by Jake Hjort, Contributing Writer
I watched the original Ghostbusters for the first time over a decade ago in a high school English class. After spending more time chatting with friends than paying attention, I remember enjoying what I saw of the film, although it didn’t leave any lasting impression, and I haven’t watched it, or any of its successors, since then. With Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire coming out, I figured it was time for me to give the franchise a second chance and to see if I could find the enjoyment in the spectral hijinks that so many others have.
Some Spoilers ahead!
Ghostbusters
Aside from the theme song, some quotes, and the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, there wasn’t much that I remembered from my first watch. I’m a bit surprised by this — think that speaks to how little I was paying attention the first time, because I was truly enamored by the film this time around. It is much funnier than I was expecting, with so many understated witticisms and subtle background jokes peppered in with great one-liners. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis are all in their primes, forever leaving their imprint on cinema as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler. Rick Moranis steals almost every scene that he’s in, and Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts are all solid in their supporting roles as well. For a film that’ll be turning 40 years old in a few months, the visuals have held up remarkably well, with timeless production design and effects that have aged better than I would have expected. I absolutely understand why so much of the iconography from the film, from the brown jumpsuits and proton packs to the Ecto-1, remained pop culture classics, persevering into my own childhood far separated from any films in the franchise. Ghostbusters is a classic for a reason; one that has withstood the test of time and continues to find new audiences and fans nearly half a century after it’s original release.
Rating: Loved It
Ghostbusters II
Oh, how quickly the things that you love can fall from grace. Before embarking on this binge watch, I had no idea that there even was a sequel to Ghostbusters released in 1989. After watching it, I was even more shocked that the director, writers, and all of the main cast members had carried over from the first film. Devoid of most of the charm and wit that made me love the first film, Ghostbusters II often feels more like a B-movie ripoff or direct-to-DVD Disney sequel than a proper followup to the beloved original. The effects, production design, and cinematography are noticeably worse despite five years of technology and filmmaking advances, and many of the actors feel like they are just phoning in a performance to earn their paycheck. Bafflingly, the group had disbanded and stopped busting ghosts at the beginning of the film, resulting in far too much of the runtime being devoted to returning to where we left off in the previous installment. The primary spectral antagonists — an evil painting of a 500-year-old tyrant and mood-altering slime — are nowhere near as fun or memorable as the Marshmallow Man or demon-possessed Rick Moranis. Speaking of, Moranis’ increased role in the sequel is one of the big highlights, as his character is given more to do and continues to steal scenes. It’s a shame that this wasn’t a better sequel with more love and care put into its production, as its critical and box office failure are largely responsible for killing the franchise and leading to a 27-year gap between Ghostbusters films.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
Ghostbusters (2016)
Boasting the most disliked movie trailer in YouTube history and endless amounts of online vitriol for its gender-swapped cast and supposed lack of humor, the 2016 reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise had a reputation that I couldn’t avoid. As such, I went into it with rock bottom expectations and came out pleased. Now, it still doesn’t hold a candle to the original movie, but it is significantly better than Ghostbusters II,and I could see myself watching it again in the future. In this retelling of the story, the roles of Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, and Hudson are replaced by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, with Chris Hemsworth stepping in as their himbo assistant. Hemsworth in particular is hilarious, getting a chance to show off his excellent comedic timing, and Jones and McKinnon made me laugh quite a few times as well. I also enjoyed the extra bits of world building and teaming up sequences that we get here, as they are skipped over in the original. Unfortunately, where the film starts to lose me in its main protagonists. Neither McCarthy nor Wiig are giving bad performances, but they aren’t particularly good or memorable either. The biggest thing that this reboot lacks is a Venkman-esque character — one who’s sarcastic and never fully on board with all the paranormal ongoings. Wiig’s character is initially concerned about publicly promoting her ghostly interests in fear of damaging her academic career, but she falls in line early on and never has the bite that Murray had in his performance. I wasn’t a huge fan of the villain, Rowan (Neil Casey), either, a put-upon maintenance man, who desires to unleash a spectral army to get revenge on a world he thinks has ignored him. Ghostbusters (2016) isn’t a perfect film by any means, but it had a lot of potential, and I think it’s a shame that we aren’t likely to ever get to revisit these characters again.
Rating: Liked It
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Finally, we have the most recent installment in the Ghostbusters franchise (at least for the next week or so): Ghostbusters: Afterlife.A return to the original continuity after the 2016 reboot, this legacy sequel takes us to the small town of Summerville, Oklahoma, where former Ghostbuster, Egon Spengler, has been living as a reclusive hermit for decades. After his death, his estranged daughter, Callie (Carrie Coon), and grandchildren, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), travel to clean out his farmhouse and discover that their grandfather was once again working in secret to save the world from the apocalyptic return of Gozer. Afterlife is without a doubt the most cinematic looking film in the franchise, with great visual effects that feel upscaled by modern technology, but still right at home with the ghosts from the original film. I also really enjoyed the new additions to the cast: Grace is great as our new lead, playing the awkward nerdy child that feels like a perfect descendant for Egon, and Paul Rudd and Logan Kim both stand out as new members of the team. Unfortunately, despite its visual appeal and great cast, this may be the least funny film in the franchise. Aside from one delightful sequence with mini marshmallow men running amok at a Walmart, I don’t think I laughed at all throughout the slightly bloated two-hour runtime. I also think that the handling of the original cast of ghostbusters could have been done better. I don’t love the insinuation that Egon was a deadbeat dad who abandoned his family, even if it was for the greater good, and the inclusion of Murray, Aykroyd, and Hudson is a little bit forced. Although this is by no means a perfect film, I did still enjoy it and think that it demonstrates a lot of potential for what could be done with Ghostbusters in the future.
Rating: Liked It
Franchise Ranking
- Ghostbusters
- Ghostbusters (2016)
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife
- Ghostbusters II
The Ghostbusters franchise has had ups a some ups and downs over the course of its existence, but coming at it as a newcomer with little nostalgia, I really enjoyed my time with the ghostbusting gang. There’s an abundance of great comedic actors giving excellent performances, from Murray and Moranis in the original film to McKinnon and Rudd in the modern ones, and the production design, costuming, and score are all iconic for a reason. With the exception of Ghostbusters II,I can see myself coming back to these again for rewatches in the future, and I look forward to seeing what else this franchise has in store down the line.
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