Ghostbusters (2016) Review:

When it comes to reboots, production companies tend to have a fifty fifty shot at winning over newcomers and old fans alike. If it's done correctly, things will be amazing for everyone. The audiences will be pleased and the studio will make a profit off of their release. If done incorrectly, then everyone will have a bad time. And seeing that another sequel to Ghost Busters II (1989) was taking an eon to make, it was later decided to just reboot it entirely. So how did this reboot fair? Middling to say the least for most. There were groups of people who were accepting of the finished product, while others were not content at all with how things were handled. There are things that work here though, it's just that those parts are scattered throughout a pile of multiple other problems. Some of which are difficult to get over. One of the biggest gripes hardcore fans had on this film was the whole gender swap gimmick. Honestly, that's not really a big deal.

Tolan, Yates, Gilbert & Holtzmann

The plot of this story is familiar to those who know the original. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is a promising teacher who ends up being rejected by her employer after they discover she once had written a legitimate scientific book on paranormal beings with a classmate by the name of Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy). But before getting Yates to remove the published book, Gilbert ends up discovering an actual ghost with Yates and another cohort by the name of Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). They also attract the attention of Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), a person who is quite knowledgeable of the city's geography. Together they seek to stop the release of the random ghosts they find. The villain behind these random releases belong to Rowan North (Neil Casey), an individual looking to get back at society for his poor treatment of life in general. For the overall play out, it’s alright. But with director Paul Feig at the helm, things should have been better. He did after all director Bridesmaids (2011) and The Heat (2013).

Feig also helped co-write the script with another person by the name of Katie Dippold. Dippold was also the sole writer to The Heat (2013) and Snatched (2017). She has also wrote for the Parks and Recreation show. Even so, writers can have hit and miss projects. For one, the cast to this feature is exactly that. Only half of the actors who take center stage are actually likable to some degree. The two who make the viewing experience fun and fresh was McKinnon and Jones. Both had comical delivery and their mannerisms were unique. As for McCarthy and Wiig, both are not the greatest leads. McCarthy is winey and gabs too much. While Wiig is even worse with constant awkward dialog and unfunny lines. The same could be said for Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) who becomes their secretary. Here, Hemsworth plays Kevin as a hunky dork and it's really cumbersome to watch him act like a big goof. As for Neil Casey as the main villain, he's not bad but he receives almost no back story. His enthusiasm for the paranormal is only lightly scratched.

Admittadly, Casey does resemble a distant relative to that of Peter Lorre. Either way, looks will not make a villain. The same could be said for the cameos of original stars Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd. Are they in the movie? Yes. Do they have memorable cameos? Only one of them really does. The rest are mostly throwaway roles and it's unfortunate. It just doesn't add much to the experience, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the initial franchise. However the special effects to the feature are well put together. Not only do the old gadgets make their way back to the big screen, but new ones come into play as well. McKinnon who plays Holtzmann is the tech wiz of the group and manages to create different kinds of paranormal weapons that help the ghost busters battle their demonic enemies. Some of which are ingenious by design. As to how on earth they were able to manufacture such a device and have it work properly all the time is still a miracle in itself.

Chris Hemsworth as Hunky Dumb Kevin

As for background visuals, the camerawork was adequate for this summer blockbuster. Robert D. Yeoman was the cinematographer for this production and a lot of it is well shot. There's no weird angles or shaky cam like sequences that will annoy the viewer. Yeoman has also worked on other projects like Dead Heat (1988), Yes Man (2008), The Heat (2013) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Lastly when it came to music, the film score and soundtrack were decent too. The soundtrack is mainly made up of the Ghost Busters theme (originally sung by Ray Parker Jr.) being performed by other artists. In the end though, the film score was the real driving force throughout the running time and much of it helps. However unlike Elmer Bernstein's or Randy Edelman's score, this one remains to have its own signature theme. Composing the score was Theodore Shapiro. He does take Parker Jr.'s song and make an instrumental out of it but that's it. Shapiro also scored Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Tropic Thunder (2008) and Central Intelligence (2016).

While it may have a good cast of actors and decent looking special effects, there are a lot of obstacles for viewers to overcome if they really want to enjoy this soft reboot. Only some of the main characters are likable and the villain isn't developed well enough. Camerawork and music is okay but it only helps a little.

Points Earned --> 6:10