'Ghostbusters' 2016 - A Short and Belated but Much Deserved Review

I first heard about the latest Ghostbusters film through a work colleague – “Did you hear they’re making a new Ghostbusters? Yeah, they’re re-doing it — with girls.” Like any other teen-to-twenty-something year old female, I was intrigued and excited by the concept. Watching “girls” kick ghost ass sounded like exactly the sort of thing I wanted to see. For whatever reason, however, it took me two years to finally watch it when it appeared on Netflix.

I had mixed thoughts on the film as a whole. I was expecting a nigh-on exact copy of the original film with the genders reversed. Instead, I was met with a brand new storyline with a few throwbacks to the 1984 version — a four-piece protagonist line-up, a ghost who possesses the ‘love interest’ of the main protagonist, and a cameo from Slimer. For me, the storyline did not live up to that of the first film and the humour was slightly off at times, with a few cheap references and overstretched jokes. I regret to say I might not have enjoyed it as much if it were a standalone film. The nostalgia certainly saved what would have been an otherwise mediocre plot. I don’t usually support the ‘it’ll never be as good as the original’ argument when it comes to remakes or sequels, but in this case, I have to agree.

At the same time, Ghostbusters ticked a lot of boxes as a real girl power film — Badass female line-up? Check. Women in science? Check. Incompetent and unhelpful men who do nothing at all to aid the protagonists? Check! The entire plot was driven by four female friends with no help from a single man — as much as Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), the beautiful receptionist, may have tried. This is done so subtly that I did not notice it until I was considering this review. There are literally no helpful male characters in the film and yet it doesn’t feel like feminism forced down your throat. At the centre of the group are childhood best friends Erin (Kristen Wiig) and Abby (Melissa McCarthy), who after years of separation are reunited by their shared passion for science and the supernatural. The pair are joined in the escapade by MTA staffer Patty (Leslie Jones) and my personal favourite, engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). The four embark on their mission, which seems to be a classic ‘shoot the bad guys with laser guns then blow something up at the end’ kind of set-up — and of course, there are several laughs along the way. What stuck in my mind, however, was not the jokes or the action, but the believable and relatable bond between the protagonists and the self-assurance of each of them. Instead of changing themselves or overcoming their flaws, the characters grow more into themselves as the film climaxes. I cannot explain how important it is for young women and people to not only watch a film with four female protagonists, but a film with four thirty-something, atypical, female heroes, three of whom are passion-driven scientists. As cheesy as it sounds, the protagonists remain true to themselves and use their quirks as their strengths. Additionally, there is no mention of any other-halves — the only ‘love interest’ being the adorable Kevin, who is pretty much a source of humour and a little eye-candy. The feminism in the film is spot-on and at no point does it feel forced.

Was this the best instalment of the Ghostbusters franchise? Maybe not. Should you watch it? Absolutely (for Holtzmann, if nothing else — I just love her, okay?). It’s not the remake of the century, but it is embedded with positive messages and true female empowerment. The film is perfect for its time and I hope we see more atypical female-led films like this in the near future. For what it was, I loved it and I hope that every teen-to-twenty-something year old female who watched it was as inspired as I was.