Ghostbusters (2016)

Rating: 3/5

With a cast that is better than its' material, Ghostbusters is still a better reboot than expected.

Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), is a professor at Columbia University. While trying to boost her chances at tenure, Erin discovers that a book about ghosts she had coauthored with her friend Abby (Melisa McCarthy), is being sold on Amazon. Furious that Abby has put the book back into circulation, Erin goes to confront her old colleague. When Erin goes to Abby's lab, she meets Jillian (Kate McKinnon), Abby's slightly crazed new partner.

Though they are at odds, the three women go to investigate the reports of a haunting at a local museum. Not expecting it to be real, Erin is shocked to discover there actually is a ghost living in the museum's basement. Erin's excitement is short lived, as her paranormal escapade not only loses her the opportunity for tenure, but her job as well. To try and make the best out the situation, Abby, Erin, Jillian, and new acquaintance Patty (Leslie Jones), create their own ghost hunting organization, hoping to prove the existence of malevolent spirits.

To preface this review, it should be mentioned that I saw the original Ghostbusters when I was an adult, so I don't have the nostalgic devotion attached to it as many do, therefore, I was not as angry about the reboot as a lot of people seemed to be. With that being said, this movie is by no means a great film, but its' not a terrible one either. Yes, there are times where the humor definitely misses its' mark, or it is overly silly in order to get a laugh, but I have most certainly seen worse comedies in my lifetime.

Though the film's two stars are clearly supposed to be Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, it is Kate McKinnon that had me laughing the most throughout the movie. Most of her dialogue contains two to three word lines, but it is her delivery that completely sells the comedy. Chris Hemsworth, who plays the Ghostbusters' dim witted secretary, also has his fair share of shining comedic moments. Even if his character is too stupid to be believable, Hemsworth makes his role not only likable, but one of the better parts of the film.

For me, what really made Ghostbusters struggle to be a great movie, was not the acting or direction, but the story itself. There's supposed to be an overarching plot of a violent spiritual takeover of New York City led by a vengeful bell boy, but the story was muddled and a bit hard to follow. Not only was it difficult to keep track of the plot, but it was difficult to care about it as well. The poorly developed plot appeared to be just a means to get the stellar cast together in the same film.

Even if Ghostbusters is incredibly over the top at times, it is clear that the cast had an absolute blast making the movie, and that is almost more fun to watch than the plot itself. I can't say that I would completely recommend this movie to everyone, but if you are a fan of any of the wonderfully talented ladies who make up the cast, then it is definitely worth watching just for them.