Ghostbusters General

[Haywire]

Generally, I think Answer the Call is an okay entry; the biggest detractor for me was Bill Murray's cameo (and I can't really say why, I just didn't like it? The other cameos were fine). I can also see how some people might be off-put by the humor, but it's really not a bad little movie, and did some things well, really. I would say it's worth a watch, at the very least.

 

[Paladin]

... goddammit.

 

[Ungnome]

People keep ragging on "answer the call" but every time I've seen it I've genuinely enjoyed it for it's own sake. It's not a bad movie... okay, the CGI ain't great, but everything else is perfectly fine.

It was a fun little movie. Not bad though not as good as the original. Of course I'm also of the opinion that Crystal Skull wouldn't have gotten near the hate it got if it had replaced Indiana Jones with some other adventuring archeologist. I'm in the minority on that one, though.

 

[Tm_Silverclaw]

It was a fun little movie. Not bad though not as good as the original. Of course I'm also of the opinion that Crystal Skull wouldn't have gotten near the hate it got if it had replaced Indiana Jones with some other adventuring archeologist. I'm in the minority on that one, though.

I still laugh at the people whining about the "Unrealistic" stuff in Crystal Skull.. I'm Like.. Have you watched any of the other movies?

 

[Shadewing]

I really like Answer the Call; its a different take on the premise. Which makes sense, because 1. its a completely different set of comedians that bring something completely different to the table and 2. society has changed, and we're never going to really get a moive like the original Ghostbusters again; hell not even its sequel was like the original. The original was kinda dark and edgy for 80's family comedy; GB2 drops a lot of that. And what worked for dark and edgy in the 80's largely isn't going to be nowadays. That's the nature of things. Things that push the evelope end up setting a new standard, either in minor or major ways; that eventually a lot of what used to be pushing it, is now kinda tame compared to what we've gotten used to becuase of things trying to be like or copy what came before.

That's why you have to try to judge stuff on its own merits; and Answer the Call is a movie that is trying to capture the spirit of the original while still doing its own thing. Not everything works but I feel its hits more then it misses, and I still feel a lot of the hate this movie gets is the the public shitstorm around it; rather then anything it actually did. A lot of the characters are fun and honestly enjoyable to watch. There quite abit of stuff in there that makes me luagh even on repeat viewings. I would say to watch the extended version if you can, as it really is the better version. tbh, I kinda like ATC better then Afterlife.... (For the record I don't hate Afterlife) Both movies try a little too hard to homage the original, but I prefer how ATC does it most the time; like Stay Puft being a haunted parade balloon. It makes sense in universe, where he's a brand character, and is a way to have him in a different context then we usually get. I like the villian being basically an anti-ghostbuster. Afterlife felt like it was taking things too seriously with comedy kinda taking a back seat overall, while ATC is largely trying to be a comedy first while trying to be just serious enough to sell the world and threat.

I'll be interested in seeing this, but I do agree that it feels like it's also taking things too seriously with this killer ice stuff that very hard sell you on being a very bad thing. I feel like its also going to fall into the trapping of trying to be a serious supernatural adventure rather then some silly supernatura;l adventure that is trying to make the supernatural seem somewhat mundane by the main characters being basically pest control for ghosts. But I suppose this is just the nature of things changing to fit our modern society thanks to stuff like Stranger Things.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

The real issue with ATC is that, whether due to a lack of faith from the production, or due to fan outcry, the movie just absolutely will not let you forget about the original movies, which is to the films detriment. Your not going to top the original, so just constantly calling back to it it just going to remind me I could be watching that instead. Which is a shame, because the movie in and of itself is fine, though not without it's own issues.

Beyond that, it's a lot more slapsticky than the original and relies a lot on cringe humor which I personally don't care for. I found the characters to be kinda bland aside from Holtzmann (who rocks) and Kevin (who is hilarious, but kinda steals the damn movie)

All that said, I liked ATC more than I did Afterlife, even disregarding how terribly they treated Egon's character. (Cool, my favorite ghostbuster is a deadbeat dad, that's awesome.)

