I ain`t afraid of no ghost..!!

COLINS FILM CLUB Review GHOSTBUSTERS Cinema review.

Back in 1984, a totally new phenomena hit the cinemas - the supernatural comedy. Full of deadpan (sorry!) humour and wisecracks, it cemented the likes of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as cultural icons and became not just a box office hit but one of the best loved and fondly remembered films ever. So, the question is, would you ever attempt to remake it...? Paul Feig did... And it wasn't an easy film to get going, once the intention was released of making the four lead characters female, the Internet went into meltdown with derisive and vicious attacks aimed at Feig and the production. As Director, Feig took a lot of the criticism personally and unfairly. He knew his film had to work to prove he was right in his recasting decision. But has it...??? When the original came out, I was a mere 16yrs old and I remember being dazzled by the effects and wanted a proton pack because they were so cool. But there were things about the film that back then went clear over my head, like the twinkie reference, since I had never seen one or heard of them before. As a more mature 47yr old I now fully understand all the quips and jibes of the first film, and it's to its credit that this latest entry slips into the fold so easily, that watching it felt comfortable and like welcoming back an old friend. This is also helped in that the story is an almost near identical retread of the first film. Our four heroes (Melissa Mccarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mckinnon and Leslie Jones - all Saturday Night Live veteran comics) decide to form "Ghostbusters" after being kicked out of University, and with Jones as streetwise Metro worker, set about looking into a sudden upsurge in hauntings and ghost related incidents. It seems a bloke called Rowan, who has found a way to breach the spirit world with a vortex using Ley lines and bring the whole dimension crashing down on itself. So who ya gonna call?? Yep, you guessed it... Hindered by a suitably dim-witted secretary in a neat role reversal here (Kevin is played by Chris Hemsworth or Thor fame..!) the Ghostbusters take on Rowan to save New York once again. There are some lovely nods to the previous films, with a bust of Egon Spengler seen early on, Dan Aykroyd as a taxi driver, Ernie Hudson and Signorney Weaver and the meatiest cameo going to Bill Murray as a sceptical professor and academic. Paul Feig has wisely opted to focus on his new team though and out of these it's clearly a vehicle for Wiig foremost, Mccarthy has a few moments but she was on better form in the film Spy, also directed by Feig. Jones is nowhere near as irritating as she could have been and is a pleasant surprise, but it's Mckinnon who steals the show, her wackiness being as unstable as some of her various creations and there is a sense of someone who finally finds herself a place in some type of similarly dysfunctional family when she gives a toast - watch it and you will see what we mean. Effects are superb, and while CGI is present, there are also several ghosts which were obviously practical effects like in the first films, clearly showing further respect to the source material. The standout scare moment has to be the encounter at the beginning at the Manor with an apparition which mirrors the Library ghost from the 1984 film. If there is a weak point at all its that we really don't care too much about Rowan as the main villain, or that he might have just had a bad start in life, plus it's never really explained why he wishes to use spiritual life to get even when there are other more solid or corporeal methods available in this modern age. There maybe a hint or clue as to who is really behind it all, but you need to stay until the very end of the credits to see why because it's never mentioned during the film. So... the big questions that this film raises. Is it as good as the original? ...no, its not. Is it really bad and should be avoided? ...definitely not!! Does the switch to an all girl line up make any difference? ...no, in fact it's quite refreshing and all four work well not just as characters but as believable friends too. It certainly should silence it's Internet critics and as a 2016 Summer blockbuster it's is in a rare class of being rather good, as both Independence Day Resurgence and Star Trek Beyond have disappointed. So, do yourself a favour. If you can still see this at the cinema then do so, if not you have to get a copy on Blu Ray or DVD when it's released later this year. It's a very good film and although it will never better the original it can sit proud alongside the 1989 sequel as being nearly as good as. Paul Feig, you can relax... your Ghostbusters is a success...!!!

It was a bold move to re-cast such an iconic film with female leads, but it pays off, and technically, ghostbusting` has never looked so good either..

COLINS FILM CLUB RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