In that, it feels like the original “Ghostbusters”, which – despite what internet critics who believe the original is the “Citizen Kane” of comedy will tell you – is also inconsequential, screwball fun with no lesson aside from “When somebody asks you if you’re a god, you say ‘Yes!'” While I hesitate to compare the actors in this movie to the actors in the 1984 comedy, McKinnon seems to have taken the best bits from Bill Murray’s Venkman and Harold Ramis’ Spengler, and then added her own dash of utter madness.
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I’ll repeat: Ghostbusters is far from the disaster that many were predicting, and I want it to be a hit if only to crush the hopes of the haters who have become so creepily invested in its failure. As shaggy as the storytelling can sometimes be, there isn’t much downtime in “Ghostbusters”, as it moves from set piece to set piece, zinger to zinger at a rapid pace.
“I knew very early that we were in very good shape when I saw the four of them together”, said Reitman.
The new Ghostbusters premieres tonight, and Kate McKinnon’s turn as nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann is already being hailed as the breakout performance of the film. After a brief investigation and a paranormal encounter, so are the three scientists. But now that they’ve found a ghost, what can they do about it?
Things play out structurally similarly to the original film – start a business, hire a receptionist, find a vehicle, build ghost-catching equipment. The details, of course, are updated to reflect the modern day. Her wacky, tech-crazy, live-wire lab-nut weapons wonk feels somewhat of a nod to Dan Aykryod’s character in the original, but she takes it to a totally new place in a unique role that may break her out beyond her hilarious SNL skits.
Abby is one-quarter of the new, all-female spook exterminator team, along with longtime friend Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig); the two once co-authored a book on ghosts before Erin, unable to conjure up concrete evidence for her theories, retreated into academia instead. And her uncle lends them a auto, so that’s nice, too. So as to not cause a panic, the mayor (Andy Garcia) mandates that the Ghostbusters’ work be privately lauded but publicly declared as fraudulent. Meanwhile, supernatural activity is increasing around the city, and the sneering villain, Rowan (Neil Casey), is hastening some sort of major event by building mysterious machines and strategically placing them at haunted locales. While this is very self-referential the old characters bare the same visual enhancements as their newer counterparts, and are used in a way that does not distract from the film’s plot. Wiig is predominantly the straight-laced character with a tendency to be soaked by ectoplasm, while McCarthy is her foil, a true believer with a grind-it-out, get-it-done attitude.
The film is directed by Paul Feig (The Heat, Bridesmaids), written by Feig and Katie Dippold, and produced by Ivan Reitman and Amy Pascal.
One interesting casting choice that really works in the film’s favor is the use of Chris Hemsworth (best known for playing the superhero Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Kevin, the Ghostbusters’ dimwitted receptionist. Though Ghostbusters hasn’t officially been screened for Chinese officials, its subject matter will likely run afoul of the country’s censors, according to an insider. Conversely, “Ghostbusters Logo Monster” feels nearly like an afterthought. I don’t think so.
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Sometimes, a movie is just fun.
