text: Ceres Magazine Issue 4 - Fall 2016 - Page 47
  39 | Ceres Magazine | Oct/Nov 2015
  Directed by Paul Feig, and written by Feig and Katie Dippold, the movie stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth. The third feature film in the Ghostbusters franchise is not a sequel to the previous films, but rather a reboot where four women start a ghost-catching business in New York City.
  The 1984 Ghostbusters movie, along with its less successful 1989 sequel have always been two of my favorite movies that I enjoy watching over and over again, especially around the holidays. So, I wanted to see how the new feature compared to the 1984 classic. I don't mind reboots, sequels, prequels and the like, but I won't get out of my way to see them in theater. Honestly, I tend to be suspicious about those attempts to recapture the magic of a beloved film; especially with the reboots—some of them, I wish, would forever disappear in the infinite space continuum in default of erasing them from existence. Then, what brought me to the Ghostbusters reboot? I must admit that the all-female cast sparked interest in my feminist mind.
  A lot was being said and written about Ghostbusters 2016 or Ghostbusters: Answer the Call as marketed on home release. But I ignored unflattering comments in the most graceful manner, by plugging my ears, singsonging "LA, LA, LA!", as well as let the fans rage without me. Passing on all the reviews, and armed with little expectation, I hauled my derriere on a train to Pasadena (to my surprise the movie was no longer playing in Los Angeles—usually not a good sign for a "Blockbuster!"). Later on, I read that the movie was a "commercial disappointment."
  Though I enjoyed the movie and laughed many times, I also found myself questioning a few production choices. And, sorry, but trying to make up with action and humor for an absence of substance won't cut it for me. Still, I will give credit where it is due. Many points for the female cast, which is not composed of all skinny, flawless, impossibly perfect ladies, but gorgeous, more realistic ones—thanks to beautiful Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones as unlikely heroines. Also, more points for revisiting an almost untouchable classic, and making it... almost work!
  However, the movie has a very difficult start, plowing its way into the storyline, giving it a bit of a choppy style as an attempt to beget life where it just lacks in good story-telling. This hesitancy transpires in the opening scenes which fall short. I had to resist the urge to deem it "not worthy!" based on the first 20 minutes in. Thankfully, this awkwardness and clumsy editing disappear after a while, when the storyline finally finds its bearing.
  It's an action movie; therefore, get prepared for "on-the-edge-of-your-seat" action packed scenes, which I always like. And some, here, are good. Others not so much, and some suffer from the