movie thoughts: Ghostbusters (2016)

[orangerful]

I saw Ghostbusters again yesterday at the budget theater down the street (you can't beat $4.50 for a movie ticket these days WOW!)

I still enjoyed it and found myself laughing out loud, looking forward to certain jokes and their delivery. I'm very happy with the movie overall. I really like that it has it's own story, that these characters are their own, not just female versions of the original team. I love how excited they get by science, their sheer joy in moments of discovery. I'm also really glad there was no romance, just Gilbert's hilariously bad flirtation with the always oblivious Kevin.



But on this second viewing, I did notice some clunky edits. There was definitely a HUGE chunk of relationship stuff cut between Erin and Abby. You can see the hints of it during there first conversation. There is an awkward cut where Abby says that the book is helping her pay the bills, but that really doesn't line up with what Erin had just said to her.

Later on, after they get "fake arrested" at the hotel, for some strange reason Erin is at her home, looking depressed and by herself, while the rest of the team is at their headquarters. Something must have transpired between the two in those deleted scenes that made them "break up", I'm guessing some kind of blow up about her losing her tenure which she never got properly upset about. Which doesn't seem like a big issue, but it does take away from the "You're back!" moment when Erin appears and pops the balloon. Even worse, it really hurts that finale, when Erin dives in after Abby and saves her, saying something along the lines of "I couldn't leave you again". This moment was clearly supposed to solidify a friendship in turmoil but all the turmoil had been edited out. I'm guessing the movie ran too long and this was the plot they decided to drop (which is fine because bickering best friends is pretty cliche) but unfortunately they had already shot the entire movie and must have been on a time crunch (perhaps preview audiences targeted that plot line?).

Anyway, clearly no effort was made to film additional scenes to make the pieces fit together better, which makes me think it was a last minute decision to tighten things up, remove an overly serious plot line from a goofy film and help things stay funny.

The one joke that did make me cringe was when Patty jumped into the audience and no one caught her. That, by itself, was a hilarious bit of physical comedy, but then she is lying there and says that she wasn't sure if it was a race thing or a woman thing. And that joke didn't work for me because we already had Abby jump into the crowd so clearly it wasn't a woman thing (or a weight thing, which was initially where I thought the joke would go), which makes it feel like a race thing and...I dunno, that moment made me a little uncomfortable but that might be just because of the current climate and me being hypersensitive.

My only other request is that for the sequel (which I really hope they make!) that Patty find the time to take some science classes. Perhaps the team tutors her while she goes to community college and gets a science degree. Or maybe the city gives her an honorary degree as part of being a Ghostbuster. Either way, I just do not want to see the "We're Scientists....and Patty" scene again. I know that was kind of fixed in the "We're Ghostbusters" moment, but I want Patty to be able to say she is a scientist, that she understands what is going on (I mean, obviously Holtzmann is on a whole different level than the rest of them, so not her). I just don't want the one person of color in the main cast to still not be a scientist.



Anyway, the movie was a lot better than I thought it was going to be and it held up well a second time. I felt like I had something in common with all the Ghostbusters but Holtzmann was my favorite over all. Probably because she was the most unique of the set. She is a mix of Ray and Egon - excited about all the science but also really smart and the creator of all of their toys. And awkward around everyone except for her new family.

Comments

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Although as a Humanities professor, I think it would be kind of awesome if Patty's incredible and detailed historical knowledge got the respect it deserved -- like an honorary degree or something.

Ironically, it should be from Columbia, which is always kind of a jerk in Ghostbusters movies but is my grad school.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

OH that's a good idea too! I just don't want her to continue to be the "uneducated" one in the sense that she doesn't have a degree. I mean, there is nothing wrong with that, but it is unfortunate that the one person of color in the movie is the typical "street smarts" character.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It's annoying that they did that, but she really pushes beyond it.

Interestingly, the CGI'ed Times Square they used had locations in it that haven't existed in years. So Patty's NYC is an AU. ;-)

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

She did push beyond it, thank goodness! It was one of my major worries about the film when I saw the first trailers, which I noticed they made sure to cut with her being the loudest character, but in the movie, she fits right in.

That is hilarious! Takes a keen eyed New Yorker to catch that stuff! Were they locations that existed in the original Ghostbusters? What do you think the reason behind including them was?

