Ghostbusters or Ghostbusters: Answer The Call (as the movie seems to be confused on its own title) is the poster-child for a film that tries to start a franchise but was so busy looking to the future it didn't focus on what it was actually making during the present. If anything, this film should be a relief to anyone who thought this was going to ruin the name. While it most certainly isn't the worst film of the summer it does take the title of weakest film in this series from Ghostbusters II but that mostly comes from how bland the film is than just being outright bad.
Ghostbusters: Answer The Call has a tight comedic cast with Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert, Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates, Lesile Jones as Patty Tolan, and Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzman making up the team. McKinnon is a spitfire in the movie and a welcome burst of life though regrettable the same cannot be said for the other three members who lack any chemistry together and are saddled with a majority of the weaker gags. This could be because they don't really feel like characters, more like blank cardboard with occasional gags that got saddled with some quirky thing (McCarthy REALLY likes Chinese food and Wiig wants Chris Hemsworth). Chris Hemsworth plays the dim-bulb receptionist for the Ghostbusters, Kevin, whose character and performance adds for a nice counter-point to the main team (though the humor he's involved in is one-note).
When talking about the villain I can't help but strain to remember why he was even there as he is arguably the weakest part of the film's plot. Neil Casey plays Rowan, a creepy guy who wants to take over the world with ghosts because... he was bullied. That's his entire motivation and as expected it leads to an unmemorable villain who pops up randomly throughout the film. I believe this kind of character could have been better handled if given better motivation and we don't actually see him until halfway through the film, instead of him popping up 15 minutes in stating his entire scheme and motivation.
The film focuses on formation of the team, with Wiig being a disgraced college professor joined by McCarthy and McKinnon who couldn't receive funding for their ghostbusting ways. Eventually Leslie Jones joins the team as the street-wise member (which could arguably be stereotypical but her character is given a little more to do). As Rowan tries to bring more ghosts into the world, more paranormal events happen forcing the team to suit up. I was actually sold on the film with the first five minutes which feel perfectly inline with the dark and spooky opening of the original '84 classic but slowly overtime as more and more jokes were just missing the mark I was losing hope.
Thankfully, McKinnon and Hemsworth can make the scenes they're in work which helped through the other casts disinterest in the film. While a lot of the humor falls on its face when these two aren't present, there was one genuine moment involving Leslie Jones and mannequins that I chuckled at. That was a moment that felt appropriate to what Ghostbusters is because it mocks a horror trope while still playing it scary. This feels like a film that got lightly mauled in the editing room as character arcs don't exist or are removed (Hemsworth's Kevin wants to apparently be a Ghostbuster by the 3rd act yet nothing even hinted at this), characters know things we aren't shown they would know, and scenes probably deemed to embarrassing in the film are moved to the credits (a whole dance routine happened with Rowan and the military during the climax but it was moved to the credits). The action scenes for the most part falter due to director Paul Feig's incompetence during these moments but it does eventually lead to a rather good climactic battle (even if it seems to break the film's established rules) only hampered by the poor ghost effects.
Ghostbusters: Answer The Call's tongue-in-cheek attitude fails to match the original's decidedly straight face and dry wit approach, something this version could only dream of. It serves as a jumping off point for Sony's planned Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe (which I'm truly questioning is even a thing anymore as the all male spin-off was canned and the possible Slimer spin-off has yet to be mentioned, but I digress) but this opening act feels like the most basic attempt at franchise filmmaking. While this was a big stumble out of the gate leading to a mediocre product, I think a sequel or better planned spin-off could redeem this franchise, that is if the film earns the financial needs to warrant forging on with the current plan.
Pros:
+Kate McKinnon keeps the film alive
+Chris Hemsworth's Kevin consistently delivers
+The climax is enjoyable
Cons:
-The Ghostbusters have no chemistry together
-The villain is awful and offers nothing
-Choppy editing
-Poor unconvincing effects
+/-Cameos are funny but completely stop the films pace (Murray's cameo being the worst perpetrator)
+/-Paul Feig provides competent direction but proves to be an awful choice to direct action scenes
Ghosbusters/Ghostbusters: Answer The Call gets a mediocre:
UPDATE:
With greater thought and evaluation I've found many of the plot holes to be far to aggregious to be ignored. So many things that happen in the film are unexplained and preset rules of the films universe are broken, all compacted by awful CGI (one of the worst uses of green screen I've seen in modern blockbuster filmmaking), one-note and one-dimensional main characters, vapid (and 80% of the time awful) humor that does a disservice to the franchises original wit. Thanks to the absence of a montage or the like there is no feeling of a passage of time, which could have been fine, if the Ghostbusters themselves didn't go from amateurs with their weapons to literal crackshots (one point shooting every ghost with ease) without any showing of development and skill advancement. There's a moment in this film where they shoot a giant Ghostbusters logo in the nonexistent ghostballs and I can't help but feel like that personally yet at the same time it feels almost self-referential in how the movie shoots it's own series in the balls. When I sat down to watch the movie I wanted it to be good, I wanted it to honor the legacy of what had come before, and maybe that's evident in my original rating, but it insulted my intelligence as a viewer and especially as a fan of the Ghostbusters license. I said I was interested in where they could go with the cinematic universe idea but now I regret saying that, if this is the kind of quality I can expect from future installments then count me out.
Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters: Answer The Call gets a soul-crushing:
What did you think of the film? Agree? Disagree? Let me know below!
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