Ghostbuster (2016): At least it’s Fun … !

9th June, 2017

You know, you’d think I’d have something better to do on a Friday night.

Wouldn’t you?

But, right at the mo?

I’m thinking there’s not MUCH I’d want to travel to see.

And frankly?

As I’m sure Old Peculiar regular, Debbi, will tell you, getting up Warley High from Brentwood Station isn’t quite as intimidating as the streets of San Francisco … but doesn’t exactly encourage you to take a nice healthy walk.

Who am I trying to kid?

I fancied a night in from of the telly!

With a couple of games: I’ve got a version of Pacman on the  AppleTV, and someone has long since ported the original Sonic the Hedgehog to the platform.

That’s before you get to the easter egg* version of Snake or Tetris hidden some versions of macOS.

You see what I’m trying to say, here?

I wasn’t planning on heading out.

I was thinking a movie would be nice.

I know — a while back — that a fellow commuter mentioned the rebooted version of Ghostbusters was fun, had me thinking … 

~≈Á≈~

Directed by Peter Fieg, this version of Ghostbusters sees as Dr Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig): a hard working physicist trying to gain tenure — a permanent position, in other words — at her posh US university.

Only to have it refused.

In the wake of a book about the paranormal she’d written floating up on Amazon: the shop, rather than the river.

A book co-written by old friend, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy): who, along with colleague, Jillian Holtzman (Kate McKinnon) is having tenure problems of her own.

It’s only when they are joined by Patty, (Leslie Jones) a worker on the New York Metro who sees a ghost … 

That the new team of Ghostbusters realise there’s something strange in the neighbourhood … 

~≈Á≈~

Now … 

Was the reboot any good, I hear you ask?

After all, all that flak the film got on the ’net must’ve meant something … !

I couldn’t tell you what that flak meant: beyond the fact the film bombed.

I believe that flak may well have been the cause.

The film I saw, tonight, wasn’t perfect.

The dialogue could have been sharper.

But, on the other hand?

Ghostbusters had an all round good cast: with Leslie Jones as Patty† and Kate McKinnon^ as Holtz being stand out members.

I felt all the cast, and their characters could be dropped into the original.

What’s more?

Whilst it’s not got the snappy dialogue of the original Ghostbusters films, I suspect that’s not for want trying.

I don’t know if a second entry in the rebooted franchise would get made.

I suspect it won’t, given this one bombed, and STILL gets a lot of negative comment.

I think that’s a shame.

I know this version isn’t perfect … 

But, much like Star Trek: The Motion Picture paving the way for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

IS a good grounding for a another go.

And is entertaining.

Here’s hoping … !

Ghostbusters (2016)

★★★☆

*       OK … if you’re on a recentish version of OS X?   Open Terminal — it’s in Applications>Utilities>Terminal.   Type in emacs.   Then press esc and x at the same time.   Then type in snake or tetris.   Use the cursor keys to play it …

†        Actually, Leslie Jones as Patty, remanded me of Vassily Fet: the Kevin Durand character in The Strain.   They’re both tough, working class people, with a deep love of their home town: and a deep academic‡ knowledge of the place.

‡        You’d possibly argue that a self-taught amateur could’t contribute much to history: or to science.   Until you read up about Patrick Moore: whose moons maps proved helpful to both NASA and the Russian Space Agency during the 1960s.   Or Pierre de Fermat, amateur mathematician, who contributed his Last Theorem, which baffled people for three and a half centuries.

^        Actually?   Kate McKinnon’s performance as Holtzman put me in mind of the late John Belushi. That’s possibly flattering: just flattering.   Until you realise that Ackroyd that written the Pete Venkman part in the original film for his old friend and fellow Blues Brother.  Belushi’s death meant the part had to be re-cast.