So yeah, ATC, third best Ghostbusters movie.

Also I can't agree with GB2 being less dark than the original. Wee scottsman could easily watch the first Ghostbusters but found the subway scene in GB2 to be too intense. The heads on pikes was damn terrifying and generally the movie is a lot scarier and darker than the original, to the films benefit I think.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Do you have any idea how much they paid for hemsworth? He rightfully stole the movie. And frankly, he did a damn fine job. Given the... distance between the two characters he portrayed, dudes got some chops.

But I do tend to agree with the statement about Egon though. I know they needed a hook, but all the media to that point had been fairly straightforward about him being generally uninterested otherwise. I guess now it was because he already had a family, and wasn't interested in making that mistake twice.

 

[Donocropolis]

Which is a shame, because the movie in and of itself is fine, though not without it's own issues.

I think current internet discourse is part of the problem here. Movies (if part of a franchise) are no longer allowed to be "fine." They're either the best thing to ever be made or they're an affront to God and have ruined the franchise forever.

The truth is, a lot of them are just fine. Like, I don't remember who wrote this, but I heard the newest Indiana Jones movie described as "the most 3-star movie ever. Perfectly enjoyable to watch, but completely forgettable after it's over," which I felt was an extremely accurate description.

 

[Caldwin]

I didn't care for the slapstick. Melissa McCarthy in general just isn't anywhere near as funny as she thinks she is. The chemistry between actors felt non-existent. And if I so much as hear the word 'wonton' ever again, I feel like I just might punch someone in the face.

 

[Daith]

Overall I like ATC. It’s got people busting Ghosts and I’m always down for that. But I’m with Caldwin on McCarthy. I’ve never found her that funny. Same for Wig. But I did like the energy Leslie Jones brought, and McKinnon just felt fun as Holtzmann.

But I absolutely hate Kevin as a character. People like that annoy me in real life, so seeing Hemsworth there to play an eye candy himbo. No, just no.

Afterlife…. I see why people don’t like the take on Egon. He’s my favorite GB myself and overall it didn’t make him look good. Leaving his friends and family so he solos Gozers next attempt just felt kind of stupid. And the fact that Janine knew where he was and didn’t tell the others feels off.

But my biggest problem is just the rehash of Gozer, the Terror Dogs etc. I found the way they connected to it all right but to replay the key master and Gate keeper scenario again was a bit repetitive.

Nothing wrong with the kids taking over. At this point the original cast is a tad too old to be doing the heavy lifting, and I love that Frozen Empire has them back, but I don’t expect too much of Murray. This is Dan’s Baby though, and if he gets to play the same advisory role he is in the Spirits Unleashed game, I am more than down for that.

 

[wonko the sane?]

My take away from afterlife was that egon tried to get the rest of them to follow his planning, but they were kind of hung up on the business side of it, rather than the existential threat side.

Don't get me wrong, I understand both sides of it. "Guys, this is going to kill us all... in about 20 years." "Hey! That's great! Exposure will kill us all NEXT MONTH if we don't make the utilities payment by saturday." The bigger picture gets lost among the little, necessary details of life and living.

 

[Caldwin]

I absolutely love Afterlife. While I do understand the whole deadbeat dad bit...I can't help but see the whole trying to save the entire world and no one else is getting on board bit.

 

[Shadewing]

Overall I like ATC. It’s got people busting Ghosts and I’m always down for that. But I’m with Caldwin on McCarthy. I’ve never found her that funny. Same for Wig. But I did like the energy Leslie Jones brought, and McKinnon just felt fun as Holtzmann.

But I absolutely hate Kevin as a character. People like that annoy me in real life, so seeing Hemsworth there to play an eye candy himbo. No, just no.

