The New Ghostbusters Trailer

A few observations:

1. My secret unpopular opinion is that I never thought that much of the original Ghostbusters. I dug the plot -- I loved the "building made from exotic metals to be an antenna to the psychic flows of ley lines" business; Dan Ackroyd's good at that, because he's a super-geek who really kinda believes such crap -- but I didn't think it was that funny. Lot of catchphrases stuff, and Bill Murray turning in a typically charming, glib, and kinda lazy performance. I guess Harold Ramis was okay.

Yeah I know it's a stealth conservative movie. Now ask me how much I actually care about that, when I'm dialing around the channels looking for a movie to re-watch.

But I will always be a sucker for the sorcery/tech amalgamation concept.

2. A lot of people are taking this remake as a major front of the culture war. Come on, it's not. Yes, it will be overpraised to the heavens, because Feminism.

But that doesn't make the movie some kind of Attack on Traditionalism. It's not like the Bible says, "God madeth Man to busteth the Ghosts, and woman to gaze upon him admiringly, and answer the phones and flirt with Harold Ramis."

Yes, the left is making a silly corporate comedy action fantasy into some sort of talisman for Feminism. That doesn't mean we should follow them down the same rabbit-hole of politiicizing everything. Just because they are stupid and crazy does not obligate us to do likewise.

3. I really liked Bridesmaids. Some say there was too much "Grrrls can do comedy!" boosterism. Fair enough. It was still the funniest comedy of that year. Further, I liked Spy a lot. Both were directed by Paul Fieg (see, they put a man in charge of the production, so it's all cool). Corrected: I first wrote Kevin Fiege, of Marvel movies, had directed. They wish!

Those movies were good. They weren't Trainwreck, which was not only overpraised, but actually pretty terrible, except for Colin Quinn.

4. I like the Very Tall Ghost. Creepy image. Annoyed they did that, because I always wanted to do the Very Tall Ghost in something I might write. Of course, it's just swiped from Lovecraft, but it's a good swipe.

5. The original Ghostbusters crew was semi-competent. This new crew seems to be ultra-competent. Of course they must be, because it would be anti-feminist to suggest otherwise. So... whatever.

What's funnier, a crew of guys who are just semi-competent, smart enough to get themselves into too much trouble, or a group of hotshot super-duper physicists and ultra-engineers? *

Doesn't matter; we have to use this movie to increase Grrrl's interest in STEM fields. Because Message.

So my own take is this: Eh, it could be okay. Didn't love the original. Don't love that it seems to be the same plot, a technological boost to supernatural power, but whatever. Brain dead corporate tentpole picture.

I don't seem anything super-funny here, but I didn't see much funny in Ghostbusters, either.

Overall... ehhhhh. Whatever. Could be fine. Could be not fine.

I don't think it's going to be a big classic but most movies aren't. Most movies are just a chance to spend two hours in a seat in which thousands of persons before you have farted.

* Rethinking this: Harold Ramis was definitely a genius in the original, and I assume Dan Akryod was his competent-but-not-brilliant partner in making the proton packs. So I guess two of them were pretty smart. Though that sort of mostly happened off-screen, so you only know two of them were very smart by implication, mostly.

Remember, the technological gear in the original just shows up in the movie. The proton packs just show up in the elevator when they bust the ballroom ghost, and the ghost containment unit just shows up in their basement. At no point do you see a montage of them making this tech or anything.

In the original, Bill Murray was the main Ghostbuster, even though he was, arguably, the least competent of them. Well, I don't know what skills Ernie Hudson brought to the table, either.

So the original... I guess two of them were competent, but the movie didn't really push that idea...? It kind of pushed the idea that these were Everyday Joes (except for Igon).

This new one is pushing the "Look how well Grrls can do in STEM fields" right in the trailer.

Marketing, I guess. Gotta get Jezebel pushing this movie to chicks who otherwise wouldn't see a fantasy action comedy.

I suppose in the actual movie they'll be as blundering and not-quite-up-to-it as the original crew.

Racist? A commenter here was just saying he's surprised they featured The Black One again as the non-scientist, the sassy streetwise one. He said he thought they'd be embarrassed about that, post the White People's Oscars.

Indeed, the Social Justice Warriors are Social Justice Warrioring:

Eh! I guess they have a bit of a point!

Holy Crap: Yes, this article now exists: How to talk about the new Ghostbusters movie with friends, family, and commenters.

Straight up incredible and self-parody. These insecure retards need an "explainer" to guide them through every single trivial moment of their stupid lives.

Thanks to Daimano.

posted by Ace at 05:52 PM

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