Movie Review 038 Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters [071516] 3.5/5

- 73%/ 57%, 5.2/10, 60, 2.5, wiki, official -

Synopsis 

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

(Director Paul Feig [Bridesmaids, Spy], Budget $144 Millions = Box Office $65.1> Millions [domestic], Duration 1hr 56mns, Rating PG-13, Genre - Action, Comedy, Ghostbusters Universe, Supernatural)

~ Entertaining dynamic between the four leads without overshadowing each other with their own time in the spotlight to shine, as Leslie Jones and  Kate McKinnon's characters the standout among them but the former's stereotypical background and the latter's eccentric characteristics were an acquired taste while the direction for their sidekick and main villain went from silly, juvenile humor to downright comically cringing

~ Inadequate world building of the ghostbusting universe and its rules, relying too much on the audience's familiarity of the premise with improper establishment in the movie itself as the pseudoscience the movie and the gadgets was based on was mentioned matter-of-factly without much-needed exposition  

~ Extremely negative early feedback caused by the perceived bad treatment of the beloved franchise as the pre-production drama (i.e. all new female cast and original actors' lack of involvement) started to fan the hatred and the following disastrous marketing campaign certainly didn't help the reboot's case with a few vocal online condemnation even before its release (i.e. genuine criticism of the promotional material against jumping to feminist conclusion) 

~ Stylised visuals with eye-catching design and vibrant colours updating the looks of the ghosts and the visual effects with modern technology in favour of the previous more practical effects  

~ Rather weak story structure and plot with story beats being strung together as continuity issues plagued the storyline and the suspension of disbelief was at full effect with loopholes aplenty, missing the motivation of the characters and explanation of the events

~ Crippling decision to try to balance between being its own incarnation of the Ghostbusters and at the same time paying tribute to the originals, with them having fun with the concept when it was steering away from the classic iteration while the not too subtle constant barrage of homages (ranging from handled graciously to downright pandering) rather restraining the movie from its full potential on its own instead of riding on the nostalgic coattails

+ Highlights: quick and quippy dialogues, goofy performance by Chris Hemsworth, the ghosts' manifestation spooky and hilarious scene, gear testing, Holtzman's ghostbusting scene, the 3D's smart application

- Lowlights: objectification of men (the assistant), bad representation of NYC, the inexplicably complex technology of the gadgets and its surprisingly fast turnaround