GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The moment director Paul Feig announced he was making a reboot of the 1984 comedy, Ghostbusters, there was a big uproar. People were convinced he would 'ruin the franchise' and that the film wouldn't 'work with women'. 

So far, the film has just been released in the UK, has an average rating of 3.7 on IMDb and 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. In my opinion, even though I use IMDb frequently, I think it's worth paying attention to the Rotten Tomatoes score as it's deemed by critics. The majority of them have given this film good reviews with 52 rating is as 'Fresh'. 

Being 18 years old, I, obviously, wasn't around when the original Ghostbusters was released and have only just recently watched it. I thought it was really good and had plenty of funny moments. I also watched the sequel which, even though it wasn't as good as its predecessor, still had plenty of laughs. To be honest, I don't think that the original Ghostbusters is anything special. Yes, it's funny and is entertaining but it's not the best film in the world. This is why I can't understand why people are getting so angry over this reboot. I think that people should give this film a chance, it's actually not that bad. 

I've enjoyed Feig's previous films, The Heat and Spy, so I knew this couldn't be as bad as people were making it out to be. Before watching this, I heard from a lot of people that they enjoyed it. One thing that I felt that the 1984 Ghostbusters lacked was a scary atmosphere. Sure, when it was released, the special effects were first rate and probably scared a few people. Now, they look silly and, instead, adds to the comedy. In this Ghostbusters, there are a few jump scares which I liked because I feel like most comedy/horror films focus too much on getting people to laugh instead of scaring them. Don't worry, though, the jump scares are minor and they're mainly there to generate a reaction out of the audience.

The premise of the film is simple. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) join up together to stop a legion of ghosts that have suddenly risen. Unfortunately, no one believes them and think that they're lying and even get called 'sad, lonely women'. This doesn't stop them and their determination to save the world only gets stronger. 

Both McCarthy and Wiig have worked with Feig before and give very funny and likable performances as Abby and Erin. Newcomers McKinnon and Jones, who are best known for appearing in Saturday Night Live, are also just as funny in their roles. Jones gained the most laughs from her one liners. The four work really well and their chemistry is clearly shown in the film. 

Chris Hemsworth also brings comic relief as Kevin, the group's receptionist who, despite being really good looking, isn't at all that bright. However, we see an whole other side to him in the big battle sequence in the final half hour of the film.

If there's one thing I was disappointed with, it's that, although some of the cast members from the original Ghostbusters feature, they don't return as their characters. Feig didn't want the reboot to be set in a universe that's already used to ghosts which is understandable. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts all make appearances. This is why I can't understand the hate. I doubt the original cast members would've featured in this film if they didn't think it was going to be any good. 

I honestly think that this is a really enjoyable film and definitely one of the funniest films I've watched. Please don't pay attention to the hate, it's worth giving a watch if you enjoyed the original film. 

7/10

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

It's been over three decades since its release in 1984 and it's still one of the most popular comedies today. It's not hard to understand why. The three main protagonists, Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), are all likable. The film is worth watching for each actors' performance and the fight against the ghosts.
 The film opens with a librarian finding a ghost which leads to Dr Venkman, Dr Stantz and Dr Spengler coming together to become the 'Ghostbusters'. However, things take a drastic turn when Venkman's love interest, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) discovers a portal to another dimension in her refrigerator and the Ghostbusters soon realise that there's more than just ghosts in this world.

The film moves at a fast pace and doesn't dwell too much on the premise because we, as an audience, already understand what's going on. 

All three characters have great chemistry which is important in a film that focuses on a group of friends. The majority of the dialogue is witty or sarcastic comments from Dr Venkman, as portrayed by Murray who improvised most of his lines. The supporting cast includes Weaver as Dr. Venkman's love interest, Dana, who is completely different to Weaver's iconic role as Ellen Ripley in Alien. She's an ordinary woman who ends up being possessed by an evil demon known as the 'Gatekeeper'. It's understandable why Weaver took this role as she wanted to diverge from her famous Alien character (she did, however, end up returning to the role in the sequel, Aliens, two years later). 

In the 1980s, the special affects were very limited and, reviewing this in 2016, they do look low-rent. This isn't a bad thing though, to be honest, that's what makes this film so enjoyable to watch. It's interesting to compare how much the special effects have improved over the past 30 years. I think the ghost themselves were really good but I think the stand out would have to be the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Unfortunately, he doesn't make his appearance until the film's climax but, in my opinion, I think it's one of the best things about this film.

The film also features one of the most iconic songs, 'Ghostbusters' by Ray Parker Jr, that topped the US Billboard Hot 100 shortly after its release and remained at the top spot for three weeks. The reason why it's iconic is because of its catchy lyrics.

It's no surprise that over 30 years after its release, Ghostbusters is still one of the most popular comedies. 

7/10