1. GHOSTBUSTERS, whether good or bad, doesn’t need to be a referendum on female-driven comedies so long as we keep making them anyway.

2. it gives me no pleasure to report that GHOSTBUSTERS is a lazy, uninspired rehash of pre-existing iconography. at a certain point in the movie, the ghostbusters are attacked by their own logo — i sure know how they feel. ironically (in light of the misogyny directed its way), the gender-swap is the only thing this movie has going for it.

3. per Daniel Fienberg: "Nobody’ll buy this, but: If you pre-judge something for a year based on nothing, even if it *does* suck, it doesn’t mean you were 'right.'"

4. Kate McKinnon is indeed delightful, even…

71/100

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, and Chris Hemsworth. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call has one hell of a cast up its sleeve, and this reboot/nostalgia hybrid succeeds because of the joke-after-joke-after-joke chemistry molded through Paul Feig's streak of modern, witty comedies. He has a knack for taking a room full of varied characters and supplying humor in sharp, frequent bursts. It's a film of improvisation, goofy personalities, spooky thrills, and a gigantic save the city climax. Robert Yeoman's cinematography in particular is brightly fluid and colorful, capturing the otherworldly beauty of portals, silly ghostbusting contraptions, and the various haunted locals with a degree of grace and style. It feels - and looks - like a fun horror…

It feels... empty? There is a disconnect here, something wrong with this film that resides, I think at this time, in the characters. In the dialogue, which is as far from human as possible while still being recognizable words. In the pacing, which gives no time for motivation and development to breath, no time for the world to come alive. Something is introduced, then it is whisked away, making it seem less like settings and myth-building, and more like excuses. The foreshadowing is lacking, perhaps, in the things that will turn out to matter. It doesn't come with surprises; it just makes the film feel abbreviated (despite an engorged runtime).

Perhaps it's the manner of the humor. I don't think…

▶ Gonzo's 2016 Movie Rankings

Is it good?
Really sad to say this, but no, it isn't.

But... But Rotten Tomatoes...
Rotten Tomatoes is broken.

But some are saying it's just as good as the original...
Yeah, I'm not even a huge fan of the original, but even I'd say that's blasphemy. You'd have to be ashamed of yourself if you think 2016 Ghostbusters is just as good or better than 1984 Ghostbusters. I'd love to read a detailed analysis on how one could come to that conclusion, because I couldn't think of a single thing that this movie does better. You can't say it's funnier. You can't say the story's any better. You definitely can't say the characters are…

Out of a dare I watched the Ghostbusters reboot after all. I appreciated that plot-wise it wasn't a carbon copy of the original and moreover: it didn't make me feel miserable. For what it is, I think this is quite alright.

Wiig is the standout of the main cast, she pretty much repeats her Bridesmaids performance. McCarthy and Jones get a lot out of their material, too. Unfortunately, Feig had no idea how to utilze McKinnon's chops and in turn her performance comes off as irritating. Then there's Chris Hemsworth. He can be quite hilarious. His dialogue really could have used some restraint, though. On that note, all the supporting characters could have used a less outrageous approach.

While I'm…

Ghostbusters is one of the most over-rated franchises ever. Though it would be disingenuous if I'd say there wouldn't be any sort of merit with the original films. It's just that overall, the Ghostbusters franchise is of little to no interest to me. Maybe the original film is better. It has been years since I last watched it. But honestly... don't know, don't care. At least I'm not one of those people who made it a part of their identity and started screaming when the trailer showed women instead of men. And I'm here to review this film on its own merit.

Surprisingly I somewhat enjoyed this film. Sort of. It's threading this fine line of being actually endearing and…

As someone who was pretty lukewarm, though mostly positive about this movie. After reading through some of the comics where the 2016 characters have their own adventures and also cross over with the OG Ghostbusters, Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters and beyond; I’m still kinda bummed this wasn’t allowed to continue. This movie is clunky and flawed, but the new team is really solid (especially Holtzmann), the new gear is kickass, and I was really hoping for a sequel that allowed all these great elements to shine even more. Of course I’m stoked for Afterlife. I’ve been wanting a proper follow up to Ghosbusters 2 my whole life. But, I still hope that one day that these ladies get another shot…