I’m going to kick off this review by making it abundantly clear I’m neither a misogynist, nor a sexist in general. I’ll root for any sex in the movies as long as the writing and overall story works to a certain degree. That being said, the Ghostbusters reboot, directed by Paul Feig, although easier to deal with than a cystoscopy, I can at least say the latter is over within about five to ten minutes.
What didn’t work? Really the first 30-40 mins of the film I found myself cringing at how poorly written the dialogue, and most of the jokes were. It just fell flat. And the principal cast of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones couldn’t find a solid flow of memorable jokes, let alone the charm of the original films. Speaking of Jones, I will say out of everyone in the cast that it was her spunk and charisma that at least got the theater laughing I was in, and even made me crack a smile or two. So kudos to her performance, otherwise the film would have completely flat lined early on. Additionally, and I hesitate to mention this in fear I’ll be called out for singling out a performance, but Mckinnon’s role as Holtzmann came off as a “clearly trying too hard” vibe. There were times it seemed obvious she was all but winking at the camera, and to top it off, there’s a bit of a dance number earlier into the film with her character that’s cringeworthy at best– Just egregiously cheesy, and I suppose there’s more to blame with the content she was given to work with here than anything else. Like I already alluded, the humor in this movie predominantly missed the mark. And before I forget, Chris Hemsworth’s character as the resident, dopey secretary, Kevin, for these Ghostbustin gals also seemed a bit too heavy-handed– There was nothing subtle about it and perhaps therein lies the real problem!
The villain? When you cast someone to play the lead villain that comes off as essentially some extremely all knowing IT guy you’d just assume sucker punch, that simply doesn’t work for a film like this. Anyone remember good ole Janosz Poha from Ghostbusters 2?? Played to perfection by Peter MacNicol. Well, sure, he was a nerd, but a funny nerd, with a hell of a memorable accent that made his character all the more endearing. In the case of this reboot, Neil Casey, who plays Rowan North, is as forgettable a heavy as you’ll find in a summer tentpole film. Case closed on that front.
The cameos of the original cast? Mostly forgettable, and even Bill Murray’s portion wasn’t anything to write home about. I think of anyone of them, Ernie Hudson’s appearance was probably the most satisfying of the bunch towards the end of the film.
The special effects? Some of the ghost effects weren’t half bad, and I thought looked very bright, vivid, and what one would expect from a Ghostbusters film in 2016. However, there were also plenty of shots that looked all too fake, and with far too much reliance on CGI. In the end, I think it’s ironic that the 1984, and 1989 Ghostbusters flicks ultimately have the better, more creative, and ultimately more original looking effects from start to finish.
The final verdict? This reboot never got going on all cylinders from the start. I feel like the reason so many people still adore the original Ghostbusters is because it not only had great laughs, with subtle humor (not forced like this one), but more importantly, there were some creepy scenes throughout that added a little tension into the mix– namely when Sigourney Weaver gets turned into a dog, ha! Still gets me every-time. Hell, even Ghostbusters 2 had one or two scenes that one could consider legitimately scary. (at least for kids) Regardless, it didn’t come together for this latest attempt by Hollywood to cash in on an old, memorable name. Mostly forgettable at best! Nuff said.
2 out of 4 stars
(If you enjoyed the film, great! After all, movies are a subjective experience– opinions are my own, not the websites)
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