Ghostbusters (2016) Review

"Who you gonna call?" This line along with many others from the original Ghostbusters is arguably as quotable as "Live long and prosper" or "May the Force be with you." Ghostbusters (1984) is a pop-culture phenomenon. The characters, the monsters, the effects, the gadgets, the car, the humor, and the one-liners are all easily recognizable. But, while I was in the theater watching this film, I lost some faith in mankind and some brain cells. At least I had a chocolate milkshake, which my wife graciously bought for me, to keep up my spirits...

Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is a paranormal expert who joins her scientist friend Abby (Melissa McCarthy) on a ghost hunt along with Abby's eccentric colleague named Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). Once they discover the quickly rising threat of dangerous paranormal entities, the decision is made to form a team and protect New York City with their advanced ghost-catching gadgetry, sassy new sidekick Patty (Leslie Jones), and their dumb but sexy receptionist Kevin (Chris Hemsworth). The plot is almost verbatim like the original, and some scenes were even replicated.

On a positive note, I chuckled a couple of times and there's some brief cameos from the original Ghostbusters cast. There are a few neat- and creepy-looking ghosts that are a combination of real actors and special effects (as was the case with the original film). I liked some of the tech that the Ghostbusters used. And, the characters portray a genuine friendship - they each look out for one another. - but you'd expect that from a movie about a group of individuals becoming a team.

It may seem unfair to compare this film to the original, but it's a reboot, so it's completely fair. I was not impressed with the trailer for the movie. Although I'm a fan of the original movie, I went into this showing as objective as possible. I have no issue with the cast, but I do have issue with the uninspired humor and low-brow presentation. The jokes fall flat and feel like improvised randomness that the editor sorted out. The "funny" scenes in the trailer, such as Leslie Jones' "The power of Patty compels you!" line had the biggest laughs from the audience, much to my amazement. The CGI was a mess and resembled the diarrhea of Pixels or Green Lantern with cartoony objects all over the screen without much coherence. My biggest complaint is with the characters. The only character that felt like a real person and not a stereotype was Leslie Jones's character. Her jokes were the ones that made me laugh, which is ironic because the trailer showed her worst ones. Melissa McCarthy plays her usual crazy, loud, and obnoxious self that she's famous for in her roles. Kristen Wiig plays the straight-laced, boring realist who only becomes interesting when she slobbers over Chris Hemsworth. Kate McKinnon plays the eccentric inventor of the gadgets. The villain is also boring, spewing the same end of the world "humans are parasites" crap that we've seen a million times in movies.

The original film was unique, with its dry humor, legitimately creepy monsters, and amazing cast including SNL alumnus Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, comedy writer/director Harold Ramis, and horror legend Sigourney Weaver. The members of the Ghosbusters team played off of each other well and each member had his/her own unique personality. Bill played the sarcastic womanizer, Dan was always worried and nervous, Harold played the know-it-all eccentric, and Ernie Hudson played the fish-out-of-water guy just looking to pay his bills. In the beginning of the film, you got the sense that they had no idea what they were doing, but their knowledge and experience grew as the story progressed, and by the end, you felt you could become a Ghostbuster. The monsters, as well as the mythological demons trying to destroy New York City with portals and human possession, were creepy and different.

Skip the reboot. I wouldn't even suggest this for hardcore Ghostbusters fans, with the exception of those wanting to see some new ghost-catching tech or some cameos. Watch it when it comes to Netflix if you're bored and want to "Netflix and Chill." This is the lowest form of entertainment imaginable and it made me angry.