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

I think so. I noticed Bonds' Department Store which I remember from the cover of a bootleg Clash album I have. I think it's been gone for years. I'd have to rewatch the original to see if it was there then. I can't really even remember whether there were scenes in Times Square; I mostly remember the firehouse and Dana's apartment building and the Columbia campus.

[apinkpanthress.livejournal.com]

Hmm.... I am not sure if I should throw the 18€ out for this movie (minimum, no popcorn or coke included)!
Sadly you're not the first to mention the weird scene cuts & the somewhat hidden race thingy amongst other things... :/

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed it both times, but since I had a moment to step back during the second viewing, I noticed the odd edits. But if you're just enjoying the movie, it is easily forgiven because you're having too much fun.

Definitely worth the rental fee then, get some popcorn or maybe a big adult beverage to turn the nit-picky part of your brain off and watch it. I laughed both times and Sylvia and I are quoting it all the time.

[apinkpanthress.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the tip!

I guess I will rent it this winter then... I made it a rule to only pay that much for movies, which I just really need the cinema feeling for. :D

[blakmagjick]

"for some strange reason Erin is at her home, looking depressed and by herself, while the rest of the team is at their headquarters"
I also thought that was a weird cut, and couldn't figure it out.

While it was the best movie ever, I did enjoy it.
And I <3 Holtzmann...SO MUCH

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I totally plan on buying the blu-ray because the extras should be glorious. And I am hoping they included the deleted scenes in some form. I know it's not real if they weren't in the movie but I am curious about the process of making this film, which I thought did a great job of rebooting a franchise and updating it just enough.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

*Skips spoilers and squishes you*

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

**squishes back** it's an awesome fun movie and I hope you get to see it at some point, you need some laughs! **hugs**

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

YAY GHOSTBUSTERS!!! I'm still fangirling so hard for this movie, dude. It has flaws, but it is just so rare to see a team of women scientists get to save the world in sensible clothes and no romantic subplots, and it made me SO HAPPY to be able to support it in my small way.

FYI: the novelization by Nancy Holder is excellent, and an intriguing insight into some of the stuff you're talking about. It's not perfect--overall I do prefer the movie, especially since so much of what I love about Holtzmann comes straight from Kate McKinnon's performance--but yeah, check it out if you're missing those layers. (High school science fair shenanigans!!)

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

YES I need to go dig through your posts now because I kept skipping them before I saw the movie. :)

I saw the novelization at the library but it checked out before I could snag it! :D Which makes me happy because some little fangirl got her hands on it!

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

I've posted two reviews: Here and Here! To save you time digging! :)

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Holtzmann is my favorite too.

I also cringed at the part where Patty dove into the crowd and didn't get caught.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that moment...I think it could have been done better. :\

[thenewbuzwuzz.livejournal.com]

Urge to watch rising. Thanks for the thoughtful review!

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

It was really fun, despite the little flaws.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Wow, if I could see a movie for $4.50, I'd see a whole lot more of them! Glad you have a place like that near you.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

It just opened a year ago and it looks brand new inside. I felt like I was in someone's personal home theater!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's great! I hope they're able to stay in business for a long time. :)

[aliens.livejournal.com]

i haven't seen it yet though i've heard only good things!

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

It was a lot of fun and if you keep your eyes open, there are SO MANY nods, winks, nudges to the original movies + tv show. A lot of love in that film.

[beccadg.livejournal.com]

...remove an overly serious plot line from a goofy film and help things stay funny.

I haven't seen it, but I've heard it's choppy and tries too hard to be funny. Sounds like some people might prefer a "director cut" to the "theatrical release." I haven't felt very curious about it. I was heartbroken when Harold Ramis died, and haven't felt like more Ghostbusters in general.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a lot of fun, even with the odd edits, which I only noticed the second time because I was kind of being nit-picky. The first time I saw it, I tried to be open-minded because I know a lot of people went into the theater prepared to love/hate it.

The best thing about the second time was that I was able to catch even more references/homages to the original movies and the cartoon.

I really had no desire for this movie to happen, and when the trailer hit I didn't want to see it, but my friends dragged me and I had so much fun I wanted to see it a second time. It is a great homage to the original movie, with cameos all over the place (yes, even a little nod to Harold. They even dedicate the movie to him).

It's good for a giggle.

[nagasasu.livejournal.com]

Oh man now I really miss budget theaters! Haven't been to one in like 10+ years

I was pleasantly surprised by Ghostbusters as I usually don't get comedies.