Ghostbusters (series)

GHOSTBUSTERS (PG)

D: Ivan Reitman

Columbia (Ivan Reitman)

USA 🇺🇸 1984

107 mins

Comedy

W: Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis

DP: Laszlo Kovacs

Ed: Sheldon Kahn & David Blewitt

Mus: Elmer Bernstein

PD: John de Cuir

Cos: Theoni V. Aldredge

Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Ray Stantz), Harold Ramis (Dr. Egon Spengler), Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett), Rick Moranis (Louis Tully), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), William Atherton (Walter Peck), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zedmore)

Who ya gonna call?

Originally intended as a vehicle for John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd, much of the plot changed when Bill Murray and the rest of the cast signed on, making Ghostbusters arguably the comedy event of the 1980's.

Though fundamentally silly, there's also a lot of reasons to enjoy this film, from its memorable title song, the introduction of Slimer, inspiring a television cartoon series and a 1989 sequel (as well as, regrettably, a remake *sigh*).

The story follows three slacker university professors who uncover paranormal goings on, but not before being expelled from their campus. They go into business for themselves and as the title may suggest, bust ghosts.

Comic delivery is very much the key to the film and nobody does it quite like the brilliant Bill Murray, delivering one of the most laconically laid back, yet gut-bustingly hilarious movie characters of all time.

A 2016 remake wasn't wanted or needed, but Hollywood's arrogance and greed still greenlit the project. A decision which has been much derided by fans of this original film and it's very understandable why. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

10/10

Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis & Bill Murray in Ghostbusters

GHOSTBUSTERS II (PG)

D: Ivan Reitman

Columbia (Ivan Reitman)

USA 🇺🇸 1989

108 mins

Comedy

W: Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis

DP: Michael Chapman

Ed: Sheldon Kahn & Donn Cambern

Mus: Randy Edelman

Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Raymond Stantz), Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler), Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zedmore), Rick Moranis (Louis Tully), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), Peter MacNicol (Janosz Poha), Wilhelm von Homburg (Vigo)

The Ghostbusters have been out of business since the events in the first film, but must reunite after a river of ectoplasmic slime is discovered oozing under the streets of New York City and they discover a link between the gunk and the negative vibes of the city's population, both of which are giving life force to an ancient warlord whose spirit lives in a painting at the museum of art.

A sequel which captures the basic essence of the first film with its creepy goings on, funky soundtrack and keeping much of the original cast together, especially Bill Murray, who steals all the best lines of dialogue once again. Unfortunately, the screenplay is very light on the jokes, at least in comparison to the first movie and it lacks the middle finger to bureaucracy which gave the original its most memorable moments of conflict.

6/10

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (12)

D: Jason Reitman

Sony / Columbia / Bron Creative / Ghost Corps (Ivan Reitman)

US 🇺🇸 2021

124 mins

Comedy

W: Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman [based on the 1984 screenplay “Ghostbusters” by Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis]

DP: Eric Steelberg

Ed: Dana E. Glauberman

Mus: Rob Simonsen

Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Mckenna Grace (Phoebe), Logan Kim (Podcast)

Following a 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters that didn’t sit well with many fans, Sony & Columbia went back to the well for a sequel/soft reboot that draws far more inspiration from the original films, albeit framed with a narrative that is more akin to the Stranger Things series.

Ghostbusters fans who were disenchanted with the 2016 remake cried havoc that a new film didn’t pass the torch to a new generation of supernatural spook hunters, and the studio listened for this film.

The plot follows the daughter and grandchildren of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis’ character from the original films), as they inherit his Oklahoma farmhouse following his death, and his grandchildren Phoebe and Trevor, uncover some ghostbusting gadgets and discover that the battle from the original movie may have been won, but the war is far from over.

There’s certainly enough here in the way of nostalgia and Easter eggs to appeal to fans of the original film, and the plot is accessible enough for an entire new generation, but it does lack the acerbic humour of the original film for something far more family-friendly (albeit with a 12 rating when the original film is a PG). Mckenna Grace steals the film as Egon’s science nerd granddaughter (sans the end credits song which is completely out of place), and the rest of the cast don’t really put a foot wrong, and the visual effects are incredibly well done, particularly in the finale.

Partially, it is a film for the fans, but it also smells a lot like a movie by committee, which is still the polar opposite of what the original film was.

Still, I enjoyed the nostalgia at face value, as well as the cameos from some of the original cast.

6/10