“Hello, Ghostbusters … Yes, of course they’re serious.” Did you really expect any other outcome? “Ghostbusters” was a gamechanger for both comedies and blockbusters. Sure, we had buddy comedies for years before this movie came along, but “Ghostbusters” offers something completely different. Grounded science fiction makes the story engaging. Terrifying spooks, specters, ghosts, a massive marshmallow man, and a vengeful god offer up some scares and dazzling visual effects. And jokes from the finest comedic minds of Second City and “Saturday Night Live” deliver laughs that still resonate today. Did you know that Bill Murray even introduced the slang use of the word toast in this movie?
The beauty of “Ghostbusters” lies in its simplicity. You’ve got three scientists just trying to figure out how to track and capture ghosts in order to start a business that makes them some money. It’s not built as an adventure movie from the get-go, but it slowly becomes one as the trio eventually gets in over their heads, learning about this world as they go along, all while making it feel tangible, believable, and exciting. Ernie Hudson adds a fun new wrinkle as your average blue collar guy just looking for a paycheck, and just like the audience, he ends up buying into all of it without a doubt. He sees s*** that will turn you white!
On top of that, you’ve got a pair of two very different villains that create a clever combination of conflicts, one in the form of a weasel from the government and the other a Sumerian god trying to unleash terrifying paranormal forces, which also weaves a compelling mystery throughout the movie that keeps the crowd engaged in the story. This is a perfect example of how to slow roll a villainous reveal without making the movie feel like it’s crawling at a snail’s pace, and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” should have taken more notes on that. All blockbusters should take more notes from “Ghostbusters,” but there’s a reason it’s been so hard to replicate the movie’s formula over the years, even within the franchise itself. It’s basically perfect.
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