Ghostbusters returns in this re-boot from the 1984 cult, classic movie. This time, however, with an all-female cast of ghostbusters. It’s all about girl-power this time. Professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is pulled back to her paranormal roots with former childhood friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) when ghosts begin to take over Manhattan. Joining them are gadget guru, a.k.a. nuclear engineer, Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), a subway worker that loves her history. Chris Hemsworth, as Kevin, joins the cast as a nerdy, incompetent, but very good-looking receptionist for their business – Ghostbusters. Not much needs to be said about the story, since it’s a true reboot of the original, with a twist. Is there anything weird about a ghost removal service? Definitely not!

Several sightings around New York makes it necessary for the city to call in a professional ghost removal service. The Mayor is fully aware of the ghost problem, but yet denounces Ghostbusters as frauds. How is that for politics? Little does anyone know, but Rowan North (Neil Casey) is utilizing devious methods and devices to summon the ghosts as an “army of the undead returning to clean up the living.” North is attempting to bring about the apocalypse almost succeed.

Great movie moments:

There are several nods to the original 1984 movie. Though not replaying the same roles as in the original several of the original cast makes cameo appearances in the 2016 version, including: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts.

One at a time, the female leaders are already fantastic, but put all of them together in a room and you’ve got a hilarious movie from end to end.

Not-so-great movie moments:

One would have thought that the Ghostbusters decades later, would have a big difference in the technology used to create the ghosts, however, they appear as cheesy as they did in the original movie, though perhaps, in a way, that is a way of honoring the past.

The running joke about the number of wontons in Yate’s soup gets a bit old by the end of the movie.

My rating: 2 out of 5 - Sometimes cult “classics” should be left alone, even if you want to bring it back to life, even with a girl-power spin.

Details:

Director: Paul Feig

Rating: PG-13 – Some alien violence, balloons getting shot, some crude humor. Think of it as a toned-down Melissa McCarthy.

Run time: 116 minutes

You can find Ghostbusters (2016) on Amazon!

Missed the cult classic? You can find the original Ghostbusters on Amazon too!

I viewed this movie during Watch-a-thon week. I have not been compensated for this review.