GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)

Whenever it was announced that a third Ghostbusters movie was never going to happen I was crushed. Shortly thereafter a friend of mine assured me just how horrible of a movie with three old fat guys catching ghosts would be. It took awhile but I eventually agreed. The only other option was the characters passing the torch to a new team. Then Harold Ramis died, and at that point I felt the franchise should be over.

The idea of an all female Ghostbusters team sounded interesting to me from day one. I was really on board once the cast and crew was announced for the film. I have loved all of Paul Feig's films, especially SPY. So no preconceived hate/judgment from me about GHOSTBUSTERS (2016). Then I saw the trailer.

That first trailer for GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) has to be one of the worst teasers for a franchise I've seen in a long long time. None of the jokes worked, none of them! When a slap gag with a character saying “That's gonna leave a mark” is your best joke, people in the audience have no reason but to panic. With Feig's background in R-rated comedy I was hopping Sony was just showing restraint, and that the film was actually a hard PG-13.

In my opinion the marketing got worse, but I thought the final trailer was better. What I did like from the get go was the look of the film. You could tell they were going for something different and that scored points for me.

One thing I have never really understood is the fandom of the Ghostbuster franchise. Yes, the original is a comedy classic! Heck, I've probably watched it 50 if not 100 times! But to some fans this is their Star Wars. And I just don't get it?

The week of GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) I became pumped! I watched the 1984 original twice, yes twice. And I must say the 4k mastered Blu-Ray is stunning. Way better than the 2010 release.

As I was saying, I was getting real pumped for the new movie. The early reviews have been mostly mixed and I've decided to go in with a open mind and positive outlook. If Sony is really wanting a Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe, then come on, show me what you got!

Despite call backs from the original film, GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) starts out strong as it's own thing. Then the cameos show up and that's when the film starts to become blah. I understand why the cameos are in the movie, I was even looking forward to them but I thought they all sucked. Except for one, the Harold Ramis one. Blink and you'll miss it!

Here is director Paul Feig trying to do something different (which he does) but every 30 minutes or so we the audience are reminded of the original film. Thanks Sony, we get it! Because of this the movie starts to drag and begins to suffer from sloppy editing.

Okay, story wise it's basically the first film so I don't need to go into explaining the plot. Except for the villain is not Zuul but some guy who is tired of being a social outcast so he plans on opening some portal to another dimension. In other words, mass hysteria!

So let's get down to it! What did I like about GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)! Many things, I liked the characters. They need some more fleshing out but I'd watched the continuing adventures of Erin, Abby, Holtzman, and Patty. Speaking of Patty, she stole the show for me. So funny! Kids, this goes to show you that you can't trust a trailer. I hated the character just going by the trailers! But in the movie I got a kick out of her.

The look of the film I found interesting. The original film was photographed like a horror movie. For the reboot Paul Feig chose a different approach, his film looks more like a cartoon, but in a good way. The use of color in the opening scene was just amazing.

Speaking of cartoons! The ghost catching tech in the new film is awesome! I dug all the new weapons, especially the proton-whip. I know it strays from the original but the new gear works in Feig's film.

And lastly, I really liked how all the ghosts looked. Even the Ghostbuster logo ghost who looked dumb on television, but seeing it in IMAX 3D made a world of difference. Creepy for sure!

The good news is that I think there were more things I liked about GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) than disliked.

For me the biggest problem with the film is pacing and editing issues. Probably a common problem with comedies. As much as I hate to say it, the cameos drag the film down. I think the movie would be much stronger if they we're left out.

I give GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) a matinee recommendation. And I normally don't do this but I highly recommend seeing the film in IMAX 3D.