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Rating:  - "Nice working with you, Dr. Venkman"
It is a commonly accepted truism that when one returns as an adult to a book or film one loved as a child, the book or film proves to be a very different work from that which one remembered. One usually finds that the story one fell in love with as a child is significantly less funny, exciting or appealing than it was back then.
"Ghostbusters", which I recently saw for the first time in twenty years, is an exception to this rule. Admittedly I did not feel the same overwhelming excitement, amusement and awe that I experienced in my aunt's living room in 1986 -- I am no longer six years old -- but the **movie** itself is the same film, almost exactly as I remembered it. It was like meeting an old friend after twenty years and finding that he had not aged a day. So many scenes came flooding back to me: Aykroyd sliding down the firepole; Moranis running around New York looking for the Gatekeeper; Weaver greeting Murray at the door in her vamp outfit; the precise movement of girl-Gozer's arms as she shouts, "Then DIE!!!"; the first appearance of the Marshmallow Man, glimpsed between the buildings...
Another commonly accepted fact is that comedy is harder to do well than drama. Even so, I'm not sure people realize how much work goes into making a film like "Ghostbusters" as good as it is. The steadily mounting levels of humor and terror in this film crescendo so effectively that, by the time Mr. Stay-Puft shows up, we willingly suspend our disbelief. On some level I am aware as a viewer that our world isn't quite as wacky as the world of "Ghostbusters" -- but on some level I wish it were.
Seldom can the cast of a motion picture have been so intrinsic to its essence. "The Lord of the Rings" would have been much the same film with Sean Connery as Gandalf, just as "The Wizard of Oz" would be the same with W.C. Fields in the title role. If John Belushi had lived to star in "Ghostbusters" instead of Bill Murray, or if John Candy had signed up for the role taken by Rick Moranis, it probably would have been an excellent film... but it wouldn't have been the **same** film, not by any stretch of the imagination. (But I have to say that Aykroyd delivers my favorite performance in the movie.)
As Ivan Reitman, Joe Medjuck and Harold Ramis point out on their DVD commentary, the unsung hero of "Ghostbusters" is Elmer Bernstein. Unfairly overshadowed by Ray Parker Jr.'s deservedly successful theme song, Bernstein's music captures and enhances all the charm, humor and terror of this film, from the ickiness of Venkman throwing the slime on his hand onto the library books to the blossoming of the love theme for Venkman and Dana over the happiest of happy ending scenes.
Oddly enough, the feature of the film that stuck with me most strongly as a six-year-old is almost never mentioned in reviews: the one moment of sincere manly emotion between Murray and Aykroyd's characters at the film's climax. This moment, perfectly played by the two actors, does not even appear in the final shooting script and must have been a last minute addition. It is very fitting that this moment is as brief as it is, and is soon forgotten in the jubilation of the end credit scene. Little boys long for this kind of emotion, and yet at the same time are deeply embarrassed by it. The heroes of "Ghostbusters" are the kind of adults most little boys want to grow up to be -- clever, funny, kind and brave. And after twenty-two years "Ghostbusters" remains (and this is no criticism) one of the best movies ever made for those who are little boys at heart, whether they are six or twenty-seven.
And it has the best final line in the history of cinema. "I LOVE THIS TOWN!!!"
Rating: - Ghostbusters mission:hilarous
This movie is pretty good!I really liked it a lot. Rated PG for language and scary ghost violence.
Rating: - The Ghostbusters are still well worth a call
Ghostbusters was a huge hit back in 1984, and the ubiquitous presence of Ray Parker, Jr.'s theme song was a seemingly nonstop presence on the radio for months and months - I'm still trying to get that silly song, which seemed awfully cool at the time, out of my head. I was a kid when the film was released, so it's no surprise the film was funnier to me then than it is now, but Ghostbusters has actually aged fairly well. Typified by Bill Murray's deadpan manner, the humor here is all about delivery and timing and atmosphere. It appears as if Bill Murray is making up at least half of his lines as he goes along, which means he is in top form. Dan Aykroyd plays second fiddle in the lineup, but Aykroyd has always played a mean second fiddle. I wouldn't be able to identify Harold Ramis by name just by watching him perform, but he's definitely a full-fledged member of the Ghostbusters comedy tri-fecta (not to mention co-writer with Aykroyd), which actually becomes a foursome midway through the film with the addition of Ernie Hudson. I still can't say I care for Sigourney Weaver all that much, but she certainly adds something to the film as the guys' first customer, the object of Dr. Venkman's (Murray) affections, and eventually the conduit for Zuul's incarnation into the world of man. Supporting actors? Ghostbusters has you covered with Annie Potts as the Ghostbusters receptionist and Rick Moranis as the rather hapless Louis Tully. Up until his possession by a demonic dog, Moranis still seems to exude a little of his Bob McKenzie persona (although he does not imbibe copious amounts of beer or utter the word "hoser" a single time).
