Directed by Paul Feig
Country: USA
The new “Ghostbusters”, released by Columbia Pictures and directed by the comedy expert Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids”, “The Heat”, “Spy”), is now part of those unnecessary remakes adulterated for the worse.
The comedy, written by Mr. Feig and Katie Dippold, was adapted from Ivan Reitman’s 1984 original version, which starred Bill Murray (he has a brief appearance here too), Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis as three paranormal savvies whose goal is to keep the Big Apple clean from mischievous ghosts and evil spirits.
In this new adventure, Mr. Feig makes a significant alteration, though. He replaces the three original male characters for three feminine ones, played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon. While the former two actors had previously worked under the guidance of the director, McKinnon joins him for the first time with a surprising wallop.
Drs. Abby Yates (McCarthy) and Erin Gilberts (Wiig) were partners in a book that considered and supported the existence of ghosts. However, each of them took their own way when the book revealed to be a disappointment in terms of acceptance.
The two women will enthusiastically reunite again to investigate a serious case related to the haunted Aldridge mansion. Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon), an atypical and presumably gay engineer who researches the paranormal in the Columbia University together with Yates, joins them in the mission that fails to entertain due to its ridiculously forced details.
Before that, a maleficent ghost was seen flying over the subway tracks by Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), a fearless MTA employee who was promptly accepted as a Ghostbusters member due to her curiosity, bravery, and availability.
Besides fighting against countless ghosts - some of them are winged and green like creepy aliens, others take a more human shape or look like toys - the team also has to deal with the Mayor Bradley (Andy Garcia) who considers they operate unsafely and are causing a mass hysteria in the city. However, their main concern is Rowan North (Neil Casey), a freak that is summoning ghosts through his devices and assumes the form of the Ghostbusters’ logo in giant proportions.
With insipid jokes and predictable action scenes populated by uninteresting characters, “Ghostbusters” is a stereotyped comedy that spreads more goofiness than cleverness.
