Ghostbusters

There’s been a lot said about this gender-flipped remake of the 1984 original, ranging from it’s the best thing ever made!, to this desecration has ruined my entire childhood! So, what is the fuss about? Well, the truth, of course, is somewhere in between. But where in between, precisely?

First, I have a confession to make. I was never a big fan of the original. Its style of slap-stick and frat-boy humour grates a little with me. Yet it has its inspired moments. And in this way, I can say that the remake, which follows a similar plot, in a similar style, pretty much hits the same mark for me. The best bits are from Jillian the mad engineer, and the ever more outlandish devices she designs and builds.

There are some nice hat-tips to the earlier version, such as the genesis of the logo, or when the team is looking for a base, and pass up a certain fire station, because of its exorbitant rent. And there are a couple of lovely cameos, one from Bill Murray as a sceptical critic of the team, and one from Sigourney Weaver, as an engineering mentor. These scenes show a degree of engagement with the original.

And what about the gender-flipping? Well, frankly, if this hadn’t been a remake, I don’t think anyone would have thought anything strange about these roles. Except possibly for the pathetic way Erin lusts after the himbo secretary. Of course, a man drooling this way over a bimbo secretary wouldn’t raise an eyebrow (except that this was some of the humour that grated the first time round). Which maybe would be the point, if this version weren’t supposed to be funny, too.

So, neither wonderful, nor a desecration. Just some (for the most part) fun mind candy.

Rating: 4

[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 7 January 2017

A financially struggling single mother, Callie, and her two kids, Trevor and Phoebe, are evicted from their home for being unable to pay the rent. Callie’s estranged father has just died, so they go to his farm in the middle of nowhere (Oklahoma, apparently) to sell up. But they discover a worthless property, and have to stay. Then weird things start happening.

This is a direct sequel to the original Ghostbusters; it might be called Ghostbusters: the Next Generation. It turns out that Callie is the daughter of Egon Spengler, one of the original quartet. We saw him die at the start of the film, battling a powerful demon: his grandchildren will have to finish his work.

After a slow start, this is a rollicking exciting funny ghostbusting thriller. Phoebe, the youngest, is a science/engineering nerd, and discovers her grandfather’s secret lab and ghost, and repairs the ghost-busting proton pack. Trevor, an awkward teen, discovers his grandfather’s ghost-busting ambulance, and restores it. This is all fortunate, as they need all of this, and more, to battle the returning demon.

The humour in this works much better than in the original, I think. This is because the kids are taken seriously, and the comedy arises from the situations they find themselves in, not because they are silly. Phoebe is definitely not a ‘cute’ kid, but rather a focussed and driven engineer; Trevor is awkward around his crush, but not gross; Podcast is an interestingly quirky kid rather than ridiculous.

There are great cameos from the original quartet at the end (including the deceased Harold Ramis playing the deceased Egon Spengler). And watch out for the Sigourney Weaver mini-cameo in the credits.

Rating: 3

[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 19 July 2025