213: Is Ghostbusters Ruined?
This week, we discuss our thoughts on the new Ghostbusters.
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This week, we discuss our thoughts on the new Ghostbusters.
Watch Video
Escapist Podcast: 213: Is Ghostbusters Ruined?
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
I just want to address the hilarious clickbait title of Is Ghostbusters Ruined?
Of course not.
Did everyone stop watching Star Wars after Episode 1?
Did Star Trek stop being a thing after Star Trek 5?
Did the Zelda Franchise die after Zelda 2 on NES?
Did Mass Effect 3's ending ruin Mass Effect 1, 2 and kill Andrometa?
Only the most overdramatic people would completely disown the future and past of a franchise based on a bad entry. I still love the original Saw movie despite not enjoying a single entry in the franchise that followed.
To comment on the movie trailer itself...my biggest issue with it was that the cast had no on screen chemistry. They didn't feel like a cohesive team or a natural group of people. Just about everything felt forced. It came off as a performance done by actors rather than anything that could get me into the world they were creating. Ghostbusters 1 and especially Ghostbusters 2 survives on the casts interaction with one another. Ghostbusters 2 is a pretty bad movie but it's still a blast to watch the characters play off one another.
The new trailer failed to deliver this feeling and didn't intrigue enough to make up for that through it's visuals or plot elements. I had a neutral expectation going into the trailer and have since left with a negative one.
Of course not.
Did everyone stop watching Star Wars after Episode 1?
Did Star Trek stop being a thing after Star Trek 5?
Did the Zelda Franchise die after Zelda 2 on NES?
Did Mass Effect 3's ending ruin Mass Effect 1, 2 and kill Andrometa?
Only the most overdramatic people would completely disown the future and past of a franchise based on a bad entry. I still love the original Saw movie despite not enjoying a single entry in the franchise that followed.
To comment on the movie trailer itself...my biggest issue with it was that the cast had no on screen chemistry. They didn't feel like a cohesive team or a natural group of people. Just about everything felt forced. It came off as a performance done by actors rather than anything that could get me into the world they were creating. Ghostbusters 1 and especially Ghostbusters 2 survives on the casts interaction with one another. Ghostbusters 2 is a pretty bad movie but it's still a blast to watch the characters play off one another.
The new trailer failed to deliver this feeling and didn't intrigue enough to make up for that through it's visuals or plot elements. I had a neutral expectation going into the trailer and have since left with a negative one.
Is it finished? No
Is it runined? No - this movie probably is, unless you're too young to remember the original.
What should happen?
How about the thing that seems to be working for MOST franchises right now.
Take ghostbusters from 1980, keep what made it good, find modern actors (men and women or whatever) who are similar in character to each of the originals - venkman, egon, ray, winston and then you make a TV series!
How about goddamn Ghostbusters: the case files.
THAT I would watch.
Is it runined? No - this movie probably is, unless you're too young to remember the original.
What should happen?
How about the thing that seems to be working for MOST franchises right now.
Take ghostbusters from 1980, keep what made it good, find modern actors (men and women or whatever) who are similar in character to each of the originals - venkman, egon, ray, winston and then you make a TV series!
How about goddamn Ghostbusters: the case files.
THAT I would watch.
The trailer was as bad as trailers get, and the movie might be made worse for the ironic sexists who can't see past the genitals of the leading cast, and will defend it until their last breaths rather than letting it fade from our collective memories like Conan, Robocop, and others of their kind who so willfully missed their marks because... ... Damned if I know. I refuse to stare so deeply into that particular abyss.
But will it kill the franchise? I'm with Babinro and Kara when I say no. It took more than nipples on the Batsuit to kill Batman, and it's going to take more than this... mess to kill Ghostbusters. Give it five years and we'll see another cartoon or something.
But will it kill the franchise? I'm with Babinro and Kara when I say no. It took more than nipples on the Batsuit to kill Batman, and it's going to take more than this... mess to kill Ghostbusters. Give it five years and we'll see another cartoon or something.
Personally, I keep hoping some bright spark will get the idea of trying a proper Ghostbusters multiplayer game. They mentioned the idea franchises in the original, but we've never yet seen a game where you could get together with your friends and go bust ghosts while exploring a load of modern mythic history...it's always either been the old crew, a new crew inheriting the New York venue or a reboot, and there's just so much more you could do with the concept.Siege_TF said:
Could be an MMO (hahahaha, I know, it's just nice to dream), or something like L4D/Payday with a nice set of modding tools for people to put together their own characters/scenarios based on whatever. Local legends, history, ghost stories around the campfire, etc. etc. There's a LOT to draw on out there.
30+ minute videos should come with TL;DR
EDIT: What? This is actually entertaining to watch... I'd been avoiding them due to their length for some time now.
Regarding the trailer, the humor is even more silly than the already silly original movie so it comes across as even more over the top which is a problem with tone.
Hopefully it's better. Did anyone give any thought to making one character into a racist stereotype?
EDIT: What? This is actually entertaining to watch... I'd been avoiding them due to their length for some time now.
Regarding the trailer, the humor is even more silly than the already silly original movie so it comes across as even more over the top which is a problem with tone.
Hopefully it's better. Did anyone give any thought to making one character into a racist stereotype?
Uh, people have basically declared that just about every remake/reboot sucks long before it even comes out.WinterWyvern said:
Total Recall-people were saying it was going to suck.
Robocop-people were saying it was going to suck.
Transformers-people were saying it was going to suck.
Ninja Turtles-people were saying it was going to suck.
The Thing-people were saying it was going to suck.
Big Trouble in Little China-people are saying it is going to suck.
But many would argue that they weren't wrong in any of those cases.Ihateregistering1 said:
I'll freely admit that there are some talented people involved in the new movie. But any sort of re-boot- especially one that comes so long after the original property- has to make a case that they really have a reason for going back to that particular well other than an attempt to cash in on whatever nostalgia remains, a reason which frequently leads to shallow and creatively lackluster endeavors. Thus far, the new Ghostbusters has done a poor job making that case.