In 1984, four men, including a couple of parapsychologists, donned beige overalls and took on the ghouls of New York City to the catchy Ray Parker Jr. theme tune, Ghostbusters. Thirty years later, director Paul Feig takes the wheel and reunites with his Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy (as physicists) and adds Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. The result is a fun, feminist reboot that focuses on the actors’ strengths and chemistry without ever appearing to provide a forced gender commentary.
Estranged college friends Erin (Wiig) and Abby (McCarthy), who tentatively believed in the paranormal in their youth, are brought together years later when New York City begins to witness unexpected ghostly sightings. When their theories are proven right, they decide to dedicate themselves completely to the study of the spirit world. In their team is also eccentric inventor Jillian (McKinnon) styled like a spoofed version of a character out of the Mad Max movies, and Patty (Jones), a subway attendant who brings to the operation her knowledge of the city and a borrowed hearse from her uncle’s funeral service. In another subversion of the cliché, the Ghostbusters hire Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their office assistant. Hemsworth is hilarious as the gorgeous airhead receptionist objectified by the ghost-busting ladies.
The plot itself is silly. Nerdy weirdo Rowan (Neil Casey) is opening up a portal to unleash all the ghosts of NYC. His plan is to create a ghost army that he will command. As a fan of the original 1984 comedy, I was delighted with the references to the original (such as the office in the disused firehouse and the remix of the original theme tune), not to mention the numerous cameos, including Bill Murray in a short but significant part, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson.
Wiig, McCarthy, Jones and the zany and feisty McKinnon share an easy camaraderie. Their excitement at zapping all sorts of ghosts, getting slimed, defying the city Mayor (Andy Garcia) and riding around in a remodelled hearse makes this an enjoyable watch. There’s an ongoing track between Abby and a takeaway deliveryman (Karan Soni) that is particularly witty.
Ghostbusters version 2.0 is mostly comic, with a few frights and some creepy, translucent slime-spewing apparitions. It’s unlikely to achieve the legacy of its predecessor but there’s certainly a sequel begging to be made.