As far as I know, Ghostbusters is the only film in which the Environmental Protection Agency comes very close to causing the end of the world. Everything's going great until EPA agent Walter Peck (William Atherton) shows up at Ghostbusters HQ and accuses the guys of storing hazardous waste on the premises - which eventually results in the shutdown of the ghost storage system and, in short order, ghostly anarchy all across New York City. Things had looked gloomy early on when Dr. Venkman (Murray), Stantz (Aykroyd), and Spengler (Ramis) lost their university positions and research grants, but three mortgages later they had landed on their feet with the formation of their unique ghostbusting business. Sure, one could question the legality of atomic-powered backpacks and untested laser-like weapons that could theoretically give time and space the mother of all hiccoughs, but there's no question that they did get the job done. Even if it means getting slimed by some pesky green monsters, the guys soon gain national exposure by effectively putting poltergeists and disagreeable spirits out of business. Then the EPA comes along, releases of all the trapped troublemakers into an atmosphere already saturated with very bad vibes, and the next thing you know ancient Sumerian demons are moving into penthouse apartments and laying plans for hell on earth.
Obviously, the entire story is played for laughs, from the silly sliming hijinx of the ghosts to Murray's indubitably subtle style of non-serious intellectualism. You can't even take Dr. Veckman seriously as a scientist, as he's more concerned with picking up chicks than actually learning anything - until his newest love interest starts hovering four feet above her bed. That's sort of a wake-up call.
Admittedly, all of this craziness was funnier when I was twenty years younger than I am now, but Ghostbusters has actually aged extremely well - even in terms of the special effects. Vintage comedy never goes out of style, and that's why most of us, for decades to come, will be incapable of thinking anything other than "Ghostbusters" whenever we hear the words "Who you gonna call?" and cannot help but laugh whenever anyone happens to utter the phrase, "Yes, it's true."
Rating: - Back Off Man- I'm A Scientist
When Ghostbusters was released in 1984, it became an instant cultural phenomenon and the highest grossing movie of that year. Written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, Ghostbusters is a sci-fi, comedy about three parapsychology professors who are fired from Columbia University and start their own business catching and eliminating ghosts. They are Doctors Egon Spengler(Ramis), Ray Stanz(Aykroyd) and Pete Venkman(Murray). Set in New York City, the Ghostbusters learn that Gozer (which means surgeon who performs circumcisions) The Gozerian is A Sumerian God who plans to enter Earth through the top of an apartment building in Central Park West. Supernatural activity begins to increase throughout the city, and the Ghostbusters are back in business. Gozer has two dog-like creatures named Zuul and Vince Clortho that enter Earth and possess a client of the Ghostbusters named Dana Barrett(Sigourney Weaver), who lives in the apartment complex. A neighbor of hers, Louis Tulley(Rick Moranis) also becomes possessed. They subsequently become The Gatekeeper and The Keymaster who plan to help open the portal that will allow Gozer access. Venkman(coincidentally) falls in love with Dana Barrett before she becomes possessed, and this secures his initiative to take action. The Ghostbusters containment facility is shut down by the EPA and thousands of supernatural ghosts are released throughout the city. The Ghostbusters convince The Mayor of New York to let them attempt to stop Gozer in a final battle on the roof of the building. Gozer gives the Ghostbusters a chance to determine the form he will take and destroy them. He ironically comes in the form of a giant corporate mascot called The Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man. The Ghostbusters "cross the streams" of their nuclear proton packs and reverse the ionization flow that reverses the portal and successfully stops the coming of Gozer. (Essentially, they save themselves from being circumcised).
Bill Murray was at the height of his stardom and arguably has never been better. He improvised many of his lines to great effect and takes over the film with his on screen theatrics and classic one liners. Harold Ramis had just directed Murray in Caddyshack, and their on screen chemistry works like magic-literally and figuratively. The role was originally intended for fellow SNL actor John Belushi before he died of a drug overdose. Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis put in great performances as well. Ernie Hudson play Winston Zedmore, the fourth Ghostbuster added later in the film. Ghostbusters is truly one of the great American films that captures the city of New York. The New York Public Library, Central Park, Lincoln Square, Columbia University, Tavern On The Green Restaurant, were all locations shot in the city. There is also a great shot of The World Trade Center Buildings in the film. To shoot Gozer's Temple, Ghostbusters created the largest and most expensive set up to that point, utilizing several Hollywood sound stages. Combining some of the greatest special effects ever seen in a motion picture-up to that point, pure comedic genius, and a great soundtrack from the 1980's, and it's easy to see why Ghostbusters is such a great film for people of all ages. It is serious enough to be incredibly believable, and yet it's incredibly funny at the same time. It's amazing how well Ghostbusters continues to hold up throughout the years. Ghostbusters is truly a classic film and consistently ranked among the top comedies of all time. This is the original DVD that was first released and it contains a wealth of special features including live commentary, story boards, production photos, conceptual drawings, deleted scenes, production notes, an old and new Featurette, several trailers, in a digitally remastered widescreen format with 5.1 audio.
Rating: - Entertaining, delightful, and amusing!
Okay, "who you gonna call?" --"ghostbusters!" This is a fun film for children and adults alike. It's about these ghostbusters, who go around the streets of NY hunting and keeping ghosts in a box.
The movie is funny; especially, if you are interested in sci-fi and mythological ghosts.
The end is a riot with a huge "stay puft" marshmallow man, who walks the streets of NY, no doubt, they got the idea to have him walking down the streets of NY from "Godzilla," but in lieu of a dinosaur, he's a gigantic marshmallow.
*(Suitable for children ages 10-adult).*
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