set off on their own to track down the paranormal throughout the city. If that plot sounds familiar, it's supposed to be. The plot line in this reboot is essentially the same as the 1984 original, and I'm sure that was intentional. Add a non-scientist in Patty to the group and hire a less-than-perfect secretary in Kevin, and the plot is almost exactly the same. But that can be forgiven because, as a whole, the cast is just so damn funny. The foursome of McCarthy, Wiig, McKinnon and Jones make up for the lack of imagination with sheer firepower.

While Wiig and McCarthy are seen as the heavy-hitters of the group, and their relationship is absolutely vital to making the movie to work, it's the utter weirdness of Holtzmann and the bluntness of Patty (Jones) that make this movie memorable.

I can't begin to describe how incredible McKinnon is in every aspect of the film, from the beginning through the final credits. Every group needs a wildcard, and she is it. But this wildcard just happens to be a tech prodigy, a perfect combination of Egon Spengler and Peter Venkman, who happens to thrive on the craziness of the situation. Whether that's fixing up a hearse or creating side gadgets to destroy ghosts, it's quirkiness that grants her the ability to steal every single scene that she is in.

It's a great summer flick that will provide more than a few laughs. Is it memorable? Probably not. But it really isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours, and it's definitely a better alternative than the Republican National Convention.

Ruby Rating 3.5 gems