Underrated: Ghostbusters (2016) Review 

5/5* Shivs Show | Siobhan Divers

Dir: Paul Feig 

116 mins 

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Charles Dance, Michael Kenneth Williams, Chris Hemsworth.

A hilarious remake of the 1984 classic, Ghostbusters (2016) is another film which proves that an ensemble female cast can be just as entertaining as a male one.

With incredible casting, the female ghostbusters consist of Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) – physicist and paranormal activities enthusiast; Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon, of Rough Night) – an engineer who works with Yates; Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) – Yates former partner now a professor; and subway ticket booth worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones).

Following a ghost invasion in Manhattan then, the group band together to stop the paranormal threats. Taking up office above a Chinese takeaway, the unlikely hero’s call themselves ‘Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination’. However their dim but extremely attractive receptionist, Kevin Beckman (Chris Hemsworth) struggles to say this and the public dub them The Ghostbusters which sticks.

Interestingly, the film is a complete inversion of the typical format of male ensembles. Alongwith the female leads, there is Chris Hemsworth who stars as the not-so-intelligent eye candy – a role typically set aside for females in male-dominated films.

The film more than lives up to the standards of the original and arguably it’s put together better and is funnier!

It’s gags galore in the film but not to the point that it seems forced or like it’s trying too hard. Rather it seems to have found the perfect balance between fantasy, comedy and action.

And no hero film is without a good villain – Neil Casey’s Rowan North is pathetic yet oddly intelligent and almost a match for the girls.

But not quite of course!

Hilariously silly and extremely entertaining throughout, the film features the classic Ghostbusters logo, iconic on screen presences in Slimer and Staypuff as well as cameos from original Ghostbusters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.

Who ya gonna call??

If you liked this, please read, like and comment on my other reviews here.

I also have a Letterboxd account where I post some short reviews of the most recent films I’ve seen.

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Siobhan

2 comments

  1. I do believe this is the first positive review of this film that I have read. Glad you liked it…personally while I liked the first Ghostbusters,Ghostbusters 2 was a complete car crash and Bill Murray is unwatchable in it.

    Like

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