Ghostbusters (2016)

Before you all jump down my throat and start giving me shit about seeing the new Ghostbusters movie let me tell you this: the original Ghostbusters movies are two of my all-time favorite movies ever. I know them both word for word and scene for scene. I have been watching the Ghostbusters movies since before the age of five. My parents have me and my older cousin on video running around with his play proton pack when we were little. They are two movies that I have nothing but the fondest memories of watching and that have impacted my life. I also have nothing but respect for the cast and director of the originals. Usually I do not like remakes, I freak out whenever I hear Hollywood finances a remake instead of something original. But, let me tell you guys, the new Ghostbusters movie is hilarious and in no way even a remake. I say it is a different telling with some throwbacks to the originals.

            This story begins with Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig). She is a professor of physics at Columbia University in New York City. Just before a class she is approached by a man who has read her book about ghosts and the paranormal. He needs Erin’s help with investigating a ghost in an old Victorian mansion he is a historian at. Erin is furious to find out her old friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) is selling the book they had both written together. This book could jeopardize her tenure that she is up for at the college.

            Erin goes to see Abby who is working at some sort of school for science. Abby is now working with Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) on new devices to catch ghosts. Erin tells them about the guys who came to see her about investigating the mansion. Abby and Hotlzmann are so excited so go check the place out that Erin tells them she will only take them to the mansion if Abby takes the book off of Amazon.

            At the mansion they find a full body apparition. All three women cannot believe what they are seeing. Erin tries to go up to talk to the apparition and the ghost spews goo all over her. Erin now fully believes there are such things as ghosts and the paranormal and her shouting her new belief was filmed by Holtzmann which Abby then puts onto the Internet. Columbia finds the video and kicks Erin out.

            Soon Erin, Abby, and Holtzmann get a call from a MTA worker named Patty (Leslie Jones) who says she saw a ghost in the subway after she had tried to chase after a guy who walked off that platform and onto the tracks. Before she saw the ghost she had seen something that had been placed on the electrical panel and sparked and exploded. They all see the ghost but they have no way of catching it. Or they do but they have nowhere to store it. Holtzmann keeps improving on their machines to catch ghosts as the story progresses.

            Ghost sightings occur at different places around the city. Erin notices a pattern. The pattern actually forms an X over a certain place that could be used to open up a portal for all the ghosts to come out of. And of course the portal gets opened and the Ghostbusters have to hilariously save the day.

            There is so much more to the story but why would I want to ruin a good thing? You guys have to go see it for yourselves.

            Obviously the major difference in this movie is that the cast is entirely female. That is awesome and if you do not think an all-female cast like this is awesome stop reading this review and get with the modern times. I think it was completely genius to have an all-female cast and especially because they are four of the funniest actresses around today. Kate McKinnon practically steals the entire movie. Every scene Holtzmann was in I cracked up so hard. I have never seen McKinnon on Saturday Night Live, I have only ever seen her in her bit part in the movie Sisters. She was even hilarious in that small part. Holtzmann is eccentric and fantastic and I now count her as one of my all-time favorite movie characters. With Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig I feel like their comedy was a bit toned down. To me they usually play these over the top comedic characters and in this movie they were not as over the top (I am sure that made absolutely no sense whatsoever to anyone but me). Leslie Jones was hilarious. I do not think I have never seen her in anything else. I enjoyed her character a lot too. Cecily Strong, also from Saturday Night Live, has a small part. I like her, I never mind seeing her in a TV show or movie, she is so funny.

I have to give a mention to some of the actors. Chris Hemsworth plays the secretary. I am not too much a fan of his acting but he was not that bad. It was funny seeing Hemsworth play such a clueless person. I nearly freaked out when I saw Matt Walsh. You have seen the guy in so many movies and shows as a bit player. I know him as Trotter from Upright Citizens Brigade.

            This Ghostbusters movie would not be complete without cameos from the original cast. Spoiler alert: they do not make cameos as their original characters. All of the cameos were great.

            Ghostbusters was one of the best times I have had sitting through a movie in the theater. Everything about it, to me, was perfect. The best was that it did not for one moment take itself too seriously and that helped so much because it was just silly all around. Paul Feig’s direction was awesome; his direction of Kate McKinnon’s scenes was the best. The cast could in no way have been any better. Do not let all the negative reviews get in your head and turn you off to seeing it. As I said, I am a diehard fan of the original movies and I loved this new Ghostbusters. Absolutely go see Ghostbusters as soon as you can.