Ghostbusters

It’s a remake, not a reboot or sequel, and I was impressed that it’s as much of a tribute to the time period of the first movie as it is – it mentions Jaws and Patrick Swayze, and Dan Ackroyd as a cabbie gets to quote the original song’s lyrics! In fact, all of the original cast is brought back (including Ramis as a bronze bust!) but the highlight was they found ways to explain the “ghostly trio” logo and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! When all is said and done, the film was unfairly pre-judged without those doing the judgment all that familiar with the original film. That one was not only a Belushi vehicle (he died beforehand) but a comedic response to a similar horror movie I’ve always loved, The Sentinel. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy provide the straight-faced laughs, Leslie Jones is touted as the comedic star of the movie, but for me, Kate McKinnon as the mad inventor/nuclear engineer with a hint of steampunk style stole every scene she was in, and Chris Hemsworth was pretty funny as the bumbling bimbo assistant who lacks office skills. And think about what has happened since 1984 –a plethora of ghost adventure shows on TV, that’s what!

[PG-13]