Ghostbusters 1st Trailer

They’re making a new Ghostbusters movie and it’s finally got a trailer.  I’ve been psyched for this movie since they announced the basic plan for a female centric Ghostbusters and then the casting breakdown gave me even more hope.  I’m a massive Kristen Wiig fan and Kate McKinnon has had “super star in the making” looming over her for far too long.  So, if you’re coming here for some harsh angry put down of the very concept of women wielding proton packs then sorry but you’ve visited the wrong shuffle. 

What’s more, I’m not really one to regard the Ghostbusters franchise with the kind of holy writ and reverence a lot of folks I know do.  As far as I’m concerned, Ghostbusters is a fun movie and a great handful of shows and comics, not some unassailable classic that should never be updated, reworked, or experimented with.  Maybe that’s just my background being in comics where re-workings are more common but the way I see it, if you aren’t taking the time to invent new ‘Busters and a new team why bother doing Ghostbusters again?  Either way, let’s talk about the trailer. 

This is a really solid trailer, a great introduction to the new Ghostbusters that shows off a lot of character as well as a good sense of personality for the film overall.  There’s a sense as to the kind of humor to expect (fairly ‘pie in the face’ style slapstick, which I am thoroughly on board with,) along with a lot of neat stuff in terms of new ghosts and new weapons.  I’m not terribly sold on the opening sequence, as the slowed down solo piano version of the theme feels oddly maudlin compared to the rest of the trailer.  What’s more, the sound track there is infinitely too reminiscent of the first trailer for Jurassic World and that was the worst film of 2015 so it’s hardly a good association. 

My biggest question is how exactly the inter-titles are meant to be taken.  The titles suggest that this film will take place in the future of the Ghostbusters universe, like a sequel as opposed to a reboot, and the fact people know the Ghostbusters logo well enough to spray paint it tend to support that reading.  If this is set in the same universe that would certainly explain the presence of the Ghostbusters firehouse in the early establishing shots even though we later see that Ecto-1 isn’t being housed there.  Still, the firehouse seems to play some kind of central role as I’m fairly certain team engineer Holtzmann’s (Kate McKinnon) workshop is located in the firehouse’s old basement. 

Speaking of Holtzmann’s lab, this trailer gives us a great look at all the sweet new tech the next generation of Busters get to play with.  Some of this gear looks decidedly old, furthering fanning the flames of the “sequel not reboot” theory I peddled in that previous paragraph.  I really dig the design of the new proton packs, there’s enough of the old ones in there that you can tell that’s what it is but it also looks personalized in a neat way.  Basically every team has had their own spin on the packs, from The Real Ghostbusters to Extreme Ghostbusters, so slapping a nuclear heart on the side is fine by me for personalization. 

I’m not a massive fan of the new traps being some kind of a laser bear trap as that seems needlessly cumbersome but I can’t say it wasn’t cool.  My favorite gear has to be the fist mounted proton disruptors and hand guns the team burst out in the final portions of the trailer. 

One area the trailer really falls down is the ghosts.  While I’m not intrinsically opposed to CGI the effects used to realize the ghosts here do feel pretty unfinished.  It reminds me most of the first trailers for Amazing Spider-Man 2 which featured a lot of dodgy and unfinished CGI on Electro.  Additionally, the ghosts all look just a bit too ethereal and samey, most of them being the same Haunted Mansion type blue-transparent effect.  Compare that to the practical effects used in the original film and the very wide array of ghost realizations and this feels like a step down. 

The exception being the creepy dementor ghosts that attack time square seemingly led by ghost Uncle Sam.  I’m not sure why that’s there but I do like that they don’t seem to be trying to just recreate the Stay Puffed Marshmallow man again.  I also note Slimer is back because all good things must come with disappointments. 

Speaking of retreading the original, I absolutely love how much this new team DON’T just serve as analogs for the original cast.  There are some clear elements of the characters that find continuity in our new heroes but those are more about group dynamics than trying to recreate Egon or Ray or Venkmen.  Melissa McCarthy’s Abby Yates is pretty obviously the team leader and while it would’ve been easy to make her the kind of “childishly exuberant” character that Ray was in the original she comes off way more reserved and responsible. 

Yates seems to be playing team mom as well as business manager, basically casting McCarthy as straight woman to the more vibrant characters.  That’s a power move given how often McCarthy’s exerts her own force of comedic personality but I’m looking forward to seeing her flex her acting muscles here. 

Kristen Wiig’s Erin Gilbert looks to be removed from pretty much every one of the originals.  I really like the idea that she’s the scientist of the group compared to Holtzmann as the engineer of the team, that’s a distinction often not made in fiction.  Gilbert is most similar to Yates in that they both have a weird kind of mom feel about them, which is probably why they both try to kick-off the team’s mission at one point.  She seems like the smartest woman in the room but unlike Egon’s Vulcan-esc detachment from all human emotion she seems way more dorky and ernest in a way I really like. 

This leaves McKinnon’s Holtzmann as the major comedic force and she looks hilarious and kick-ass all at once.  She also seems the most similar to Venkmen through her laid-back nature and tendency towards chicanery.  It’s not a one-to-one parallel but more of a jumping off point as demonstrated most obviously by Holtzmann being the engineer instead of team leader like Venkmen was.  I like that idea, letting Holtzmann serve as the “cool kid” of the group to McCarthy’s “leader kid” and Wiig’s “nerd kid.” 

McKinnon just rocks every scene she’s in here, an amazing presence that oozes coolness and confidence and charm.  I have no doubt she’ll be the breakout actress of this flick, especially with how much she dominates nearly every scene she’s in. 

Then there’s Leslie Jones, the reason I said “nearly” every scene just now because Jones is amazing in this.  I know there’s been a lot of hoopla about her casting as a transit employee rather than a scientist and while I do agree it’s eyebrow raising I also think Jones is absolutely hilarious in this and seeing her here instantly made me want to seek out the rest of her filmography.  Maybe that’s not enough for some but for me it’s enough of a net good that I’m willing to withhold the “racist/stereotype!” judgments until the film comes out.  I really like how much Jones has inherited Ray’s exuberance as the complete opposite of Winston’s cool and collected nature.  Maybe not all of her jokes landed here, but every scene she’s giving us 110% and I really like the idea that she seeks out the Ghostbusters after an encounter, affording her a lot more agency than the script might’ve. 

Overall, this trailer was a really inspiring first salvo for the upcoming reboot.  I admit, I’m pretty heavily biased towards this film because I like the idea of a female Ghostbusters team and I like all the ladies involved making it but more than that I like that this seems to be doing something new with the Ghostbusters.  I love that this movie isn’t just trying to cover old ground for the team or trying to “recapture” the magic of the original.  It’s a movie that’s genuinely excited by the potential of the concept and wants to do its own thing with that while being thoroughly aware of the kind of fun that the Ghostbusters lend themselves to. 

It’s not overly committed to revisiting the original beats like Force Awakens and it’s not smugly superior to the source material like Jurassic World.  It’s most reminiscent of Fury Road: familiar elements and points without slavishly following continuity while staying true to the identity of the franchise, that’s exactly what you want a reboot to be.  Oh, also Christ Hemsworth is there and looks very cute with glasses…not much else to say on him. 

Ghostbusters is set for release on July 15, 2016

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