Doggy bags are a wonderful thing and one of simple pleasures in life is that blissful moment the pizza from the night before comes out of the microwave and hits your early morning taste buds. The crust might seem a little soggy but all the things that are right out weight the potential staleness. In many ways, this is the story of the latest installment of the Ghostbusters franchise, although this pizza has had a few jalepenos thrown on for good measure. It's been 27 years since the last cinematic instalment of the Ghostbusters franchise, and audiences finally get to see the proton packs blaze away in all their sizzling glory once again. The twist in this film is the much discussed nixing of the original male Ghostbusters characters in favour of an all new of female line-up.
Helmed by director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat), the movie, eschews the continuity of the previous films, and the two critically acclaimed animated series from the nineties, in favour of a new narrative that ignores all that has gone before while dragging us safely back into familiar territory. Replacing the original line-up of male Saturday Night Live alumni, are an equally funny group of female comedians drawn from the same show. Added to the convention flipping is Chris Hemsworth, who appears as the useless but hunky 'himbo' receptionist whose main function is to act as eye candy for the 'Busters', as well as to get caught up in events in a way that recalls Rick Moranis' character in the original movies. While the characters are different, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones portray a similar group of off beat scientists who desperately want their research into the supernatural to be taken seriously while seeking to save New York from a world shattering supernatural apocalypse. If it sounds familiar that's because it is and enjoyably so. What are the jalapenos on this reheated pizza you may ask? Well for some it be the uber-hunky addition of Chris Hemsworth but for others it might be the sparkling, witty and quirky performances of McCarthy and Co who also provide an element of eye candy for the thinking man and possibly for many that don't. For GB geeks, another new pizza topping in this outing is the array of new gadgets the teams creates that sit in their armory alongside the more familiar ones of old. No matter the gender, these 'Busters' love their toys.
While the movie is determined to be a version of Ghostbusters that stands alone in it's own continuity, the film tries desperately to remind us that it is still part of the 80's-90's franchise. You may be the 30 something fan who watched every show, read every comic, had every figure and spent your holidays with your mum's vacuum cleaner strapped to your back and mourn the erasing of your childhood heroes. Don't worry, they are not far away. With frequent cameos by original cast members, even including a bust of the late Harold Ramis, its pedigree is constantly thrust at the audience in case we have forgotten it's the third installment of a popular but long dormant franchise. If we feel that it's not kosher with out the original GB team, they hope to convince us otherwise by turning up like a sprinkling of turkey bacon on a cheese pizza. Ironically Bill Murray, who played the cynical Peter Venkman in the original films, takes on the role of an equally cynical skeptic who publicly challenges the credibility of the Ghostbusters with dire consequences. If all this fails, we get to see a version of the Marshmellow Man and the return of Slimer, the only continuing character to survive all incarnations of Ghostbusters franchise.
Plot wise, the movie safely follows the basic formula of the previous films and reproduces much of the same iconography as the original series. The Ghosbusters must work with and against the City Council to foil a massive supernatural plot centered around New York which threatens the world as we know it. Far from a bad thing, it reminds us of all the fun and silly things that we loved about feasting on the original movies. With proton packs, witty dialogue, ghouls, cranky mayors, a giant monster and an impending apocalypse laid on with thick SFX cheese, this is a reheated dish that is still delicious after all these years. Busting still makes me feel good the third time around.
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