GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)
dir. Paul Feig
Have No Fear, The
Following Review is Spoiler-Free
I
liked this movie. I really, really, really liked this movie. No, I have not
been paid or influenced by Sony or Sony Pictures. I liked this film because it
is hilarious, has some top notch ghost effects and action scenes and it isn't
just a photocopy of the original source material. Instead, we get a new take
that stands on its own while still maintaining its franchise roots which (for
some other movies) may be a hard feat to pull off, but, this one pulls it off spectacularly.
Are
there some flaws or things that could've been fixed? Sure. The pacing in act
2.5 gets a bit slow and there are moments that feel like they've been left in
to meet a longer runtime. The nods and winks to the original film do get a bit
heavy (the theme tune is played many times including in the films orchestral
score) but not so much that it feels like Gus Van Sant's "Psycho" or
"The Thing" Pre-make. The main baddie of the story could've had a
little more backstory and structure but there are some things that he does with
his motives that are different and not what you would normally see which makes
him a tiny notch above average.
However,
what saves the film from those story-breaking flaws are the charismatic
performances by McCarthy, Wiig, McKinnon, and Jones with the latter two practically
running away with the film in some scenes. Their characters are very well
written and fleshed out and were not trying to emulate or recreate the original
dynamics of Murray, Ackroyd, Ramis and Hudson. They ground their own motives
and meaning within the film's universe. I also like how the roles and molds of
a traditional team are turned upside down as there is no particular leader,
muscle, nerd, plucky sidekick, etc. They are a group with fleshed out individual
traits that make them unique and relatable.
Some
may accuse me of going in, quote, unquote, already knowing that I was going to
like this movie, that I liked it because it reminded me of the original/”brand name”, or
because the lead roles were given to women. When it comes to reboots, retellings,
remakes and re-quels (as in the case of Independence Day: Resurgence), I judge
a film based on what it brings to the table in terms of entertainment and
originality. Some do it well, some do it okay and some are too terrible to
mention or think about. These new “Ghostbusters” bring more than plenty to the
table and not just gizmos, gadgets and gimmicks. It is a fun spooktacular time with
plenty of laughs, slime and action and while that may sound clichéd, it comes
from the heart of someone who truly enjoyed (and perhaps maybe even loved) this new and refreshing summer
blockbuster.
Rating: 4.5 Reels
No comments:
Post a Comment