Ghostbusters (2016)

"Why am I operating the untested nuclear laser?"

"You have the longest arms."

Dr. Erin Gilbert (Wiig) was a paranormal expert and even co-authored a book on the subject.  But she gave up that dream, and her best friend / co-author Dr. Abby Yates (McCarthy), for a prestigious career in academia.  Her past with the paranormal is jeopardizing her tenure.  She goes Abby to get the book removed from Amazon, when they are contacted about a ghost.  Abby has kept studying the paranormal and now has the help of engineer Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon).  The three witness a ghost and video the encounter.  Their experience gets them all fired and mocked, so they start a paranormal investigation above a restaurant.

Their hire actor/model Kevin (Hemsworth) as the receptionist and are called to the subway for their first official call.  Subway worker Patty Tolan (Jones) shows them the ghost and then joins their team as their New York expert.  Ghosts begin appearing more and more around the city.  Can they find a way to stop the onslaught of the ghosts and save the city?


The Ghostbusters premiered in 1984.  It was the brainchild of Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.  The co-wrote the script and starred in the film, alongside Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson.  The film, directed by Ivan Reitman and co-starring Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Rick Moranis, was a success.  Five years later the original cast and Reitman reunited for a sequel Ghostbusters 2 (again written by Aykroyd and Ramis).  Since then fans have been asking for a third film in the series.

In 2012, Reitman suggested a reboot for the franchise.  He would direct and the original cast would cameo.  After the death of Ramis, Reitman stepped down as the director and was replaced by Paul Feig.  Feig also served as a co-writer for the film (alongside of Katie Dippold).  The surviving cast members, with the exception of Moranis (who retired from acting), all have cameos in the film.  They are not playing their characters from the franchise.  Ramis' son Daniel Ramis has a brief cameo in the film.  And there are several call-backs to events from the original series (the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man even makes an appearance).

Since Feig announced his plans to have an all female cast, the internet has been a-buzz with opinions.  Some people applauded the change and others hated the new direction of the film... these strong opinions only intensified when the first trailer was released.  I love the original films and I wasn't sure how to feel about the reboot.

I was pleasantly surprised by the film.  The cast is filled with talented comedians and it is funny.  Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Cecily Strong are (or were) cast members on TV's SNL.  Aned Melissa McCarthy has headlined many comedy films, including several successful collaborations with Feig.  The chemistry is good... and while the jokes / premise doesn't live up to the original films, it is still an entertaining ride.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) 116 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for supernatural action and some crude humor
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Melissa McCarthy as Dr. Abby Yates
Kristen Wiig as Dr. Erin Gilbert
Kate McKinnon as Dr. Jillian Holtzmann
Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan
Chris Hemsworth as Kevin Beckman
Cecily Strong as Jennifer Lynch
Andy Garcia as Mayor Bradley
Neil Casey as Rowan North