I know 90% of you will just skip to the trailer, and that's cool, but words need to be said...
I think it's fair to say that over the last year or so the general 'internet' reaction to the Ghostbusters remake/sequel/reimagining or whatever it's being referred to as has not been overly positive. There's been a lot of vocal condemnation surrounding the cast (shock, horror, women Ghostbusters?) and many people generally writing it off before the first reel of film was loaded in the can.
Personally, for the longest time I didn't want this movie. Nothing to do with the cast or director, I would've felt the same way if it was Dan Aykroyd/Ivan Reitman calling the shots, I just didn't really want any Ghostbusters movie. I'm just gonna quote something I wrote on this two years ago, long before Melissa McCarthy or Paul Feig were even mentioned.
When I was young teenager I won a competition in the local paper, the prize was a cinema pass for a year. A whole year of free movies, it was possibly the greatest prize ever offered in the history of prizes. At least 3 or 4 times a week I would head of down to the ABC Cinema straight from school and watch anything I could. The year began with Ghostbusters and ended with Back To The Future. I saw both at least 25 times each, and I'm very protective of them.And you know what, it looks as if they've done just that. Meet me the on other side, OK...
I've not seen it, I've not read the script, but it just seems obvious that Ghostbusters III will destroy precious childhood memories. When it was rumoured years back I didn't want it to be some kind of jolly boys outing, and now with only Akyroyd left involved, I don't want to see his old fat bloated self rolled out just to pass a torch. If they absolutely have to make a new Ghostbusters film then I would rather the studio just did a full reboot. This is maybe the only instance when I would say that. Just remake it for a new generation of kids and let them enjoy it.
...I have to say they've won me over. Yeah, so it's a sequel, I know Paul Feig has said otherwise but the whole "30 Years ago..." stuff seems to imply it is, however it's also most definitely Ghostbusters for a new generation.
There are numerous parallels between the scenes we see in this trailer and the original film, from the characteristics of the main cast to the locations and their vehicle, so it seems they are taking the Force Awakens/New Hope approach. And I'm quite cool with that. It also looks genuinely funny. Slightly dodgy CGI at times, it has to be said, but on the whole I think the trailer sells itself very well. I'll be going to see this, I wouldn't have thought that two years ago.
Here's the main thing I really really love about this Ghostbusters - the cast. God it's about time we had some female led movies coming from Hollywood, and I don't just been rom-coms but big blockbusters like this. I really don't know why so many people (I assume just men, but maybe not?) have such an issue with it. I can't even begin to comprehend. We're talking 50% of the population, right? So why is it such an issue for women to be front and centre? Females watch movies too.
The Force Awakens gave us a brilliant new female protagonist in Rey, and as a father to three young daughters I was so pleased with that. And now, in the same week that The Sun covered the Oscars by scoring the cleavage of various actresses out of 10, we have our first real look at the female driven Ghostbusters. My kids just watched the trailer and loved it. McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones might not be my Ghostbusters but there's every chance that they will be their Ghostbusters.
Maybe, just maybe, in 30 years time it'll be my daughters getting all protective about their Ghostbusters and the 2046 remake/sequel/reimagining or whatever it's being referred to as which has... shock, horror, male Ghostbusters!
Or maybe, just maybe, we would've got past all that nonsense by then.
Ghostbusters opens in the US and UK on July 15th. Will you be there?
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