Review- Ghostbusters (2016)
Before I start the review, I want to state where I stood on the film before I watched it because it's impossible to watch this film without having an opinion. I was pretty open to the idea of an all female Ghostbusters and I've heard very good things about Paul Fieg, despite having seen none of his films. There was nothing about the cast being female that would make it less funny. I got worried though when I saw the trailer as it didn't look funny and looked entirely cliched. I like the original Ghostbusters, although not to the degree that most do but even I was starting to think that this film may not live up to it. So has it? Well. let's get to it.
So, the story may sound somewhat familiar to you as, despite the fact that the cast have repeatedly denied it, this film is a reboot for sure. Kristen Wiig is a science teacher who is disgraced after Melissa McCarthy publishes a book they wrote together about ghosts. Things happen and then they are brought together with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and are the Ghostbusters. They go around the city, trying to prove to people that ghosts exist and not actually busting many ghosts. There's a bad guy who keeps summoning ghosts and it culminates in a big battle in Times Square. It clearly borrows many story notes from the original but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, Force Awakens did that and that film was fantastic. Even in the original though, the plot wasn't fantastic so taking bits from a weak plot makes for another weak plot.
The acting of this movie is something that changed vastly in my expectations from before the film was released and after seeing it. See, the four Ghostbusters are all hilarious actresses. Being a big fan of SNL, Wiig, McKinnon and Jones were all really exciting additions to this film and I couldn't wait to see them all on screen together. Unfortunately, whole cast chemistry is somewhat lacking. Wiig lacks energy and McCarthy has none of the risky humour that makes her so popular usually. Jones is also a let down as she plays to all her stereotypes but gets a few good moments although the standout is McKinnon, While not always great, she is the most consistently funny cast member and had some of the best jokes. Christ Hemsworth takes over the role of the secretary and is a hot airhead who gets a few great jokes but quickly becomes annoying. The original cast members (Moranis aside) all make cameos and these range from mildly amusing to going through the motions of a cameo. There's also a bad guy but he isn't worth mentioning whatsoever.
For me, the biggest problem with this film is the comedy. Yes, it's a sci-fi comedy like the original but that means the film has to be funny and consistently so which unfortunately, it isn't. There are jokes and you may well laugh but I never really laughed out loud. I did that laugh where you shoot air through your nose, I did that one a couple of times but not much else. I don't know if it's because the humour just isn't my kind of humour but the rest of the people in the cinema seemed to be having an equally okay time. The film also seems to be trying too hard on numerous levels, both on the comedy front and in trying to be a strongly feminist film. Admittedly, the female characters are all strong but it chooses not just to make women strong but also to make the men weak. Seriously, all of them men (count if you're watching) are either idiots or assholes. In fact, the main bad guy (spoiler alert) is beaten by being hit in the balls. It's great that films are trying to make women stronger because that needs to happen but by doing it at the same time as making men weaker destroys the entire concept of feminism which is about gender equality, not demonising either gender.
So in summary, it's fine. The film can be funny but isn't always. There's nothing here to love and it's not going to be the really cry for women to show how strong they can be but equally, it's not enough to justify the misogynists who claim that this film will destroy their beloved franchise. There's no point getting passionate in either way about this film but it has some redeeming features, so I recommend going to see Central Intelligence instead this week and give the film
So, the story may sound somewhat familiar to you as, despite the fact that the cast have repeatedly denied it, this film is a reboot for sure. Kristen Wiig is a science teacher who is disgraced after Melissa McCarthy publishes a book they wrote together about ghosts. Things happen and then they are brought together with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and are the Ghostbusters. They go around the city, trying to prove to people that ghosts exist and not actually busting many ghosts. There's a bad guy who keeps summoning ghosts and it culminates in a big battle in Times Square. It clearly borrows many story notes from the original but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, Force Awakens did that and that film was fantastic. Even in the original though, the plot wasn't fantastic so taking bits from a weak plot makes for another weak plot.
The acting of this movie is something that changed vastly in my expectations from before the film was released and after seeing it. See, the four Ghostbusters are all hilarious actresses. Being a big fan of SNL, Wiig, McKinnon and Jones were all really exciting additions to this film and I couldn't wait to see them all on screen together. Unfortunately, whole cast chemistry is somewhat lacking. Wiig lacks energy and McCarthy has none of the risky humour that makes her so popular usually. Jones is also a let down as she plays to all her stereotypes but gets a few good moments although the standout is McKinnon, While not always great, she is the most consistently funny cast member and had some of the best jokes. Christ Hemsworth takes over the role of the secretary and is a hot airhead who gets a few great jokes but quickly becomes annoying. The original cast members (Moranis aside) all make cameos and these range from mildly amusing to going through the motions of a cameo. There's also a bad guy but he isn't worth mentioning whatsoever.
For me, the biggest problem with this film is the comedy. Yes, it's a sci-fi comedy like the original but that means the film has to be funny and consistently so which unfortunately, it isn't. There are jokes and you may well laugh but I never really laughed out loud. I did that laugh where you shoot air through your nose, I did that one a couple of times but not much else. I don't know if it's because the humour just isn't my kind of humour but the rest of the people in the cinema seemed to be having an equally okay time. The film also seems to be trying too hard on numerous levels, both on the comedy front and in trying to be a strongly feminist film. Admittedly, the female characters are all strong but it chooses not just to make women strong but also to make the men weak. Seriously, all of them men (count if you're watching) are either idiots or assholes. In fact, the main bad guy (spoiler alert) is beaten by being hit in the balls. It's great that films are trying to make women stronger because that needs to happen but by doing it at the same time as making men weaker destroys the entire concept of feminism which is about gender equality, not demonising either gender.
So in summary, it's fine. The film can be funny but isn't always. There's nothing here to love and it's not going to be the really cry for women to show how strong they can be but equally, it's not enough to justify the misogynists who claim that this film will destroy their beloved franchise. There's no point getting passionate in either way about this film but it has some redeeming features, so I recommend going to see Central Intelligence instead this week and give the film
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