- November 28th, 2018, 10:02 pm#4911108
Back in 2016 I was REALLY excited about the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters. I tried to put aside all the controversy and I went to the movies excited to finally, after more than twenty years, see another full feature length film about people bustin' ghosts!
Leaving the theater that day, I had fun, but felt a little sad that the film didn't quite meet my expectations. The villain felt poorly developed and for some reason the peril of the scenario of the film just didn't quite click for me. But it WAS fun, and I was hoping that it would at least do well enough to warrant more movies.
After all the fallout that came in the days after, my frustration with the film grew, and my view of it became quite tarnished. I was fine just walking away from it, sad that it was another failed attempt to revive an old franchise and nothing more.
Then Halloween 2018 happened. In August I walked into a Spirit Halloween store and found a ghost trap prop which reignited my excitement for Ghostbusters. I took it home and started working on it, and my kids quickly took notice. We started talking about Ghostbusters, we watched both of the original films, started playing the video game, and even picked up some of the comic books. It was awesome, and our house had become a Ghostbusters haven, with my kids reliving the excitement that I felt for the series when I was their age. It was magical, to say the least.
Then, one day my daughter comes home and goes, "DAD! Did you know that there is ANOTHER Ghostbusters movie?!" I had almost completely forgotten about it, and after some discussion we all decided we would rent it and watch it together. As we sat down to watch the movie, I was a little uncertain about seeing it again. Would it just be a bitter-sweet reminder of what could have been? Would my kids end up loving it more than the films I loved growing up? Was I overthinking everything?
As the movie started, I quickly relaxed and, in no time at all, found myself sincerely enjoying the movie. I really liked the performances and the story just seemed to work so much better this time around, the weight of the situation that the Ghostbusters find themselves in was much more compelling, Erin's dilemma and Abby's frustration were so much better understood. And, just in case you were wondering, I was watching the original theatrical version, and for some reason, years after all the controversy had died down, after the stakes didn't seem so high, I found that I really, really enjoyed the movie. We went on Amazon that night and purchased the Blu-Ray.
Of course, the movie isn't without its flaws. The villain is still sadly underdeveloped (though I hear the extended cut helps with this, still haven't watched it yet). And, I'm sorry if this is bringing up a topic that has been beaten to death already, but I was really, REALLY sad that the movie didn't tie into the original films. Seeing all the living cast members playing parts unrelated to their prior roles was not only disappointing, but INCREDIBLY confusing to my kids ("Why doesn't Peter believe in Ghosts?! Why is Ray driving a cab? Why doesn't Winston like the ghostbusters paint job?" etc). Overall, though, the movie just didn't deserve the negative reception it earned. Personally, I didn't feel that it was as good as the 1984 Ghostbusters, but...
My kids immediately started talking about how much they loved the movie and how it was their new favorite Ghostbuster film. If there is anything that I can take away from how my kids reacted, this is a movie that, to them, is just as magical and impactful as the original film was to me back in the 80s. Someday this movie will be lauded as a cult classic that didn't get the attention it deserved by a generation currently too young to worry about such things, and that the lack of a sequel is easily one of the saddest outcomes from the reboot frenzy of the early 21st century. But hey, maybe I'm wrong.
So, in the end, the movie is bittersweet anew, but for slightly different reasons. I am pretty sad that the sequel is basically not going to happen at this point, because I really think it would have been a lot of fun. Anyway, thought I'd share because I really found a lot of enjoyment in the movie this time around, and think it's definitely worth revisiting.
Leaving the theater that day, I had fun, but felt a little sad that the film didn't quite meet my expectations. The villain felt poorly developed and for some reason the peril of the scenario of the film just didn't quite click for me. But it WAS fun, and I was hoping that it would at least do well enough to warrant more movies.
After all the fallout that came in the days after, my frustration with the film grew, and my view of it became quite tarnished. I was fine just walking away from it, sad that it was another failed attempt to revive an old franchise and nothing more.
Then Halloween 2018 happened. In August I walked into a Spirit Halloween store and found a ghost trap prop which reignited my excitement for Ghostbusters. I took it home and started working on it, and my kids quickly took notice. We started talking about Ghostbusters, we watched both of the original films, started playing the video game, and even picked up some of the comic books. It was awesome, and our house had become a Ghostbusters haven, with my kids reliving the excitement that I felt for the series when I was their age. It was magical, to say the least.
Then, one day my daughter comes home and goes, "DAD! Did you know that there is ANOTHER Ghostbusters movie?!" I had almost completely forgotten about it, and after some discussion we all decided we would rent it and watch it together. As we sat down to watch the movie, I was a little uncertain about seeing it again. Would it just be a bitter-sweet reminder of what could have been? Would my kids end up loving it more than the films I loved growing up? Was I overthinking everything?
As the movie started, I quickly relaxed and, in no time at all, found myself sincerely enjoying the movie. I really liked the performances and the story just seemed to work so much better this time around, the weight of the situation that the Ghostbusters find themselves in was much more compelling, Erin's dilemma and Abby's frustration were so much better understood. And, just in case you were wondering, I was watching the original theatrical version, and for some reason, years after all the controversy had died down, after the stakes didn't seem so high, I found that I really, really enjoyed the movie. We went on Amazon that night and purchased the Blu-Ray.
Of course, the movie isn't without its flaws. The villain is still sadly underdeveloped (though I hear the extended cut helps with this, still haven't watched it yet). And, I'm sorry if this is bringing up a topic that has been beaten to death already, but I was really, REALLY sad that the movie didn't tie into the original films. Seeing all the living cast members playing parts unrelated to their prior roles was not only disappointing, but INCREDIBLY confusing to my kids ("Why doesn't Peter believe in Ghosts?! Why is Ray driving a cab? Why doesn't Winston like the ghostbusters paint job?" etc). Overall, though, the movie just didn't deserve the negative reception it earned. Personally, I didn't feel that it was as good as the 1984 Ghostbusters, but...
My kids immediately started talking about how much they loved the movie and how it was their new favorite Ghostbuster film. If there is anything that I can take away from how my kids reacted, this is a movie that, to them, is just as magical and impactful as the original film was to me back in the 80s. Someday this movie will be lauded as a cult classic that didn't get the attention it deserved by a generation currently too young to worry about such things, and that the lack of a sequel is easily one of the saddest outcomes from the reboot frenzy of the early 21st century. But hey, maybe I'm wrong.
So, in the end, the movie is bittersweet anew, but for slightly different reasons. I am pretty sad that the sequel is basically not going to happen at this point, because I really think it would have been a lot of fun. Anyway, thought I'd share because I really found a lot of enjoyment in the movie this time around, and think it's definitely worth revisiting.