- January 17th, 2019, 12:31 am#4912063
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (GBATC) deserves recognition. The Ghostbusters franchise had not seen a new film installment since 1989. In 2014, it was announced Paul Feig would take the reins of a new Ghostbusters movie.
Right out of the gate, GBATC faced an uphill battle. Feig announced a gender-swapped reboot, resulting in an uproar. Some fans disliked that the movie was not a continuation of the original canon. Other fans asserted that it was ruining their childhoods.
Misogynistic fans flat out declared that women cannot be funny, and deemed them unsuitable to be Ghostbusters. “What’s going on?” asked Donald Trump in a January 2015 blog video on the subject. Rumors of an all-male Ghostbusters started circulating, fuelling an “us vs. them” mentality—men vs. women. The movie was accused of pushing a feministic political agenda.
Internet trolls went to work, attacking everyone involved with GBATC. Speaking positively of the reboot resulted in being labeled a shill, or a Sony plant, or both. Things became fugly.
Mind you, all of this controversy was still before the first teaser trailer was released. It was not until February of 2016 that a teaser dropped—by this time, GBATC had little goodwill going in its favor. The advertising campaign only made the movie more contentious. Eventually, the reboot got mixed up in the heated American election cycle; the two seemed to parallel each other. The River of Slime ran deep.
When GBATC was released in July of 2016, it was neither a flop nor a breakout success. While opinions varied widely, one thing was taken to be a priori: the chance of Ghostbusters III being made was over. Ghostbusters, over.
Yet, here we are in 2019, where that conclusion could not be further from the truth—Ghostbusters III is alive as it has ever been. Now with an official teaser, and a director, Jason Reitman, sentiment has made a turnaround. Some of the so-called shills, who were quick to support the reboot, stuck around after the controversy died down, and are now celebrating this new, exciting development.
Which leaves me here, perplexed as to what all of the controversy was for, as nothing was ruined. Nothing at all. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was just a movie, yet it was challenged long before it even got out of the gate. GBATC managed to get through to some fans, including myself, who were happy to embrace it. With a new Ghostbusters movie on the horizon, it is time for fans, regardless of whether they liked the movie or not, to recognize Ghostbusters: Answer the Call for what it really is: a well deserving part of the ever-expanding Ghostbusters franchise.
Right out of the gate, GBATC faced an uphill battle. Feig announced a gender-swapped reboot, resulting in an uproar. Some fans disliked that the movie was not a continuation of the original canon. Other fans asserted that it was ruining their childhoods.
Misogynistic fans flat out declared that women cannot be funny, and deemed them unsuitable to be Ghostbusters. “What’s going on?” asked Donald Trump in a January 2015 blog video on the subject. Rumors of an all-male Ghostbusters started circulating, fuelling an “us vs. them” mentality—men vs. women. The movie was accused of pushing a feministic political agenda.
Internet trolls went to work, attacking everyone involved with GBATC. Speaking positively of the reboot resulted in being labeled a shill, or a Sony plant, or both. Things became fugly.
Mind you, all of this controversy was still before the first teaser trailer was released. It was not until February of 2016 that a teaser dropped—by this time, GBATC had little goodwill going in its favor. The advertising campaign only made the movie more contentious. Eventually, the reboot got mixed up in the heated American election cycle; the two seemed to parallel each other. The River of Slime ran deep.
When GBATC was released in July of 2016, it was neither a flop nor a breakout success. While opinions varied widely, one thing was taken to be a priori: the chance of Ghostbusters III being made was over. Ghostbusters, over.
Yet, here we are in 2019, where that conclusion could not be further from the truth—Ghostbusters III is alive as it has ever been. Now with an official teaser, and a director, Jason Reitman, sentiment has made a turnaround. Some of the so-called shills, who were quick to support the reboot, stuck around after the controversy died down, and are now celebrating this new, exciting development.
Which leaves me here, perplexed as to what all of the controversy was for, as nothing was ruined. Nothing at all. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was just a movie, yet it was challenged long before it even got out of the gate. GBATC managed to get through to some fans, including myself, who were happy to embrace it. With a new Ghostbusters movie on the horizon, it is time for fans, regardless of whether they liked the movie or not, to recognize Ghostbusters: Answer the Call for what it really is: a well deserving part of the ever-expanding Ghostbusters franchise.