These are usually entries in larger franchises, such asStar WarsorThe Avengers, but not always.
Solo acts likeTitanicandGone with the Wind, for instance, can also be counted among such examples.
My apartment has a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man decorating one of its rooms.
Image via Columbia Pictures
It’s not mine, but it’s there.
Finally, I saw the2016 women-led remake in theaters, bizarrely enough.
It was not a great experience.
Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
But you know what?
I expected a lot of things fromGhostbusters.
A fun, childlike adventure, as well asa funny, albeit kind of dated comedy.
I’m not insensitive to any of that.
However,seeingGhostbustersfor the first time in 2024 with no previous attachment to it is a recipe for disaster.
Or, at least, for a good night’s sleep.
The basic plot is simple enough.
Conceived by Dan Aykroyd, the comedy classic was initially intended to be a bigger and darker film.
What ensues isa mish-mash of poorly drafted plot points, all of which feel like an afterthought.
The overall feeling is that too many scenes were left on the cutting room floor.
However,Ghostbustersis not the kind of movie to develop its characters.
They all suffer from the same illness that makes them little more than forgettable stereotypes.
The most egregious victim of this crime, though, is definitely Hudson’s Winston.
They feel that it violates their memory, somehow.
Now, Murray always has this kind of somnolence to his eyes and his manner of speech.
Image via Columbia Pictures
Sometimes it works, and sometimes he simply cant match the high level of energy required by the plot.
It’s just a pity that she’s in the movie for so little.
The special effects are also something to behold.
No, they did not age well, far from it.
By today’s standards, most of the computer-generated imagery inGhostbusterslooks campy and even ugly.
Still,creatures like Slimer or the aforementioned Stay Puft Marshmallow Manare utterly charming in their wonkiness.
However, the flaws ofGhostbustersaren’t enough to make it a terrible movie either.
Overall,Ghostbustersis just pretty mediocre.
Boring, but occasionally funny.
Contrived, but sort of charming.
It is something that will forever live in the memories of those who watched it as children.
As an adult, though, it’s hard to understand the hype.
Ghostbustersis now available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO
