After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatura...
Any film that can turn a fridge and a giant marshmallow man into a nightmare, while keeping our lips upturned in a smirk certainly deserves respect, and that’s exactly what this summer blockbuster got. “Ghostbusters”, directed by Ivan Reitman, is a film built on the memorably witty characters and its limitless imagination that earns the right to be considered a “classic”, despite its sometimes dated appearance.
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If you do not know what this film is about, then my goodness, why are you following this account?! Let’s recap anyway. The film follows three failed scientists who are forced to strike out on their own after losing their university funding. They buy an abandoned fire station and begin advertising their unique business plan that is when you’re being harassed by a spook, these are the guys who you can call. A potential client reaches out when she starts to experience scary stuff, and before long the newly formed team are facing an impending apocalypse!
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Scripted by both Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, the film is a near perfect melding of comedy, sci-fi, and horror. It presents a bizarre high concept with a surprisingly coherent narrative that understands when to crack a joke. When you couple that with a group of comic legends who also happened to be gifted character actors playing at the absolute top of their game, you’ll receive the ultimate 80’s phenomenon that is “Ghostbusters”.
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Watching it now, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing the iconic roles of “The Ghostbusters”, especially the role of “Venkman”, who’s cemented into cinema’s history by Bill Murray. His performance above all others makes the film hysterically funny. He has a wonderful deadpan shtick that works perfectly for his arrogant character. Aykroyd plays “Stanze” as an especially eager scientist who has a ton of childlike wonder. Ramis gives “Spengler” a haughty “know it all” vibe that works well when he’s with the others. Hudson’s “Zeddmore” doesn’t actually have that much to do besides playing the straight man in the group and offer up some innocuous comments every so often. Together, the team rolls in sarcastic banter that provides much needed humor throughout the runtime.
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“Ghostbusters” is one of those films that basically everyone agrees is good, and why you may ask? The film is not there to moralize, to tell you what you should think or how to feel. Like so many films from that decade, it’s pure popcorn entertainment that’ll suck you in and keep you engaged till the credits roll with its whimsical dialogue and memorable characters. The ingenious premise of exorcists as high-tech exterminators is inventive enough to create a swinging good time with consistently charismatic characters that brings the film to life. If you’re looking for a spookily good time this Halloween night, who should you call?!? Wait for it..... “GHOSTBUSTERS”!! Happy Halloween, Horror Freaks! ????
