There’s something strange in your neighborhood. There’s something weird, but it could be good. Who you gonna call? Crap, the answer just got more complicated.
We’ve made it to the trailer for the endlessly talked about Ghostbusters reboot, and with four months to go until we actually see the film, emotions are running high. The opportunity to rip apart every shred of footage is tempting for many, and knee-jerk reactions are sure to flood your screens in the coming days.
This is understandable when you take into account the age of the original movie and the way internet culture has skewed even thoughtful writing about film towards a younger perspective. The whole Ghostbusters phenomenon started with the 1984 release of the first film (Ghostbusters), with a sequel coming out in 1989 (Ghostbusters II) and animated television shows airing in the U.S. between 1986 and 1997. Several generations were steeped in the universe from a young age, and they just so happen to be the now twenty- and thirty-somethings that generate so much of online content.
We young adults love the Ghostbusters universe with the kind of fealty-laden passion that comes from childhood adoration, and I say we because I fall right into that category. I watched the shows and the movies and have more than a few pictures of a little Emily in makeshift Ghostbusters costumes. I get the fear that this new film will mess up something that you love, but if we aren’t going to extend some faith to a cast and crew that have been making us laugh for years, then we all deserve to get slimed (wait, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?).
So a calm, cool, collected look at this trailer shows that it’s, unfortunately, a bit flat. It feels like a studio-produced Frankenstein of nods to the classic and glimpses of the new that’s too calculated to gain any momentum. I mean, what is with that somber beginning? And do we really need to have the characters spelled out for us?
There are some bits in there of the actual film that look promising. An early ghost encounter in a museum plays as a subtle nod to the library scene in the original while still showcasing the brand of humor that writer/director Paul Feig and company have made their own. However, it shines the brightest when these funny people are doing their own riffs, like when Kate McKinnon slides into frame with a goofy hat, wig, and smile.
That moment plays well because the joke is set up around what McKinnon and a startled Kristen Wiig have done throughout their careers. If Feig and the cast have truly made a Ghostbusters film pitched to their own comedic style, then the reboot should be pretty good. However, this overthought trailer isn’t letting us know how the movie will turn out, which leaves us all with a few more months of uncertain hand-wringing.
Ghostbusters is directed by Paul Feig and stars Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth. It will be release in the U.S. and the U.K. on July 15th, 2016. International release dates can be found here.
Does this trailer calm your nerves, turn you off, or leave you ambivalent? If you don’t care, then just clear up for me if it’s the wig or the hat.
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