Directed by Paul Feig
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones
Let me just get some things out of the way, because I know I'll have to address them at some point. I was never against a third Ghostbusters film. I was never against a new team becoming the center of the story. I was never against that new team being all female. Despite what everyone was saying, I still believed that there was potential for this film to be great…but for me, it ended up just being okay.
The story of the new Ghostbusters begins when estranged friends and physicists Abby Yates and Erin Gilbert (McCarthy and Wiig) are called upon to investigate some paranormal activity when someone discovers their book on the paranormal. After a first successful...ghost busting? The girls decide to look further into their research, along with Erin's lab partner Dr. Jillian Holtzman (McKinnon) and New York City subway worker Patty Tolan (Jones). The team soon discovers there's more to all these ghosts appearing throughout the city, and uncover a far more dangerous threat that could destroy the world.
First off, the story is pretty thin. There's not much to the basic "bunch of misfits are called upon to save the world from some great threat" plot. The heart of the story is the relationship between Abby and Erin, but it's never really given enough attention for us as an audience to connect or care. That, and the film pretty much hits every story beat the first Ghostbusters hit. The characters think they can make ghost busting a business, the team is assembled, they gain attention, they get on the wrong side of the law…if you've seen the first one, you know where this is all going to wind up. The villain is weak, and his rise to power, and his plan, are underdeveloped.
But this is a comedy first and foremost. How funny is this, and how does the cast do? I only found myself laughing out loud a few times in the film. Most of the time they were just getting smiles and smirks out of me. The humor isn't crude, and it isn't clever, it's just kind of generic. The leading ladies, I always took issue with McCarthy and Wiig being cast in this film. Not because I don't think they're talented. They both already have great careers and these roles could have been given to dozens of other actresses more deserving of a bigger picture and a chance to show their comedic chops.
McCarthy has never been my favorite comedienne, and she gets the least laughs out of all four. Kristen Wiig is misused as mostly being the straight woman to everyone else. Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are absolutely hilarious. Chris Hemsworth actually ends up being one of the funniest people in this film, as the Ghostbusters' dim-witted receptionist. Another thing the film has going for it is the effects, which are incredibly vibrant and eye-catching.
At the end of the day though I just have to get nitpicky here and ask, why does this film exist within a different continuity from the first two films? Especially when Murray, Akroyd, Hudson, Weaver, and Potts all show up for cameos. Who's to say they all couldn't have spent the same amount of time on set reprising their old roles here opposed to these faceless incidental characters? Why couldn't this new team have heard of the old and been inspired by them, instead of this unnecessary reboot of the franchise? I digress.
Ghostbusters isn't bad, and it isn't great. It's just there, as a sometimes funny and sometimes charming film. Ghostbuster purists shouldn't be offended, and comedy fans should be satisfied. It's a harmless little film that probably won't gain the following of the original, but will still have an audience as time goes on.
….Reviewin' makes me feel good.
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