In 1984, a film by the name of Ghostbusters made a big splash - there were ghosts in New York City and everything, and a little symbol with a cute ghost barred by a no-entry sign became iconic. Fast forward over 30 years, and the ghosts are back in a new movie universe. It's the same, but different. Yep, the busters are girls too. OMG. For whatever reason, there's been a LOT of controversy surrounding this reboot. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's actually an OK film. I know - controversial or what!? It's fun and enjoyable, but not long-lasting. It's funny, but not groundbreaking. If anything, people are going to remember this one for all the wrong reasons.

In a modern-day New York, eerie blue and green ghosts are being let back into the city, opening the floodgates to the apocalypse. Luckily, there are people you can call for these things. Sound familiar? That's right, the reboot doesn't ever stray too far from the original.  It's a cool enough standalone movie, but it undoubtedly lives in the shadow of its ancestor, which proudly holds a deserved "cult classic" stamp. This one, indeed, has the stamp of approval of Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd behind the original story. Director Paul Heig takes the helm, and the new-crew kicks off with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy teaming up once again as scientists, former high-school buddies, and believers in the paranormal. It's no Conjuring stuff though; there are some textbook scenes to make you jump, but everything else is pretty tame. (That's not a bad thing for me though - have you ever wondered why I never review horror movies!?)

After a barely-there storyline involving a wacky co-authored book on Amazon, Dr Erin Gilbert (Wiig) and Dr Abby Yates (McCarthy) are brought back together, in a twist of fate that leads them to their first ghost. Cue group bonding, science stuff, and ghost weapons - or should I say proton containment lasers. The group is completed by fellow Saturday Night Live familiar faces - eccentric engineer Dr Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Metro worker/first client Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones). Throw in very self-aware and mocking dumb receptionist Kevin, played by an on-point Chris Hemsworth (he has a dog called "my cat" - no wait it's "Mike Hat"), who provides even more comic relief. I mean, the whole affair is pretty funny, even if some of the lines are obvious. It made me laugh on more than a few occasions, so you can tick the box of "humour" even if you can't find many other boxes to tick. Meanwhile, the team are energetic and likeable with good chemistry, but it does feel like something we've seen before. Because we have. Considering Paul Feig's the director from Spy, Bridesmaids and The Heat, it's no real surprise that Melissa McCarthy is very...McCarthy. Ditto Wiig. However, Kate McKinnon, who is a relative newcomer (I was thinking Elizabeth Banks at first!) is a multiple scene-stealer in my opinion. There's little forced expectation and spotlight on her so it allows her quirky gadgetsmaster character to catch you off-guard a bit.

Before we dip our toes in the controversies, one of the things I wasn't mad about was the graphics. We're in the 21st century, in a post-Avatar age of effects. The special effects are not all that at all, they're very Haunted Mansion-esque in fact. I don't think I was expecting fireworks in every frame, but this cheapens the look and feel of it in a way that's probably counter-productive. It's supposed to be scarier (at least it was billed to be), and people have criticised for not talking it seriously - I guess that statement applies to more than just the graphics.

It seems people are angry about Leslie Jones's character. It seems people are angry about the all-female cast. It also seems people are angry that the critics' view is vastly differing from that of the general audience. Like many other "official" things, it's not representative. I even saw comments like "watching it was worse than being waterboarded". A little extreme there. As a film blogger and not professional critic, I like to think I'm usually coming from an audience-centric approach...and for the record, I did like this film! (No, I'm not being paid. Yes, this is my freedom of speech and no, please don't send me hate mail.) I don't think it should matter that this is an all-female cast, and in fact, it barely crossed my mind when I was watching it. But then again, the main difference and apparent reason for doing this version. It's not striking enough in any other area to warrant the remake. Truth is, I don't think it needed a remake, and I definitely don't think people wanted one. If you were expecting something, you'll probably be disappointed. If you were expecting to hate it, you'll probably view it with a lens that'll make you hate it.

It's kind of like a tribute band - not nearly as good as the original although there are some nice moments of nostalgia. The cameos are great, the catchphrases aren't subtle. There are also obligatory 21st century references like Reddit, Amazon, going viral and a few others dotted about. It is formulaic and very safe and also obvious - there's nothing there that surprised me much (except maybe McKinnon's naturally awesome antics), no spectacular twists or turns... The plot is also very straightforward, with the typical underdog, overlooked villain who wants to take revenge by destroying the world. If the film were a rollercoaster, it'd be pretty flat as you always know what's coming next. Having said all that, it's only because of its nature as a reboot that all of this matters so much. Take the film as it is, and it's still an entertaining watch.

They reportedly poured a lot of money into marketing, evident as I ran across Waterloo station, stopping to pose with the giant Marshmallow Puft Man. It looks like it needs the extra marketing help, although I really don't think it deserves all the stick. They made a decent, funny movie. The added girl-power is a plus. It pays a lot of attention to the legacy. It hasn't lost the Ghostbusters essence and it most certainly isn't a disaster. The cast are in their element and even though the ghost effects are more than questionable, they wreak havoc across the city and you get mass mayhem. If this is the start of a completely new chapter, there'll be a lot to re-evaluate I'm sure. But as long as everyone moves on - and I mean everyone including the writers and the audience - there should be nothing to be afraid of.

PS. Make sure you stay during the credits for a few more cameos, plus 5 minutes of Chris Hemsworth dancing. He's a great dancer.

Ghostbusters is in cinemas now.



(For the record I watched the film without having watched the trailer and after watching it post-film I will say it isn't a very good accurate representation of it. I didn't cringe that much, and I genuinely laughed out loud at all the jokes in context. So yeah, don't judge it so much on the trailer.)