McCarthy and Wig are the weak links in the movie; though they still manage to have a few moments I like, and I more or less like Wig character development as she goes through her hero's journey; even if its largely painfullu unfunny... Though Patty and Holtzman certainly steal the majority of the Spotlight and pretty much every moment with them is a joy. And like others, I adore Kevin. Yes, he's not a great character and neither is the sexism around it; but he has strong Kronk energy with being such a pure hearted himbo; and yes, he does get some of the best jokes in the movie. I honestly feel he ONLY works, because it is Hemsworth, he brings that strong somewhat unique and infectious energy of his to this role, and imo its hard to not like him on some level. But I also feel like Rowen shouldn't be overlooked either; he gets some pretty great moments and jokes as well; and really plays well off the cast.

 

[Shadewing]

My take away from afterlife was that egon tried to get the rest of them to follow his planning, but they were kind of hung up on the business side of it, rather than the existential threat side.

Don't get me wrong, I understand both sides of it. "Guys, this is going to kill us all... in about 20 years." "Hey! That's great! Exposure will kill us all NEXT MONTH if we don't make the utilities payment by saturday." The bigger picture gets lost among the little, necessary details of life and living.

Egon feels like the type that would obsess over something like this to the point of it ruining his life, which it did. Of them all he ahs very strong autistic energy, and him hyperfixating on this; even if there's two decades to try and fix/stop it; feels like something a highly autistic thing to do. I don't feel like he's intentionally a dead beat dad; its just his mind prioritized trying to save to world and make sure there is a word for his kids/grandkids made everything else less important.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Yeah, exactly. It was a goal he had to achieve, otherwise everything else was pointless. The problem was that he wasn't capable of doing it alone, but by the time he desperately needed his friends and family: he had burned those bridges trying to save them.

 

[M. Virion]

I think ATC was fine and enjoyable. I still need to actually sit down and watch Afterlife, probably before FE comes out.

And I still think Holtzmann was the best new addition to the Ghostbusters franchise in a long while. Really glad the comics did more with her and her team.

 

[Shadewing]

Holtzmann and to a slightly lesser extent Patty are the two I really want to keep around. I've read the comics (and they're part of why I think Kevin only works with Hemsworth), but I really would like to see more of whacky mad scientist interact with the more "serious" minds like Egon and Ray.

 

[M. Virion]

My fiance and myself were literally just talking about Holtzmann and Patty being the two interesting characters from ATC. I think it's because they both fill interesting roles, Holtzmann being a mad scientist like you mentioned, and Patty being a lore collector.

I know Patty gets compared to Winston as an 'everyman' type - but she's honestly more of a Ray, but for historical fact rather than occultist knowledge.

 

[Shadewing]

I know Patty gets compared to Winston as an 'everyman' type - but she's honestly more of a Ray, but for historical fact rather than occultist knowledge.

I see her as sorta an amalgam of the two. I hate to say it, but she's Winston done right imo. Winston, no disrespect to Ernie Hudson, is the weakest part of the original movies. He gets a few good lines and scenes, but largely he's just there... in the movies. In the cartoon and comics and Video Game he gets more time to shine, the IDW comics do a damn good job of it espically. But Patty is not just the sorta everyman, that joins the team despite not being a scientist; she brings something to the team beyond extra hands. Being the Lore collector, gives her a very distinct role on the team. She's got street smarts and she knows the city better then anyone. She's easilly an outside perspective on things when needed as well.

 

[Haywire]

I think Egon in Afterlife comes across to me more like a spy who had to go into deep cover for his assignment; he had the best intentions, but the effect to his friends and family was he appeared to have abandoned them.

I wonder about Summerville; similarity in name to Sumeria aside, we know Shandor built the town and his name was on everything. If his followers tried to continue his work after he died, the town might have been a dangerous place to nosy outsiders for a very long time. So, how much influence did Shandor and his cronies still have in that town when Egon found it? It's entirely plausible that if any of Shandor's cult remained, then Egon was seriously risking his life by being there.