Someone is trying to amplify ghost activity in Manhattan. In an attempt to study these happenings, a group of skilled women get together and start a new business. The team includes a paranormal researcher, a physicist, a nuclear engineer, and a New York City subway worker. Together they will investigate the ghost sightings and try to determine what is causing them. Will the Ghostbusters be able to save the city from a ghost invasion?

The marketing campaign for this film was not well done. The trailers made it look cheesy and most people assumed that this would be one of the worst films of the year. While I agree that the trailers were not great, I was still optimistic about the new all-female version of Ghostbusters. I’m happy to say that this film delivers! When doing a remake or a reboot it is important to create something new and exciting while also paying homage to the original. The Ghostbusters of 2016 is a hilarious film that someone who has never seen the original can watch and absolutely love. At the same time there are numerous nods to the 1984 Ghostbusters, including many great cameos, that bring a healthy dose of nostalgia for the viewers that grew up with the original film. It is almost comparable to the Goosebumps (2015) movie as well in that it was made for old and new audiences to enjoy, while being completely self aware and adding in jokes about itself.

Ghostbusters (2016) has a great story line. The filmmakers do a great job of creating dynamic characters whom the audience really gets to know. It is clear which 1984 Ghostbusters are used as inspiration for the 2016 Ghostbusters, yet they clearly have their own personalities as well. They also do a great job creating a mystery as to how and why the supernatural occurrences are increasing in number and severity, leading up to the epic finale. The plot has many aspects that reminded viewers of the previous films, but it can stand on it’s own because the story is something audiences haven’t seen before. It is fun, exciting, and kept me laughing almost non-stop from the opening scene up until after the credits (helpful hint: stay until after the credits are done rolling).

All of the characters in this film are incredibly well cast and absolutely hilarious. We all know from the film Bridesmaids that Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy have amazing on screen chemistry and are guaranteed to make us laugh. They do not disappoint in this film with Wiig as the physicist, Erin, and McCarthy as Abby, the paranormal researcher. The two lesser-known actresses are excellent as well. Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live) does an amazing job as the NY subway worker, Patty. She brings a healthy amount of sass to the cast as well as bringing the street smarts and knowledge of New York history to the Ghostbusters team. The Ghostbuster who stole the show for me is Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) as the outrageous Holtzmann. McKinnon manages to take the idea of a mad scientist to a whole new level. There isn’t a moment when McKinnon is on screen that my eye wasn’t drawn to her and she had me cracking up. All of these women were the perfect choices for an all female version of Ghostbusters. I also have to mention that Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers) delivers some great laughs as the dimwitted receptionist, Kevin.

While I am generally not a fan of CGI, this film would have been virtually impossible to accomplish without it. The ghosts in this film are similar to the original in that they are somewhat transparent and mostly green in color. In this film they also added blue tones to the look of the ghosts. The biggest difference is that the original film used CGI effects to turn actors into transparent ghosts. In this film the CGi is a bit more cartoon looking so when you see the ghosts it doesn’t look like an actor, but something entirely made by computers. I didn’t love the cartoon-like look, but again it would be very difficult for the filmmakers to achieve the film without the CGI aspect.

Ghostbusters (2016) is an uproarious film filled with laughs, intrigue, and girl power.  It will bring in a new audience that has never experienced Ghostbusters before, while also appealing to those who know and love the franchise. Before the film came out the internet essentially took a big crap on the film, whether it was because people opposed an all-female cast or because the trailer let them down. I’m here to tell you that this is one of the best reboots I have seen in a very long time. I don’t anticipate the film having a huge opening weekend, thanks to the marketing, but hopefully those who do see it will spread the word that this is a genius film. Go to the theater, enjoy the film, spread the word. The Ghostbusters are back in town.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5/10