Ghostbusters (2016)

Ok, lets start with getting the main message out first, Ghostbusters (2016) is....terrible because it's got girls in it.

I am of course being facetious. The film is pretty decent, has a lot of good ideas, some good moments and some strong performances but the pacing of it just seems a bit off. It's hard to describe really; some sequences are too long, comic exchanges that feel like they should have snap feel a bit listless, the plot advances in lurches, the filmends suddenly and then what feels like the actual epilogue plays under the closing credits.

It also probably doesn't quite break away from its forbear as much it might. (Not two spoil it two much but there are five old players returning for cameos. Two work really well, one is ok and two feel painfully forced)

The apparently controversial new team for the most part do pretty well. Kristen Wiig brings her well worked smart but goofy shtick to play as Erin Gilbert, a serious scientist now embarrassed by a book about the paranormal she wrote years ago. She's at her funniest when interacting with Chris Hemsworth's dopey secretary Kevin.

Leslie Jones' Patty is much more rounded and capable character than early trailers seemed to suggest. She definitely has more to offer than Ernie Hudson ever did and certainly gets to join in the comedy more than he did.

For me Melissa McCarthy was the weakest link, she's not terrible but I just didn't enjoy how character as much the others, but I'll confess I'm not keen on her as a performer to start with so may be being overcritical. I just didn't quite buy that her friendship with Wiig's character was as close as the plotting told us it was, she can pratfall but she's not as strong at the characterisation as the others.

Now, the missed opportunity I think is Kate McKinnon's Holtzman. An anarchic presence with a real joy in dangerous potentially life threatening engineering (she's sort of like the original's Egon crossed with Wily E Coyote and a sugar rushing small child). She is constantly either producing new crazy devices or pipping up with a series of great throwaway lines and moments. But her performance is the one that suffers the most from the slightly off pacing, her moments are either cut off two soon so the gag doesn't quite land, lingered on a bit too much or she's lost in the background a little bit.

The previously mentioned Kevin portrayed by Hemsworth is also a hit, all comfy charm and bizarre non-sequiters.

Overall the film's humour is lot less cynical the original and is definitely a lot goofier but for the most part it works well with the material, and it is quite refreshing to have somethink like this with humour that does indeed feel different. However the aim to be very much comedy first and fantasy adventure second means the main bad guy and his evil plot is rather flimsy & under developed. In fact by the time we get to the climactic action it's really not clear what he's trying to achieve or how.

Having said that though there a couple of action sequences that are really effectively filmed and the ghosts that need busting offer up a good range of imaginative designs, one particular sequence with Holtzman is as visually striking as anything that's been released amongst this year's summer blockbusters.

So it's pretty entertaining, there is something about it that doesn't quite click into place I feel but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of these characters.

The last thing to say on it is I hope performs well, and it's hopeful that it will having picked up decent reviews, manging to raise above the ridiculous 'toys out of the pram throwing' small minded hate it's received.

Because young girls deserve heroes as much as anyone else does...