I've ridden my luck this year. I've had really good movies, average movies and flawed yet interesting movies. What I've not had is a really bad one.
Ghostbusters. I loved the 1984 movie as a kid, to the point that I bought the action figures and even had my dad make me a 'proton pack' backpack. Then, with one thing and another, I didn't see it for almost 20 years. I saw it again and loved it for all new reasons. It was funny, the effect mostly held up and it had great performances.
Cut to 2016 and we have a reboot of the movie with four women in the role. Now, as anyone who reads my stuff here I am all for that. I've always wanted more female protagonists, and I think this was the right impulse since putting four guys in the role would compare them to the originals. I was all for that, but I was disheartened by the trailer - the first one was terrible. Mind blowingly so. The second one was a touch better, but I was still not optimistic.
I was so reserved about today that I went for a regular cinema rather than the Gold Class I usually frequent which has the recliners, food and fewer people. I wish I hadn't, because even though I saved $20 the hordes of annoying children, the stiff seats, the extra 15 minutes of ads, the lack of proper food. Anyway, mini-sub-rant over.
As for the movie, I found it rather irritating and large sections were not funny. I don't patronise modern comedies much, but toilet humour, fluid jokes and slapstick are not my thing. I also didn't find some of the characters that good.
Overall I found Kate McKinnon's Holtzmann to be the most amusing of the four in a quirky, mad-scientist sort of way. Kristen Wiig as the straight girl Abby also had her moments. The other two I fear I just did not find amusing at all. Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones were alternatively loud and vulgar.
Oddly, the most amusing person of them all was Chris Hemsworth's oblivious Kevin. When he was on screen I was happiest.
The plot, such as it is, proceeds well enough. The villain's plan and motives are suspect. It's hard enough to believe that the Ghostbusters can afford all the tech they have, let along the villain. In any case the villain is not every effective.
The CGI of this movie is all consuming at times. When used right it is effective, but mostly it's simply there for little reason. The end battle against an army of ghosts is a prime example of an action scene included for no reason.
Each of the 3 remaining original Ghostbusters, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver each have a cameo, and these are some of the best parts of the whole film.
In all I am not really the best person to judge this film. The kids in the theatre seemed to enjoy it, and some bits were funny. Overall though I was annoyed by some of this, bored by other parts and laughing much less than I should have been. For that, I give this my award for strike out of the year. Avoid unless you like this sort of modern comedy.
3/10
Ghostbusters. I loved the 1984 movie as a kid, to the point that I bought the action figures and even had my dad make me a 'proton pack' backpack. Then, with one thing and another, I didn't see it for almost 20 years. I saw it again and loved it for all new reasons. It was funny, the effect mostly held up and it had great performances.
Cut to 2016 and we have a reboot of the movie with four women in the role. Now, as anyone who reads my stuff here I am all for that. I've always wanted more female protagonists, and I think this was the right impulse since putting four guys in the role would compare them to the originals. I was all for that, but I was disheartened by the trailer - the first one was terrible. Mind blowingly so. The second one was a touch better, but I was still not optimistic.
I was so reserved about today that I went for a regular cinema rather than the Gold Class I usually frequent which has the recliners, food and fewer people. I wish I hadn't, because even though I saved $20 the hordes of annoying children, the stiff seats, the extra 15 minutes of ads, the lack of proper food. Anyway, mini-sub-rant over.
As for the movie, I found it rather irritating and large sections were not funny. I don't patronise modern comedies much, but toilet humour, fluid jokes and slapstick are not my thing. I also didn't find some of the characters that good.
Overall I found Kate McKinnon's Holtzmann to be the most amusing of the four in a quirky, mad-scientist sort of way. Kristen Wiig as the straight girl Abby also had her moments. The other two I fear I just did not find amusing at all. Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones were alternatively loud and vulgar.
Oddly, the most amusing person of them all was Chris Hemsworth's oblivious Kevin. When he was on screen I was happiest.
The plot, such as it is, proceeds well enough. The villain's plan and motives are suspect. It's hard enough to believe that the Ghostbusters can afford all the tech they have, let along the villain. In any case the villain is not every effective.
The CGI of this movie is all consuming at times. When used right it is effective, but mostly it's simply there for little reason. The end battle against an army of ghosts is a prime example of an action scene included for no reason.
Each of the 3 remaining original Ghostbusters, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver each have a cameo, and these are some of the best parts of the whole film.
In all I am not really the best person to judge this film. The kids in the theatre seemed to enjoy it, and some bits were funny. Overall though I was annoyed by some of this, bored by other parts and laughing much less than I should have been. For that, I give this my award for strike out of the year. Avoid unless you like this sort of modern comedy.
3/10
