Review: Ghostbusters

I am just going to preface this by saying that I do not like the idea of remakes. Usually an unnecessary exercise, they remake classic movies or TV shows and do a terrible job. They remade Footloose for fuck's sake, FOOTLOOSE! A classic, one of the best movies that the 80s has to offer and they decided to remake it. How dare you disrespect Kevin Bacon like that. I refuse to watch it. And don't get me started on British/Australian TV shows that America has to remake. Can you not just enjoy the original series of Skins? Why does everything have to be Americanised?

So anyway, getting back on track, I wasn't super excited when I first heard that Ghostbusters was getting a revival. It sounded like a gimmick to have an all-female cast and I wasn't sure about how it would turn out. I really wanted to see it though because after it came out it seemed like people had some really good things to say about it, and they turned out to be right.

Ghostbusters was hilarious. It's been awhile since I've laughed out loud during so much of a film, and it wasn't just me but the whole cinema who was in hysterics. The cast is incredible, from the always funny Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy to the relative newcomers Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. A special mention for Chris Hemworth, who as the beautiful yet incredibly dumb receptionist is both hilarious and heart-warming (and he kept his accent, which is always nice).

There's been a lot of criticism for this movie. Whether that's because it's a remake of a beloved favourite or because it is a remake starring a female cast is debatable. Just to quickly address the critics and the argumentative trolls; yes, Chris Hemsworth's character is dumb and beautiful. No, it's not hypocritical. Of course women are likely to complain that the majority of roles for us are stereotyped in this way, that doesn't mean that there shouldn't be any dumb and beautiful characters, for men or women. There should be a variety of roles for everybody, because that's life, and it's good to see diversity in films because we want to see a reflection of our experiences. Speaking of diversity, it's awesome to see a cast with characters of varying size and race, and we definitely need to see more of that. It's also fantastic to see a movie with smart women doing cool things, with no romantic storyline.

Compared to the original Ghostbusters, it isn't an exact remake, in the sense that the storyline is different. There are different locations, different ghosts and different experiences. Which is great, it's not boring and it's a fresh story that's taken the concept and made something new, rather than just rehashing the original.

You may have your doubts about this, especially if you are a big fan of the original. It can be hard to see something you love be changed like this, but I recommend checking it out. I think they have respected the original and brought a new audience to the Ghostbusters fanbase.

Tip: Keep an eye out for all the cameos from the original cast! SO MANY CAMEOS.