(SPOILERS)
I was finally able to see the new Ghostbusters reboot last week and it’s pretty damn good. There was lots of controversy around the reboot due to it’s all female cast and the first trailer being one of the most disliked videos on Youtube. I have to admit that I liked the idea of a new cast or pretty much anything that meant I wasn’t going to be watching a step by step copy of the original movie. We already had that, it was called Ghostbusters 2. I also didn’t want to watch a silly version of the original or a gritty retelling. This movie managed to do it right in my opinion. So without further ado here is the 7 things that I love about the new Ghostbusters movie.
1) Keep it original
Of course people in this movie get slimed, and there is talk of apocalypse, but there is no real straight up lifting of classic quotes from the original movie. Also none of the character seemed to be a rip off of the originals. There is no Peter, Egon, Ray, or Winston of the group.
2) Slimer & Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!?!
Yes of course Slimer is in the movie. He is as always a trouble making little spud, who with his date, takes the Ecto-1 for a joyride. Also the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man makes an appearance as a ghost possessed Macy’s Day Parade balloon. It’s a very short but fun appearance.
3) New Equipment
I have to say it took a little while for me to warm up to the new Proton Packs, but after seeing them in action, I love them. There is a couple variations of the Pack, one with a curved handle and trigger and one with the classic “stick” handle. There is also a rad PKE Meter and a new trap that fits on the bottom of the pack. Besides the essentials there was also a Ghost Chipper, Proton Glove, and a variety of ghost bombs and hand-held proton guns.
4) New Costumes
The new Ghostbusters jumpsuits are reminiscent of the original with the exception of reflective stripes across the chest and arms. Along with the orange belt and straps from the new Proton Packs they really stand out.
5) Personality
In the original movies and cartoon it was always Peter and Egon that stuck out to me as the most interesting characters and in this movie it would definitely be Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) and Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). Patty is easy one of the funniest characters in the movie playing a subway attendant that calls the Ghostbusters for help and then ends up joining the team. Holtzmann is a crazy scientist that who invents most of the gear for the team. Kristen Wiig (Erin Gilbert) and Melissa McCarthy (Abby Yates) play scientist that once worked together but had a falling out. The four main Ghostbusters in this movie are hilarious and get pretty equal screen time.
6) Ghost!
Seeing these ghosts in the trailer on my laptop did not do them justice. I thought they looked pretty impressive, but seeing them on the big screen in full detail I thought they looked amazing. The ghost do have a glow around them like in the original movie, but they are much more crisp and clear and of course some of them projectile vomit ectoplasm. One ghost that I especially thought was creepy was an executed criminal hovering in the subway. There was also a giant dragon at a metal concert, because what is more metal than a dragon? Even the form that Rowan took of the Ghostbusters logo was pretty fearsome looking.
7) Cameos
Most of the original cast make appearances in the movie. Bill Murray plays a supernatural skeptik, Dan Aykroyd plays a cabbie who ain’t afraid a no ghosts, Ernie Hudson plays Patty’s mortician uncle, Annie Potts plays a disgruntled hotel receptionist, and Sigourney Weaver plays Holtzmann’s scientist mother.
In the end I thought Ghostbusters was a really fun movie. If I really needed pick out something to criticize I would say that they could have done more with the Rowan North charactor. My advice to any Ghostbusters fan that think they will hate this movie, you might just hate it, but give it a chance. Go into the theater with an open mind, maybe have a few drinks before hand, it helped get me through Transformers. Also, it’s just a movie, have fun.
