Metaphysical Movie Mania!
Mar. 31st, 2017 09:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chaosvizierAnd in today's offering from last year, we have one of 2016's more controversial action extravaganzas, and I'll let you in on a wee secret: CONTROVERSY IS DUMB.
Shocking, isn't it?
Let's have a look-see at what happens when the internet explodes.
Ghostbusters
Ah, the magical 80's, a glorious period in human history, full of great music, great television, and great movies. So many great movies. Wacky, crazy, silly, not-so-serious, unique movies. The 21st century has given us so many remakes of movies and television from the 80's, and most of the time, the original is better. This is true on so many levels. Did you even know that Knight Rider had a reboot TV series with five fancy sports cars? You probably didn't, because it SUCKED BALLS. But I digress.
Ghostbusters is a tale of the paranormal, wherein an apocalyptic supernatural event is approaching, and our heroes, nay, our only hope for salvation, must come together and stop it. They believe in the supernatural when no one else does, and they use science to try and bridge the gap between normal and paranormal. Yes, I know. It's not real science. This is what, in literary terms, is referred to as "science fiction". You have to roll with it. Anyway, with tongue firmly in cheek and with humour sprinkled liberally throughout the film, our heroes save the day, defeat an ancient Sumerian god, and get covered in marshmallow fluff for their trouble. A perfect 80's ending.
Oh, and our heroes are four guys. You know, whatever.
Also, a sequel was made, which was horrible, but gave us the name Viggo long before Aragorn showed up to tell us how it was done.
Fast forward to the early 21st century, when reboots are everywhere (Robocop, why? Why do you make me hate so much?) (although, to be fair, The A-Team was much better than I expected, so, credit where it's due), and someone decides that Ghostbusters needed the treatment. Sure, why not, Hollywood's already made plenty of horrible decisions, let's keep that train going. But, in a strange twist, they decided to make the Ghostbusters... WOMEN. DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN.
This set off an apocalypse that nearly required real Ghostbusters to be invented just to save mankind from the collective stupidity that manifested.
So the big question is, was all this outrage justified?
The plot: Just like the original, only with some gender issues. Like taking pictures and looking at the negatives: IT'S THE SAME, ONLY DIFFERENT.
The pros: You've got comedy going here, and they have written some effective humor for the audience. Abby and Erin's bickering and teasing start things off, Patty brings some sass and energy to the mix, and Kevin provides some of the most unexpected laughs, but it's Holtzmann who steals the show for me with her manic glee and enthusiasm. On top of this, there are a few easter eggs for fans of the original, with cameos from the three surviving primary cast members, plus Sigourney Weaver, plus the son of Harold Ramis, as well as a few other visual cues. The special effects are decent, there are some good action scenes, and the rest of the cast keeps the movie real.
The cons: There are a lot of similarities to the original - in many ways, the movie is very much a photocopy (much like Star Wars Episode VII). Had the original never existed, this film would stand alone just fine. This is somewhat painfully clear in the "three white science types and one black non-scientist type" breakdown. Forget sexism; a bit of racial diversity couldn't hurt here. The trailers, I think, hurt the movie - a different selection of scenes might have made the film appeal to a broader audience. And finally, personally, I liked the story from the original better. Here the villain was not quite as menacing, as threatening, as malevolent as the first.
The verdict: Is the original better? Yes. Does that make this one a failure? No. Give it a fair chance, it was funnier than it appeared. And yes, female Ghostbusters are just as good as male Ghostbusters. Get over it.
Bonus: "Aquariums are just submarines for fish." This line punched me right in the funny bone and half-lobotomized me. Thanks, Thor. You're good people.
Shocking, isn't it?
Let's have a look-see at what happens when the internet explodes.
Ghostbusters
Ah, the magical 80's, a glorious period in human history, full of great music, great television, and great movies. So many great movies. Wacky, crazy, silly, not-so-serious, unique movies. The 21st century has given us so many remakes of movies and television from the 80's, and most of the time, the original is better. This is true on so many levels. Did you even know that Knight Rider had a reboot TV series with five fancy sports cars? You probably didn't, because it SUCKED BALLS. But I digress.
