Ghostbusters [Blu-ray] [Region B] [2016]

Friends and reviewers with tastes similar to mine were saying this was good, so I gave it a shot, and I’m glad I did. This film is great. The premise, as I’m sure people know, is this: three scientists and an amateur historian discover that ghosts are real and decide to study them and protect the living as an evil scientist unleashes a horde of the wrathful dead. So far, so straightforward: what about the other aspects? To start with, this is a hilarious film. Nearly all the jokes work, most of the humour arises naturally from the characters, and the physical comedy – not my favourite kind – is often used well. Some gags do outstay their welcome, it’s true, but you can say that about pretty much everything except Young Frankenstein. But more than funny, is it well-done? Yes. Definitely. It’s not without its flaws, which I will get to later, but this film works. It does what it sets out to do and largely does it well. This is a film about four smart women whose first reaction to discovering the existence of ghosts is to learn about them. Not to run, not initially to fight, but to learn. That in itself made me love these characters, and everything about them just added to that – most especially the fact that they’re kind. They care about each other, they love working together, and it’s absolutely clear that they’re all friends. I like sarcastic sniping heroes as much as anyone, but kindness done well is so good, and this cast is so good at conveying it. Speaking of the main characters, the absolute stand-outs are Kate McKinnon as the team’s engineer Holtzmann and Chris Hemsworth as Kevin, their pretty-but-ditzy blond receptionist. Every moment they’re on screen is a high point, and they’re on screen a lot. Holtzmann in particular has a fantastic moment of ass-kicking in the climactic battle wherein she’s not at all sexualised but sexy as hell, and how often do you see that in Hollywood? None of the women are sexualised at all, and between this and Mad Max: Fury Road last year it’s almost as if it’s not that hard to do – pay attention, directors! From characters to themes: Ghostbusters is about how we overlook and belittle women’s work. It’s about how we pressure them to keep quiet about their inconvenient experiences. It’s about women who like, support, and listen to each other and win because of this. And it’s about history. History in this film is full of cruelty, bigotry, and suffering – the guide in the Aldridge mansion talks about the anti-Irish security fence and P T Barnum’s enslavement of elephants before telling us of Gertrude’s murder of the servants and her father’s prioritising his family name over any kind of justice or accountability; Patty tells us that New York suffered regular blackouts to satisfy society’s bloodlust via the electric chair, this shiny new method of executing people; then of course there are the massacres on the site of the Mercado hotel – and all the ghosts we see are apparently embodiments of history’s traumas. Hence Rowan’s redecoration of New York in the climax – which leads into my thoughts on the film’s villain. Rowan is a simple but effective character: he has, to hear him tell it, been tormented all his life and feels entitled to indiscriminate vengeance against the world at large. He’s a recognisable type from real life, but instead of a gun he has an army of angry ghosts, all seeking to avenge their own traumas on the world at large. In this he serves as a foil to the Ghostbusters, who themselves come in for their share of ridicule from the world around them, but seek out companions and friends in each other – and the film does something that many similar stories don’t, in that it shows people like Patty and the rock fans being nice to him, making friendly overtures that show he doesn’t have to be alone. To Rowan, however, such people are insignificant specks in the universe, less than he deserves as company. He’s not a villain like Darth Vader or Hannibal Lecter, someone of whom we can say “well, he may be a monster but wouldn’t you like to have his confidence and presence?” He’s what lies at Vader’s core: a small broken man unable to see anything beyond how the world has hurt him and him specifically. He’s not angry at how he’s been treated because it’s wrong for anyone to suffer whatever he’s suffered, but because it’s wrong for him personally to have suffered at all. And because of this utter lack of imagination and empathy, he can’t imagine a better world beyond “just like history but I’m on top”. He’s a mundane villain, and all the more effective in this film for it. (It may not be coincidental that he possesses Kevin when Kevin’s asking to become a Ghostbuster despite his immeasurable lack of qualifications – a less-than-competent white man feels entitled to a spot on the team and turns into an embittered violent misogynist when he doesn’t get his way.) Thematic and character-based goodness aside, there are a few flaws to this film. To start with, there’s Patty’s skillset. She’s a valuable member of the Ghostbusters, providing them with their transport and protective clothing, and it’s her idea that saves the day in the end, but she’s also an expert on the history of New York and this knowledge never comes into play. Sometimes she provides exposition about why a place is haunted, but they never use this knowledge to deal with a ghost. Exorcisms are done solely by proton beam – there’s no righting unaddressed wrongs or resolving unfinished issues. All the Ghostbusters’ problems (except their PR) are science problems; Patty’s exposition is for the audience rather than the characters. There’s also a tension between the light-hearted tone and the prospect of apocalypse – the Ghostbusters are the only people we see in lethal danger in the climax, it’s unclear whether Martin Heiss is dead or not, and Gertrude Aldridge seems much less homicidal dead than she was when alive. The film did on first viewing manage to carry me along without noticing this, but rewatches do make it more noticeable. Finally, there’s an assumption that slime is inherently funny; evidently this is a Ghostbusters thing we have to put up with. The Blu-Ray comes with an extended version of the film, and it’s worth seeing at least once: there are some alternate takes and a few scenes that improve the narrative flow, as well as a few more gags, but the plot with Erin’s terrible boyfriend is pointless and the crowd dance scene worked better in the credits of the theatrical cut. It’s worth watching at least once, but not essential. So to sum up, watch this film. It’s awesome. Four and a half stars, rounded up to five because of Holtzmann.

