“Ghostbusters” was officially released in 1984. (same year Gremlins came out) It received praise from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it made a lot of money at the box office. Five Years Later, a sequel came out, but didn’t capture lightning in the bottle as the original did. I thought it was average. Ghostbusters spawned a franchise consisting of merchandise, action figures, costumes, comic books and video games. The Criterion Collection inducted the film on LaserDisc as spine number 75. I want Criterion to re-release Ghostbusters on DVD/Blu-Ray remastered in 4K. In 2016, Paul Feig butchered the series with a god-awful reboot. It has nothing to do with female leads, it was ruined by non-stop terrible jokes, one-dimensional characters and a non-sensical plot. Thankfully, Jason Reitman (Ivan’s real-life son) brought us “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” A proper follow up to the first two films ignoring the 2016 reboot. An upcoming follow up to Afterlife is currently in development and a stand-alone animated film is in the works. Before the aforementioned films come out, I wanna share my thoughts on one of my favorite films to watch every Halloween.
Famous people including Doug Walker/Nostalgia Critic, Seth Rogen & Michael Cera mentioned Ghostbusters as one of their favorite movies.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. We’ve all seen Ghostbusters countless times, played video games and bring up quotes.
Alive & Dead Elements
Alive: Bill Murray, (having bad press lately) Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis & Ernie Hudson all did an excellent job for their respective performances as the titular team.
Other Cast Members such as Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts & William Atherton all did a solid job for their respective performances.
In addition to portraying Ray & Econ, Dan & Harold wrote the script filled with unforgettable quotes. My favorite quote is “Human sacrifice dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!” You can’t forget these lines. “Total platonic reversal.” “Don’t cross the streams.” “There is no Dana, only Zuul!” “We came, we saw, we kicked it’s ass!” It’s a shame Ghostbusters didn’t earn an Oscar nomination for “Best Original Screenplay.” Some of the dialogue is ad-libbed.
The late Ivan Reitman (may he Rest in Peace) did a great job directing.
Practical Effects were heavily used to bring supernatural creatures to life such as Slimer, Zuul, The Librarian and last but not least, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. This is way before Computer Animation became a never-ending technique.
The Tone balances between seriousness and comedy. Something Paul Feig failed to recapture the original’s spirit.
Dan mentioned the film’s inspired by his fascination of ghosts, the works of Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello.
Set Pieces were built by set decorators.
Cinematography captures in-depth imagery of various ghosts.
Elmer Bernstein (The Great Escape, Airplane!) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Chemistry between the team serves as the main highlight.
If you plan to go on vacation, you can take a selfie with your family standing behind Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company. Which is the Ghostbusters’ HQ. You can also visit Dana’s place known as 55 Central Park West.
Character Development involving Peter. As the film progresses, he takes full responsibility protecting New York City from Gozer as well as saving his love interest, Dana.
Ray Parker Jr. sings the iconic theme song. He was sued by Huey Lewis accusing him of stealing “I Wanna New Drug.”
Slimer’s mannerisms and overeating are based on John Belushi. Prior to his death, he was originally onboard to play Peter.
Crossing the streams really comes in handy with our heroes defeating Gozer risking their lives performing an ultimate combo attack.
My favorite ghost is none other than Stay Puft.
Larry King makes a cameo appearance. Casey Kasem’s (Shaggy from Scooby-Doo) voice his heard on the radio.
Upon first view, Ghostbusters is rewatchable spotting subtle clues. For instance, Dana bought a bag of marshmallows with Stay Puft as a logo.
Dead: I couldn’t find nothing wrong. I’m giving the Cast & Crew an Extra Point for making a flawless film as possible.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Ghostbusters remains as one of my favorite movies to watch every Halloween. Plus, it’s my favorite movie released in 1984. If you’re kids haven’t seen the original, it’s a must-see for the whole family. Don’t forget to try out Ghostbusters II, the 2009 video game remastered on PlayStation 4/Xbox One & Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
One more thing, Happy Halloween movie goers!
Nickthemoviecritic.com 