There’s so much darkness in the world lately, I feel like we could all use a break to talk about something light-hearted. So how about that new Ghostbusters movie?
I saw it over the weekend, and the theater was packed. If the internet backdraft has hurt the box office at all, which I doubt, it wasn’t noticeable where I live.
Overall, it was solidly entertaining. There weren’t any huge surprises, but it was a fun popcorn movie and it met my expectations. If you liked the original – and if, of course, you’re not a sexist man-baby – I’d guess that you’ll like this one too.
As far as the plot goes, I thought it compared favorably to the original. The special effects are better, obviously. It’s also more action-oriented, with more slapstick and a bigger, showier finale. The jokes come in rapid-fire succession in most scenes, as if the screenwriters were trying to cram in as many punchlines as they could. More than a few are uproariously funny, but it might have been better to slow down the pacing a little bit and let them breathe.
I also thought the characterization was sharper. However funny you think Bill Murray is, I always found it questionable whether he was taking the story at all seriously or just treating it as an excuse to mug for the camera. The new one doesn’t have that tendency. It does a better job of giving the heroes distinct personality traits and backstories that feel genuine.
One specific way this works in its favor is the treatment of minority characters. Ernie Hudson’s Winston always felt shoehorned in, his connection to the plot just a matter of happenstance. By contrast, Leslie Jones’ Patty is given a solid, logical connection to the other characters that gives her a reason to get involved. It’s fair to point out that the only black main character is also the only nonscientist on the team, but I thought the script did a good job of making use of her.
And yes, you may have heard people praising Kate McKinnon, and I’m here to tell you that she’s every bit as good as they say. She stole almost every scene she was in as the exuberantly bizarre mad-genius engineer Holtzmann. If she doesn’t inspire a generation of geek girls to study science and engineering, I’ll be shocked.
One other thing that works to the movie’s benefit is that it has a genuine villain, something the original didn’t really have. Neil Casey is like an embittered reflection of the Ghostbusters, trying to unleash an apocalypse rather than prevent one, out of misbegotten rage at a world that doesn’t appreciate him enough for his liking. The parallel with the internet trolls who trashed the movie sight unseen is an irresistible one.
While the movie wears its feminism lightly, it’s definitely aware of it. There’s a “don’t read the comments” joke, as well as a few other subtle jabs at the haters who’ve been venting their spleen online since it was first announced. Really, I have to marvel at the fragile, clinging insecurity of misogynist geeks who complain that their memories of the original are somehow despoiled by this remake. Hollywood makes reboots all the time, and even the ones that bomb hardly ever attract this level of vitriol. And why should they? If you don’t like a new adaptation, you can do what fans always do: just ignore it or don’t treat it as part of canon.
But the ludicrous overreactions – the over-the-top fury, the angry petulance, the blunt desire for this movie not to exist – are all born from a selfish and entitled attitude that white men are the rightful owners of pop culture and shouldn’t have to make room for anyone else. It’s like a toddler throwing a tantrum because he doesn’t want to share his toys.
It’s only unconscious prejudice that leads people to think a movie with an all-male main cast is just the default state of nature, while an all-female main cast is a gimmick or an “agenda”. As far as I’m concerned, the extension of a famous sci-fi franchise to include women as heroes should be something to celebrate, not to deplore. There’s room for everyone in geek culture, and everyone deserves a chance to save the world.