Stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Neil Casey Directed by Paul Feig Well, that’s entertaining. A well-intentioned reboot, this new iteration of Ghostbusters hews fairly close to the original in terms of plot, picking up on a concept and running away with it. Simply put, ghosts are suddenly appearing in particular places and the frequency of such incidences is increasing. Apparently, there’s a reason behind all that. Before that, we still have to get our core group together and they take a slightly different approach in establishing certain aspects of the mythology. Instead of having the original three being part of a university faculty with a common interest, we instead start with Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) on the verge of a tenure review at a prestigious university (and sneakily popping in an appearance by the late Harold Ramis), only to have things fall apart when a book on the paranormal she co-wrote years ago with a former colleague, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) derails her prospective future. In the midst of confronting Abby and meeting Abby’s technical whiz assistant Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), Erin gets pulled along to investigate a possible ghost sighting. Things simply snowball from there as the three scientist end up forming their new ‘research project’ independently and are soon joined by transit officer and New York historian, Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones). McCarthy and Wiig are the consummate double act, having worked together with their director Paul Feig on Bridesmaids. McCarthy in particular is toned down from the typically brash and foul loudmouth she’s built her cinematic career on (since Bridesmaids), something that worked to great effect in Spy (also directed by Feig). While Leslie Jones seems to counterbalance McCarthy and Wiig, it’s McKinnon’s Holtzmann who is a blast as she cooks up their tech and later proves her efficiency in utilising said tech in a standout scene. Chris Hemsworth also provides a bundle of laughs as the dim receptionist, showcasing a humorous side to his usually typical heroic persona. Much of the humour comes more from the stars and their reactions to their situation, quite likely from the comedy pros riffing on each other and ad-libbing a majority of their lines, but there seems little humour comes from either the story or the plot itself, which is very much like the original. In that, the movie falters a little, and the CGI overload becomes spectacularly tedious after a while. While old favourites such as Slimer and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man turn up, it’s more for nostalgia’s sake rather than being part of the plot. In fact, it’s the need for nostalgia that drags the movie down, even while it’s momentarily fun to pick through the cameos from the original stars. Bill Murray has more of a supporting role than a cameo, but just as with the others, it does seem rather superfluous and barely incidental to the overall plot. Then again, given the nature of the movie, plot isn’t something Ghostbusters was banking on. Most comedies of this nature hinge on the performances and in there are some of the gems that carry the movie through to the end, particularly with McKinnon and Hemsworth. Paul Feig seems to have some control over wrangling his cast, keeping a tight leash, enough from keeping them from going way overboard. Still, the movie is entertaining enough to be enjoyable, keeping in line with the spirit of the original. It would be far more interesting to see where the inevitable sequel might go, what with the hint given in the post credit scene. Rating: *** / 5
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