Not Impressed with Ghostbusters (2016)

Today is the day, the release of the first official trailer for the rebooted Ghostbusters film. The verdict? Not good.

I understand it's just a trailer but the tone for this trailer has not made me asking for more. Usually trailers either show the most action or the most humor. I really hope this isn't going to be it because it is mediocre at best.

The trailer begins with a gorgeous shot of New York City, and then a few words appear on the screen with the Ray Parker theme performed slowly and in piano keys. If you've seen the trailer to Jurassic World, you'll know exactly what I mean. Essentially telling the audience that it has been 30 years since the original film, a new group of women are the next generation of busters.

 What I am most worried about, is this movie being another Melissa McCarthy joke. It is important to stay true to the fact that this is a Ghosbusters film. It should not be treated as another Bridesmaids or Spy. What made the original Ghostbusters films so great was that they showcased the perfect balance between humor and thrills. Yes, it was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, both members of SNL, but they still managed to make it suspenseful as well as funny. Bill Murray of course was the comic relief while the ghosts and the action still had a major part. Those first two Ghostbusters films never get old, yes I'm a fan of the second one as well. Deal with it. In fact I have the second movie loaded into my iPod and I just might have to watch it tonight. Here, I don't get a sense of the feel of Ghostbusters at all. Instead, it just feels like a comedy that just happens to have the name Ghostbusters slapped on it. I don't see anything here that makes me want to see this in theaters. My mind may change, but already being skeptical, I don't like what I see here.

Now, I'm going to say it right now that I haven't seen any film directed by Paul Feig. I've heard that Bridesmaids is a great movie, and I'm sure if I see it I'll entertained.

The color scheme for the trailer is way too bright and non-threatening. These ghosts seem like someone I would want to chill and smoke in Venice Beach with. Something about the illumination of the first ghost you see in the library is just there...as if it's a projection of some sort rather than an actual ghost. I haven't seen a ghost, but if I were, I would think them to be more so like the librarian ghost in the first movie and not this one here. Why the hell would a ghost just spit out slime in the first place? Because it makes way for a comedic line used in the trailer for Kristen Wiig to say, "That stuff went everywhere, by the way. In every crack. Very hard to wash off." Not funny.

Not your parent's Ghostbusters?

Near the end of the trailer when McCarthy's character says, "These ghosts can posses he human form", we suddenly see her character get possessed and then turns against her team by grabbing a member by the neck and then holding her out of a window. Running to save her partner, Leslie Jones (Patty) grabs hold of McCarthy's character yelling about how she is possessed. McCarthy's face turns 360 degrees. Once hitting the ghost out of her, she proceeds to hit her some more and it's like...enough. Not funny.


I'm going to be optimistic and positive as best I can, but the next trailer better be a bit more sophisticated and not like an obvious comedy. The first movie was a hit, but nothing like it had been done before. No one knew what to expect. Sure, there is a 3,000 ft. marshmallow man attacking the city of New York and a group of men trapping ghosts, but it wasn't ridiculous once you watch the movie. It knows what it is and brings you a bunch of adult humor as well as some science and technobabble, which I love. So, maybe this version will prove me wrong, and I hope it does, but this isn't off to a promising start. If you haven't seen the trailer, please check it out and let me know what you think.

Are you going to see this? Do you think it's just one trailer and that there will be better ones in the future? Was it a mistake to make another Ghostbusters film? I'd love to know in the comments below.