GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

ghostbusters (2016) movie

Genre               |   Supernatural

Classification   |   PG

Running time   |   116 minutes

Released         |   14 July 2016

cast

​Melissa McCarthy ... Abby Yates
Kate McKinnon ... Jillian Holtzmann
Kristen Wiig ... Erin Gilbert
Leslie Jones ... Patty Tolan
Chris Hemsworth ... Kevin
Ed Begley Jr. ... Ed Mulgrave
Charles Dance ... Harold Filmore

director

Paul Feig

writer

​Katie Dippold ... (written by) &
Paul Feig ... (written by)
 
Ivan Reitman ... (based on the 1984 film "Ghostbusters" directed by)
 
Dan Aykroyd ... (based on the 1984 film "Ghostbusters" written by) and
Harold Ramis ... (based on the 1984 film "Ghostbusters" written by)

cinematographer

​Robert D. Yeoman

music

Theodore Shapiro ​

film editor

Melissa Bretherton
Brent White ​

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box office result

Worldwide             $​229,147,509  

Australia                 $​​​​9,303,411

North America        $​​​128,350,574

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the best dialogue

Patty Tolan: That's where I saw that weird sparking thing.
Jillian Holtzmann: What was it?
Patty Tolan: Baby, if I knew what it was, I wouldn't have called it a 'weird sparking thing'.

Erin Gilbert: Why am I operating the untested nuclear laser?
Jillian Holtzmann: You have the longest arms.

Mayor Bradley: Never compare me to the mayor in Jaws! Never!

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GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) IMAGES

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GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) STORY SYNOPSIS

​Paranormal researcher Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and physicist Erin Gilbert are trying to prove that ghosts exist in modern society. When strange apparitions appear in Manhattan, Gilbert and Yates turn to engineer Jillian Holtzmann for help. Also joining the team is Patty Tolan, a lifelong New Yorker who knows the city inside and out. Armed with proton packs and plenty of attitude, the four women prepare for an epic battle as more than 1,000 mischievous ghouls descend on Times Square.

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 12 July 2016
​Pop Movee Rating ⭐⭐½

The question as to whether audiences will enjoy Paul Feig’s new GHOSTBUSTERS  film will be determined by how much or little they care about seeing whether this third film brings something new to the franchise. After a twenty-seven year break between films, the biggest, most obvious change is the cast. For this third go-around, Feig has reached-out to his go-to gal, Melissa McCarthy, to help deliver the mix of comedy and action that made the original films huge hits. Supporting McCarthy are Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

There’s been a lot said (mainly on social media and internet forums) about rebooting the Ghostbusters franchise with an all-female team, but, the reality is far from the disaster the online naysayers predicted. McCarthy and Co are just fine taking over from the likes of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Where this new version of GHOSTBUSTERS misses the mark is its reliance on a nearly identical premise to the first two films, leaving little for the new Ghostbusting quartet to carve collective signature on the franchise.

The story opens in similar manner to the original, as the three academics in the team (McCarthy, Wiig & McKinnon) find themselves on the “institutional outer”, their theories mocked and work marginalised. Like the 1984 team, the 2016 team decide to go into private practice, helping to rid New York of the major spike in paranormal mayhem that has gripped the city. The team also get a new nerdy assistant, but they’re no Annie Potts... Chris Hemsworth steps in as Kevin, a naive, gorgeous-looking simpleton who seems to have a knack stating the obvious at just the wrong moment! Leslie Jones fills the fourth spot on the GHOSTBUSTER roster as Patty, a New York subway employee who seeks out the team after a first-hand encounter with a rather nasty spectral entity.

The first half of the film is certainly better than the second, as Katie Dippold and Feig’s script imbues each character with their own sense of quirkiness and the ghostly shenanigans are kept to contained bursts. The film’s second half is weighed down considerably by the overload of visual effects that are unleashed in order to sell the spectacle of Manhattan being overrun by all manner of nasty creatures.

GHOSTBUSTERS turns out to be a real ensemble film...

The core of the story is built around stars Mccarthy and Wiig, with their relationship as friends who have know each other since High School central to the group dynamic. Wiig is able to play on the natural goofiness that has become part of her schtick, especially in the presence of Hemsworth, who appears quite unafraid of being made to look like a complete dunce.

Of the quartet, Kate McKinnon is the clear stand-out as Jillian Hotlzmann. She’s the extension of Harold Ramis’s Egon Spengler but she has more of an edge to her and seems genuinely thrilled to be pushing the boundaries of scientific exploration with her off-beat antics. McKinnon looks like she’s having an absolute blast just watching the talent around her bounce off one another, but her contribution provides the Ghostbuster team with real balance and the movie is better for it.

The weakest link is Leslie Jones, who seems to be doing an impersonation of every cliche that might be expected of a black person confronted by a terrifying situation. (Think of the 1983 Eddie Murphy hyper-exaggerated standup routines with his portrayal of various family members and you’ve got the idea…)

GHOSTBUSTERS also features a stack of cameos, but - be warned - Feig takes a riskier path in the manner in which he uses actors from the previous two films and fans of the franchise will argue the toss for a long time to come as to whether or not it was the right decision.

​GHOSTBUSTERS is well worth a look at the cinema.

It lies somewhere between the effusive Twitter reviews that were released early into the social media universe to counter the stream of online negativity and the more mainstream assessments, with film critics predicting Sony had an expensive flop on their hands.

Like any film, there’s things that could have been done differently to help differentiate the film. Given the film feels like it exists in a slightly different universe to the original two movies, it would not have been a bridge too far to break away entirely from the two previous entries. Having said that, there’s enough stand-alone humour to suggest that the combination of actors he’s assembled is the right bunch and worthy of a follow-up adventure. (Perhaps, a follow-up adventure will see a more expansive story.)

Usually it’s not the done thing to talk about the end of the film, but, in this case, it’s an absolute must for viewers (especially fans) to stick around right to the very end. There’s a huge reveal after the credits have finished that suggests Sony has already pushed the button on a sequel (irrespective of the outcome of this film).

​Whether it becomes a reality will be left to audiences around the world to decide in the next few weeks.

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