Ghostbusters: Answer the Call

Poor writing exceeds every larger discussion or theme in film: sociology, politics, satire, escapism, form, style. Also is gender, as the 2016 “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” remake clearly showcases. Director Paul Fieg’s attempt on the ghost comedy is theoretically perceptive, a feminist take on a beloved classic, casting Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as the ones with the proton packs used to shoot and capture all kinds of ghosts.

John Serba stated in his review, “But Feig and Katie Dippold's screenplay is a slipshod mess of forgettable gags tossed into a generic plot puffed up with unremarkable special effects. It's also besieged with references to the 1984 film, which backfire, because including them doesn't stoke nostalgia as much as it begs unfavorable comparison. To be clear, nobody watches the original for its depth of character - Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were little more than charismatic, goofball conduits for witty and quotable catchphrases. Wiig, McCarthy, McKinnon and Jones look like they're making up the characters on the fly as they recite weary cliches. "Say hello to my little friend!" Wiig half-heartedly yells as she blasts the bejeezus out of a CGI ghost, in a scene I remember only because I was taking notes.”

Wiig plays Erin Gilbert, a physicist insulted in the University for her Research in the supernatural. She gets back together with her old friend Abby Yates, played by McCarthy, after they see a complete ghostly occurrence. Erin, somewhat doubtful except when she isn’t, finds physical proof of the psychic, as she gets it, when a ghost in New York City’s Aldridge Mansion purges green slime in her face. If that’s not enough, the slime is repeated twice more in the first act, which is like the movie’s slim budget went over the salaries of its writers.

Serba said, “McCarthy and Wiig's bland turns as literally buttoned-up eggheads are eclipsed by current "Saturday Night Live" cast member McKinnon, whose Jillian Holtzmann is a spunky, punk-haired inventress in omnipresent goggles. Rejected by institutions both legit and rinky-dink, the trio pass on an old Manhattan firehouse - it's $21,000 per month to rent! - and set up their gear above a Chinese restaurant, fielding calls for unearthly activity.” They recruit a completely sociable fourth member in Jones’ former subway clerk Patty Tolan, as well as some disgrace, which creates jokes about stupid internet commenters – a reference to the backlash Feig got when announcing an all-female “Ghostbusters” cast.

Feig has a reputation for making strong female comedies with firm narratives and effective jokes – Wigg in “Bridesmades,” McCarthy’s “The Heat” and “Spy,” more right comparisons than the ’84 “Ghostbusters.” Maybe I should say that the director’s weakest attempt isn’t his original idea. This remake – not a sequel or a prequel, it’s a complete copy, set in its own time where Bill Murray plays a completely different character – hesitates when it should effervesce. Serba said, “The direction is sloppy: Scenes dawdle and dilly-dally when they should poke and jab; there's little narrative flow or suspense as the Ghostbusters zap glowing Satanic gargoyles and evil-spirit-possessed parade balloons while pursuing the disaffected dweeb, played by Neil Casey, behind the mayhem.”

Chris Hemsworth shows up as the Ghostbusters’ completely oblivious secretary, another example of a spark of inspiration that looks underdeveloped, and never works the right way. You can see the layers in the film’s calculation, gives its desire to inspire girls and women with strong role models. Sadly, it fails to capture the talent, the charm strangely restricted. Serba ended his review by saying, “It also stumbles in its subjective objective to be funny - I laughed twice, when I should be losing count - recycling old jokes from the first "Ghostbusters" and from other movies, instead of creating new ones.”

I’m sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy this movie entirely. I know that people love this movie, but I was underwhelmed when I saw this. No, I didn’t go to the theaters to see this, but I saw it as a rental from the library, and I felt like it was a good idea that I didn’t waste money by going to the theaters to see it. If you want to see it, you can, but I don’t recommend it at all. Not to say that I hated this movie, but I thought it was just average. I felt like they should have made a “Ghostbusters 3,” but they never did because of Bill Murray not wanting to be involved, even though he makes a cameo in here. If he said he would make a cameo in this remake, why not make him do a cameo if they made a third movie? Make the movie without him, but let him come in as a cameo. But no, we got this average remake, which is a shame because I felt like this movie could have had potential for being a good remake, if not for the jokes that really felt flat. The only characters I enjoyed were Hemsworth’s and Jones’s character. They were the only ones that I felt were funny.

Alright everyone, now we have come to the conclusion of this year’s “Halloween Month.” I know I said originally that I had 31 movies picked out, but I ended up doing more. Just some things came up so I decided to do a little more than I thought I would. However, like I have already stated, I will be discontinuing “Halloween Month” as a month long marathon. Now I will be shortening it to either a franchise that will be spread out throughout the month or the usual Friday reviews. I feel this is right because I want to open my doors up for more time and effort into my reviews. Be sure to check out all my past “Halloween Month” reviews on my blog to see what other horror movies I recommended and didn’t. I never thought that I would be doing a month long marathon for five years in a row, but now I feel is a good time to stop that.

Happy Halloween to all my online readers! Make sure to go out tonight in your favorite costumes, get a lot of candy, snack on them while watching some horror films. Just be careful of getting cavities and gingivitis from all that sugar, which is bad for you. Don’t even go into a diabetic shock from eating too much of those, but even the rations out. The night is young, and now is the right time to come to that great celebration that comes around every year at this time, which is a transition from the fall into the winter.

In the meantime, I’m going to take a few days off before starting back on my usual Friday reviews, which is what I need after overworking myself this month again. See you guys in November.