It’s hard not to approach any remake, reboot or rehash with anything more than at least a little frown, but when the original was such a classic you have to dig deep to keep an open mind ahead of watching it. The makers of Ghostbusters (2016) appear to have been aware of this right from the very beginning with its efforts to secure the minor presence of the original cast members and seeming lack of taking itself too seriously. However, sadly, that hasn’t stopped director and writer Kevin Feige and his co-writer Katie Dipold getting it wrong on too many occasions to come anywhere near the exceptional delivery of the 1980s classic.
The biggest issues with the film relate to the story itself, or more importantly the direction the story goes in at times. The overall premise is sound enough with physicist Dr. Erin Gilbert getting back in contact with her former paranormal science buddy Dr. Abby Yates to hush up her past as she attempts to secure tenure at Columbia University. However, when you go on to find out that she was haunted as a child and that the pair had previously developed the theory behind the technology they use to catch ghosts, you start to question it as a setup. If we’d been haunted every night for a year as a kid and then discovered the scientific capabilities to prove it all once and for all, there’s no way we’d leave it all behind. It just doesn’t follow very well. The fact that it turns out that the same initial research is the framework for the technology used to draw ghosts to New York makes it even more ridiculous.
The tech approach also makes the situation much more pedestrian without the archaic malevolence that made the previous films so compelling. Mad scientist janitor, Rowan North (Neil Casey), would have been fine enough as the subservient flunky to a controlling being, but as the main show he’s just a bit underwhelming.
If that isn’t enough to make the film too lukewarm for sandals, too tepid to be bold, Ghostbusters (2016) also struggles to identify what it is is trying to be. It starts out trying to be a knowing, self-deprecating comedy that plays on its heritage, but then switches to a clueless action adventure that tries to take itself seriously in the final stretch, so it ends up feeling confused and miss-judged.
It also fails to tap into a number of important principles that defined the earlier films. Instead of closing out on a team effort that takes down the apocalyptic force of evil together, it’s a solo act of heroism that takes centre stage. Instead of featuring seemingly real people in real peril it all just sort of feels a bit Mickey Mouse. Instead of facing the untold power of a super being, they’ve got a recently deceased megalomaniac janitor.
In all fairness to Feige and Dipold, the comedy elements of the film are pretty funny, which is the biggest selling point for the DVD. There’s a lot of silly comedy, but there’s also some subtler notes that work well and some sprinkles of self-deprecation, which is effective when it’s used. It’s almost like the writing duo needed to be in charge of the gags alone, and then rely on someone else to fine tune the overall concept and direction for the rest of the film.
The cast itself do a very good job with what they’re given, especially where the one-liners are concerned. Kristen Wiig (The Martian) and Melissa McCarthy continue to get the belly laughs job done as the two ghost science boffins that kick start the Ghostbuster, but it’s actually newcomers, Kate McKinnon as Dr. Jillian Holtzmann and Leslie Jones as Patricia “Patty” Tolan that steel the show. They bring an extra level of crazy that tips the balance enough to retain at least some positive feelings about the prospect of a sequel to the reboot. Adding Chris Hemsworth as Kevin, their secretary, makes for some witty scenes and it’s hard not to have at least a little soft spot for the cameos from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts.
In addition to the jokes, cast and cameos, you can also add special effects to the list of positives for the film. They may not be the greatest in the world, but they do look impressive at times, which is probably one of the big reasons it’s also being released on 4K and 3D Blu-ray.
While Ghostbusters (2016) is undoubtedly funny, it just doesn’t do enough with the rest of the film to live up to the expectations of the originals. The jokes aren’t strong enough to give it all that much re-watch potential in the grand scheme of the rest of the limitations, so if you haven’t seen it yet and you’re still keen, you might want to go for a digital download rental, rather than the DVD.
Ghostbuster (DVD) review: 2/5
