Oh, I ain't afraid of the latest Ghostbusters movie.
All that vitriol over the new, female-led Ghostbusters movie has done nothing but made me even more curious, more wanting to watch it. Having seen it first-hand in all its glory, did the movie deserve all that hate?
Surprise, surprise. Absolutely not.
Know that I'm a Ghostbusters fan from waaayyy back. Love the original movies, wanted to be like Egon from the cartoons, and felt so boss as a kid with my own Proton Pack and everything. So of course I paid a ticket to see the new Ghostbusters movie. If anything, I am at least guaranteed of a few laughs with the likes of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones sharing the screen. And you know what? I had a lot of fun!
Let none say this movie ain't funny. I had laughs a-plenty throughout the movie, though I do admit some felt flat or went on too long. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy may be the comedy veterans and played the straight women well, but they just couldn't hold a candle to the comedic timing of Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, who pretty much outshone them all.
Seriously, my girlfriend and I were both crushing on McKinnon's character Jillian Holtzmann, whose equal parts genius and crazy stole the show for us and was the source of many of the film's best moments. She was confident in her weirdness and in her ability to make stuff that busts ghosts, and it rubbed me the right way. I would pay to watch Holtzmann dispatch ghosts in slo-mo Zack Snyder style, with smirk and aplomb, over and over again.
And really, it's the new dynamic of a femGhostbusters team that made this movie for me. They're smart. They're different. They're women. And in a world that doesn't give all of that much weight, Erin Gilbert and co. owned it. I didn't even mind that there wasn't much ghostbusting going on in this movie (if that's what you're in for, I hope the climax of the film at least sates your thirst). Their glee after barely escaping with their lives capturing their first ghost is quite infectious, and I can't help but root for them when it was time to face the Big Bad in the end.
Don't worry, Ghostbusters fans. We still have the original films and the cartoons, and nothing can take those away from us. It's not perfect, but the ladies-led version is peppered with enough funny and awesome to become a fine and welcome addition to a 30-year-old franchise. If fun is all you need for the next two hours, Ghostbusters is worth the price of a ticket.
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