Ghostbusters is a tale of the paranormal, wherein an apocalyptic supernatural event is approaching, and our heroes, nay, our only hope for salvation, must come together and stop it. They believe in the supernatural when no one else does, and they use science to try and bridge the gap between normal and paranormal. Yes, I know. It's not real science. This is what, in literary terms, is referred to as "science fiction". You have to roll with it. Anyway, with tongue firmly in cheek and with humour sprinkled liberally throughout the film, our heroes save the day, defeat an ancient Sumerian god, and get covered in marshmallow fluff for their trouble. A perfect 80's ending.
Oh, and our heroes are four guys. You know, whatever.
Also, a sequel was made, which was horrible, but gave us the name Viggo long before Aragorn showed up to tell us how it was done.
Fast forward to the early 21st century, when reboots are everywhere (Robocop, why? Why do you make me hate so much?) (although, to be fair, The A-Team was much better than I expected, so, credit where it's due), and someone decides that Ghostbusters needed the treatment. Sure, why not, Hollywood's already made plenty of horrible decisions, let's keep that train going. But, in a strange twist, they decided to make the Ghostbusters... WOMEN. DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN.
This set off an apocalypse that nearly required real Ghostbusters to be invented just to save mankind from the collective stupidity that manifested.
So the big question is, was all this outrage justified?
The plot: Just like the original, only with some gender issues. Like taking pictures and looking at the negatives: IT'S THE SAME, ONLY DIFFERENT.
The pros: You've got comedy going here, and they have written some effective humor for the audience. Abby and Erin's bickering and teasing start things off, Patty brings some sass and energy to the mix, and Kevin provides some of the most unexpected laughs, but it's Holtzmann who steals the show for me with her manic glee and enthusiasm. On top of this, there are a few easter eggs for fans of the original, with cameos from the three surviving primary cast members, plus Sigourney Weaver, plus the son of Harold Ramis, as well as a few other visual cues. The special effects are decent, there are some good action scenes, and the rest of the cast keeps the movie real.
The cons: There are a lot of similarities to the original - in many ways, the movie is very much a photocopy (much like Star Wars Episode VII). Had the original never existed, this film would stand alone just fine. This is somewhat painfully clear in the "three white science types and one black non-scientist type" breakdown. Forget sexism; a bit of racial diversity couldn't hurt here. The trailers, I think, hurt the movie - a different selection of scenes might have made the film appeal to a broader audience. And finally, personally, I liked the story from the original better. Here the villain was not quite as menacing, as threatening, as malevolent as the first.
The verdict: Is the original better? Yes. Does that make this one a failure? No. Give it a fair chance, it was funnier than it appeared. And yes, female Ghostbusters are just as good as male Ghostbusters. Get over it.
Bonus: "Aquariums are just submarines for fish." This line punched me right in the funny bone and half-lobotomized me. Thanks, Thor. You're good people.
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no subject
Date: 2017-04-01 05:12 am (UTC)Please. Not only was I aware of Team Knight Rider, I am aware of reboots of WKRP in Cinncinati, Leave it to Beaver, Gidget (although Caryn Richman in the title role often managed to send me bunkward), The Munsters, an African-American Odd Couple (complete with Lamont Sanford as one of the leads), and a reality competition based on Gilligan's Island. And that's just a few I haven't successfully brain-bleached from my mind. Rule of thumb: if an 80s or 90s TV series was in syndication, and its title began with 'The New', it was gonna be craptastic.
And these youngsters today think the Full House reboot was bad...
no subject
Date: 2017-04-03 07:48 pm (UTC)Also, Gilligan's Island in Space. Who thought that was going to work? Oh, probably the people who sent Josie and the Pussycats into space, or who thought a space alien named Gazoo would make the Flintstones better, or who thought The Jetsons were cool.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-04 06:52 am (UTC)Speaking of which, remember when every cartoon group was also a rock band? Hardy Boys? Rock band. Brady Kids? Rock band (Filmation even stole their animation from the Archies cartoon!). Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm? Literal rock band. Jabberjaw? The Neptunes. There was an NBC cartoon about an undercover rock band called Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids. Groovie Goolies? Rock band, with horror-motif guest-star rock bands!
The Impossibles were perfectly cool, though. Rally-Ho!
no subject
Date: 2017-04-08 09:33 am (UTC)And the worst part is I feel like I am being shamed as a woman for having less than amazing feelings about this movie.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-10 01:41 pm (UTC)And I get your second point; I feel like, as a guy, if I say I liked the first one better it's because I'm a misogynistic pig. That's not fair; I'm just a regular pig.