I do not see why so many people hate this movie? No it doesn't really have anything to do with the original films, but as great as they are, they are a little too old to be running around and saving the world from ghosts. A new team is what was needed and to restart the franchise is the best way to go. The fact that they are all female made no difference to me at all. I couldn't care less if they are male, female, or penguins. The acting and comedy are what matters and the cast are all brilliant in their roles. I would say the only two characters not acted too well (in my opinion) is the villain, and Chris Hemsworth. The villain just came across a bit too unlikable and a good movie needs a good villain you can love to hate, and I'm afraid I just didn't connect with him. And Chris Hemsworth was just too stupid to be a real person. I know it's played up for the laughs and I know he is a really funny guy, but in this movie he just didn't seem to hit the right tone. But as a movie overall I love it!!! The four leads are some of the funniest people on the big screen and every scene is hilarious. Kristen wiig is the stand out start for me. This movie made me a fan of hers! Buy it, see it, reserve judgment and enjoy the ride. This really is a great movie.

The film's received a lot of negative press which having seen I feel is a little bit unfair but completely understandable. I don't want to ramble too much so I'm going to try and keep this short and to the point. I walked away from the film having had a really good time - it's highly enjoyable and genuinely funny. However, it's not without it's flaws and unfortunately the most significant of these arise in it's second half and are difficult to miss. The film's directed as a comedy, it's drier and more down to earth than many modern comedies but still doesn't take itself too seriously. This contrasts starkly with the very straight faced 1984 film which plants itself very firmly in reality and plays more like an adventure film written by and starring comedians. This works well in the first half when the film is character focused and following the Ghostbusters as they stumble through trying to get their business off the ground. However, once the film moves into the second phase - saving the world - it starts to feel a bit lost. It misses a few beats in key action scenes which leaves them feeling underwhelming, which of course has a knock on effect to the overall experience. It feels like the director misunderstood the material or maybe just how to effectively translate this to a melodrama. Anyway, the original 1984 film is something I've grown up with and holds a very special place in my heart - it isn't inappropriate to say it's part of who I am and I didn't feel the memory of that film was insulted, sullied or hurt by the new one. Oddly enough, the new one stirred memories of The Real Ghostbusters '80s cartoon series, which probably says a lot in itself. It's a fun, heart filled 2 hours that can be enjoyed by all the family but don't expect anything awe inspiring.

Got this from Pritam Music Pvt Ltd at ₹150. I've never seen the original Ghostbusters and since it was a reboot I started from this one, it was a good movie. It had both theatrical and extended edition on the same disc with a bunch of extra features.

Didn't know this was a movie til I was cruising prime one day and watched it, might've been an all female cast still really funny, especially the way they were able to act like kids around thors character, and the way he was to play a clueless person was hilarious, maybe we'll get a sequel after frozen empire just have to wait and see 🙈

Loved it

This is a 3D-only review. I’ll leave the plot, characters, etc. to other reviewers (although I thought the movie was great). The 3D on this one is really amazing (LG OLED65E6P). The filmmakers use a trick involving the edges of the film frame to supercharge the 3D that I’ve only seen used in a few other films. In several scenes, the filmmakers create a fake frame with black horizontal bars above and below the film. Since this format is seen in so many films to fit different aspect ratios on a TV screen, you don’t even notice it. Until ... WOW. Laser blasts, explosion debris, ghosts, etc. begin to fly off the screen in seemingly impossible ways. I had to pause the film several times to figure out what was happening because 3D effects seemed to be literally extending out of the film in ways that couldn’t be possible. It’s hard to explain here, but by adding black horizontal bars above and below the scene, the filmmakers created a fake border that you think defines the edges of the movie on your TV. But the actual film frame extends beyond that, allowing special effects to extend out of the scene into the black areas around the frame that we think aren’t there. The effect is some of the best out-of-screen 3D I’ve ever seen, and I’ve collected hundreds of 3D blu rays (geek). Pause some of the blasts from the plasma guns and you’ll see what I mean. The effects really seem to be extending out of the scene itself and into the room! I’m not an original ghostbusters fanatic, so I thought the movie was funny, fun popcorn fare that was totally entertaining. But the 3D is jawdropping. I can’t give this one any fewer than 5 stars for some of the best out-of-screen 3D effects I’ve seen. Loved it!

Film Was Bad, But Picture Quality Was Awestruck.. :)