By TANIA PHILLIPS
GHOSTBUSTERS
PG (116 minutes)
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth
IF you want some great jump-scares, a lot of fun and even a crazy dance sequence during the credits – who you going to call?
Forget the hype, all the talk about feminist agendas and the ruining of franchises – Ghostbusters 2016 is just a good old-fashioned fun popcorn film.
Yes the 2016 reboot by director Paul Feig does have an all-female ghostbusting cast, yes it is a reboot not a sequel (but as one of the original Ghostbusters is sadly no longer with us and they couldn’t pass on the baton – that’ the way it had to be) and no it’s not going to win any prizes for originality, it is still a lot of fun.
Teenagers still come out of it having had a great time just like they did 30 years ago when the original came out. This is a remake in the style of Father Of The Bride and Sabrina, updated for a new generation, but while those stuck fairly faithfully to the original, tweaking some of the plot for a more savvy generation, this movie has a style and character of it’s own despite initially starting very similarly to the first.
Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy star as two estranged friends who once wrote a book together but have taken very different academic paths. A lot of time is spent developing their previous friendship, their falling out and then friendship renewal. So much that it probably takes away from the way you interact with their characters and for that reasons it’s Kate McKinnon as the crazy over the top Holtzmann and Leslie Jones as Patty that steal the show.
Both transcend stereo-typing to become the heart of the film – throw in Chris Hemsworth who is allowed to show a lot of range in this film, some very clever cameos, and you have a fun 116 minutes at the movies.
Word of warning – stay right to the very end of the credits – as with Feig’s fun Spy film the credits are worth watching (if only for Hemsworth’s dance moves) and there is an additional scene right at the end (hopefully pointing towards a sequel).
