#140RVW
Arguably the best comedy of the 1980’s. Do you remember how big this movie was? EVERYONE saw it. Still plays just as well 30 years later…
You… You’ve earned it.”
What’s more:
I was going to save this one for June, on the 30th anniversary of the film’s release, but with the passing of Harold Ramis this week, it seems fitting to review it now.
Now of course, I really didn’t need to re-watch Ghostbusters, as I’ve seen it somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 times, but this was the first time I sat down with my daughter to watch it. She loved it at least as much as I did all those years ago.
By now everyone likely knows the backstory: Dan Aykroyd came up with a high-concept vehicle for John Belushi and himself, also to include Eddie Murphy & John Candy. While all of those actors would surely have been wonderful, I can’t imagine this with any other cast.
Co-writers Harold Ramis & Dan Aykroyd team up with sketch comedy teammate Bill Murray for one of the all-time great comedy trios. They perfectly fulfill their roles as people who have worked together forever because, well, they have. There’s a camaraderie evident that sells the whole premise of why these three very different characters are together. It comes out in the written dialogue and improvised touches.
Interestingly, although Ernie Hudson is introduced fairly late in the film and has none of the aforementioned history, either as an actor or in character, he complements the team well, even if the character isn’t there for any easily understandable reason. (He gets much more to do and makes more sense in the sequel.)
Sigourney Weaver uplifts the production with her wonderful combination of smart, tough and sexy. She pretty much cannot be overused in a movie. She always brings so much more depth to characters that could feel flat.
Rick Moranis fills out the cast with a really excellent turn as hopeless sad sack Louis Tully (this was reportedly the role that John Candy would have filled). Moranis is one of those actors who you never think of or show any real appreciation for until he shows up and steals the whole thing. Not sure why his number is never called.
Perhaps surprisingly for a comedy, the special effects are really good. Oh, I know they are dated at this point, but they hold up remarkably well. The matte lines are pretty harsh (which seems like a fixable problem if anyone wanted to spend the money) so the composited elements stand out quite a bit, but other than that the VFX are quite timeless. Good mix of stop motion and puppetry for the Zuul dogs give these animals a real-world weight. The rotoscoped proton pack streams, the traps, the miniatures – all very well done. Great sound to match.
There are actually a number of threads to track through this film, and director Ivan Reitman shows that he is up to the task. Always hard with comics to keep them on track and make sure the monkeys aren’t running the zoo. The whole affair moves quickly – it could frankly be a little longer without overstaying its welcome. No wonder everyone wanted a sequel or two. There was no way to repeat perfection, though.
Finally, the title track. I don’t think I can possibly overstate how omnipresent this song was in 1984. The song is so catchy. Of course it is – you already got it stuck in your head when it was called “I Want A New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News. Whoops…
Now please stop trying to make Ghostbusters 3…
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Fail
| Main Cast | Bill Murray Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd Dr. Raymond Stantz, Sigourney Weaver Dana Barrett, Harold Ramis Dr. Egon Spengler |
| Rating | TV-PG |
| Release Date | Fri 08 Jun 1984 UTC |
| Director | Ivan Reitman |
| Genres | Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi |
| Plot | Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 105 |
| Tagline | Here To Save The World Again [re-release] |
| Writers | Dan Aykroyd (written by) and, Harold Ramis (written by) |
| Year | 1984 |