Ghostbusters

If there´s something strange, in your neighbourhood, who you´re gonna call ?

Loa Falkman

I don´t think we need to call anyone else, besides, this man can fix any problem. No matter if you are having problems with ghosts, snow tsunamis, Olle Jönsson, you can always be sure that Loa Falkman is the man with the right tools. Speaking of ghosts, do you belive they exist ? They might be real, i just don´t see them so far. Perhaps i will at some point, and if they appear, don´t expect to see me staying around. They say that ghosts can be seen in many different shapes, and we have seen many tv shows, documentaries about Ghost Hunters. But most of all, i think we should be talking about one film, that became a huge hit in the 80´s, where ghosts got a brand new look than before. Ghostbusters, an action comedy, directed by Ivan Reitman from 1984, is thé story of a gang of ghost hunters in New York, trying to stop the evil Gozer. This film is one of those great classics from the 80´s, you can watch over and over again, and still love even today. The cast of Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, helped the film becoming a cult film. Considering the film was made in the early 80´s, i have to say that the special effects still look pretty good today. Cheesy in some scenes ? Sure, but still director Ivan Reitman did a great job with the look of the film. Ghostbusters gave a generation of kids, and nerds a chance to feel like superheroes, with all the merchandise that was released after the film did amazing at the box office. You had Ghostbusters figures, slime, weapons, skateboards, and a lot of other toys. There was no surprise that a sequel was going to be made, so in 1989 we got to see Ghostbusters 2 in cinemas worldwide. I actually did see this sequel in a theatre, with my father. The sequel did not manage to capture the magic of the first film, even if the cast of the first film is here again. I think the biggest problem was that the comedy chemistry did not work this time. Not a completely awful sequel, but nowhere near as good as the first film. There have been discussions for many years, about Ghostbusters 3. And there were discussions to bring back the original cast one more time, but that all changed when Harold Ramis passed away in 2014. Harold wanted to make a third film, but since Bill Murray did not feel very pleased about doing another one, everything did not work out. So eventually, Sony Pictures made the decision to bring in a whole new cast. This time a cast of all women as the new Ghostbusters, with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Since i am a fan of the original film, i was looking forward to see if a updated version of the classic film would work in 2016. Is this better than i expected, or should Sony Pictures have left Ghostbusters alone?

Dr. Erin Gilbert ( Kristen Wiig ) is focusing on her career as a physics professor at Columbia University. When she finds out that a book she wrote, with her co-author physics researcher Abby Yates ( Melissa McCarthy ), is published without her permission, she is furious. The book is about the paranormal phenomena. Erin goes to see Abby, to get some answers of why she published the book. There she also meet eccentric engineer Dr. Jillian Holtzman ( Kate McKinnon ). Abby and Jillian are working together, trying to figure out ways to handle ghost problems. Recently, a lot of ghost activities have been spotted around New York, so this gives these women a chance to do something different. Put together a team, where the idea is to capture ghosts, and make sure that citizens can feel much safer. They get a visit from Patty Tolan ( Leslie Jones ), a happy and social woman, who would love to join their team.They also hire a receptionist named Kevin ( Chris Hemsworth ), who is supposed to take calls in emergency moments. It seems that all these ghost activities that are happening around town, is caused by a man called Rowan North ( Neil Casey ). He is planning to revenge, for all the years he have been treated like garbage, and he have found a way to release ghosts out on the streets. Ghostbusters are ready to take on the streets of New York, but do they really know what is waiting out there ?

You shall never judge a film by it´s trailer, and i was hoping that this updated version of Ghostbusters would turn out to surprise me. I think a female cast was a good idea, since the original Ghostbusters are getting older, it would have been hard to have them all back in a third film. When i saw the cast of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon as the new Ghostbusters, i was hoping that they would fit into the characters and deliver solid comedy performances. Considering that especially Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig have proved their comedy timing in several films, i have to say that they don´t manage to deliver. This has nothing to do that they are women, this is because of their characters. One of the things that made the original film funny, was because of the chemistry between the characters. In this updated version, it is like they are just made into characters, that are supposed to fit into this genre, but they simply don´t match. This is too bad, because there is nothing wrong with the idea of an all female cast. Melissa McCarthy as the loud paranormal scientist Dr. Abigail, have a few funny scenes, but that´s basically it. Kristen Wiig as Dr.Erin, is perhaps one of the more solid characters. I know that Kate McKinnon have been critisized for her performance as the nutty Dr. Jillian. I like the idea of her character, but she becomes a bit too much crazy. Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan, is also a highlight in this film. Her comedy timing in Ghostbusters, is needed to be honest. In fact, the scenes i laughed most in, was when Leslie had screening time. Then we have the stupid receptionist Kevin, played by Chris Hemsworth. He does give a performance you won´t forget, because his character is really dumb. The tone of the new Ghostbusters film, have influences from the original film. But even though we can recognize the style, and some of the looks, there are some problems we need to mention. The evil Rowan North, played by Neil Casey, is one of the worst bad guys i have seen in a long time. In a big budget film like this, you need to have a strong evil character who deliver some really enjoyable evil dialogue. Neil Casey does not give us anything on this level, i simply don´t understand why he did his character this way. Andy Garcia as the mayor is a good idea, but comes out wrong in this film. A legendary actor like him should have been given a more powerful character. Director Paul Feig have directed 3 really funny films with Melissa McCarthy in the past, Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. So this is their fourth time working together. Unfortunately, this time it does not work. And i think Paul´s version of Ghostbusters may have been different than what the fans asked for. The original film will always be a classic, and this updated version does not feel either as funny, or entertaining as the 1984 film is. Ghostbusters may be loved by a younger generation, i just did not found myself enjoying this version, as much as i was hoping for. It´s not looking good for a sequel right now, considering the box office numbers, but if they choose to do one, keep the cast of this film, but make sure to make that film more funny. Nice to see some cameos though from some of the original Ghostbusters film.

Rating: DD