Before I say anything about the actual trailer, I have a few
things to address first. I love original ‘Ghostbusters’, possibly my absolute
favourite comedy movie of all time. The plot is fantastic, characters are
amazing, humour is brilliant and the special effects still hold up. So the last
thing I would want is a remake. But then again a remake does not mean that the
first film no longer exists, it’s still there and you can still enjoy it.
Also, Bill Murray was asked several times prior to the
announcement of the Paul Feig movie as to whether or not he would appear in
another ‘Ghostbusters’ movie and he declined, today Murray usually chooses to
invest his talents in projects he is personally interested in like small indie
comedies hence his partnerships with the likes of Sofia Coppola and Wes
Anderson. Dan Akroyd has also stated that he is not interested in making
another instalment. Harold Ramis is sadly dead and he is not coming back,
Sigourney Weaver has also not expressed an interest in making another movie and
Rick Moranis is still in retirement, having quit the movie business to look
after his family. And Ernie Hudson is … probably not interested, I don’t know,
I haven’t seen any interviews with him.
So if we need to make another ‘Ghostbusters’ movie, or if it’s
going to be remade regardless at least this all female concept seems like a
smart and clever way to reboot the series. For that matter I was trying to defend
the first set photos when the cast came under attack for not looking happy in
the photos(which obviously has nothing to do with the fact they are in the
middle of shooting a movie and hopefully acting, or the fact that Bill Murray
isn’t smiling for the entirety of the original ‘Ghostbusters’ movie) and let’s
be honest, those et photos could have been James Franco, Seth Rogan, Craig
Robinson and Jonah Hill and no one would have cared about the lack of a smile,
not even if they were actively miserable and weeping into each other’s arms
while cursing the entire ‘Ghostbusters’ fan community.
The point of all of this is that I like to think I went into
this trailer with a fairly open mind. So I can safely say that this trailer ….
is just awful. The first and most essential aspect was this, did it make me
laugh? The answer is no. I really wish I could say otherwise but it just
resembles every other comedy movie currently in cinemas, feeling more like
lightly edited improvisation instead of an actual movie. The jokes just felt
very flat and ultimately it seemed to be Melissa McCarthy doing her usual thing
and Leslie Jones shouting. There’s little evidence of any comedic variety
either, the original has everything from deadpan to slapstick comedy, but this
trailer mainly features the same style of predictable and rather unimaginative
comedy.
But quintessentially, I have to ask, what I this movie? Its opening
leads you to believe that it is a continuation but then the actual footage
never makes any reference to the original. I’m not saying I prefer one over the
other but at the very least the movie itself should decide which one. If it is
a reboot then why bother to try and leech off of nostalgia with call backs such
as Exo-1 or the firehouse or Slimer? It can still be a continuation with just
an acknowledgement of the old team.
Now I know it’s slightly unfair to instantly start comparing
it to the original, but here’s another problem; with all of the references it’s
essentially asking you to, reminding you for virtually every second that you
used to enjoy the other movie so please watch this one. The pacing also feels
very odd, feeling rather slow and cumbersome as opposed to a laugh a minute
film that I have to watch now. I know it’s a different genre of comedy, but
when I look at a trailer like ‘The Nice Guys’, that’s a comedy I want to see
now. This is one I could stand a while to wait for.
To be fair none of Paul Feig’s movies have had great
trailers. ‘Spy’ was highly entertaining but the trailer was rather flat as
well. But another problem for me was how I didn’t get a cohesive sense of story
from this trailer, the humour felt rather forced and seemed to be designed
around big action scenes rather than the humour. The CGI does have the right
look to it for me, with an almost cartoonish quality to it that suits the general
tone. Feig has an entertaining track record with plenty of enjoyable movies so
I will give the film itself the benefit of the doubt for now and hold out hope
that it will be good. But in terms of a trailer that has to please the old fans
while excite new ones, I can’t help but think this one didn’t do either.
But what are your thoughts? Comment below if you agree or disagree. Thanks and bye.
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