“Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” (2016) was labeled as ill-conceived before it came out, with people asking “Why remake a classic?” The good thing is that it’s not a straight remake of the beloved 1984 original (which is slated to get its second sequel next year).
Although it has the same general threat of a portal linking New York City to a ghost dimension, and the team is pestered by government agents, it’s more of a re-imagining than a remake.
Calling all funny women
“ATC” introduces four female Ghostbusters who aren’t trying to parallel the original male team, the palette is colorful (more like the “Real Ghostbusters” cartoon than the two previous films), and it is a straight-on comedy (except for the overblown finale) rather than a mix of humor and suspense.
“Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” (2016)
Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Katie Dippold, Paul Feig
Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon
There are a lot of laughs to be had in the first two acts, ranging from subtle oddness such as Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) being questioned about her outfit for unknown reasons to the multi-level absurdity of Kevin (Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth), the Ghostbusters’ dimwitted secretary.
He’s attractive, which causes Erin to sweat when they interview him for the job, and dumb in bizarre ways. In the funniest sequence, Kevin unveils his Ghostbusters logo design suggestions, ranging from a large-breasted ghost to the 7-Eleven logo to a hot dog floating above a house.
The final act is a special effects light show — a spectacular one, sure, but when “ATC” switches from its humor premises to the ghosts invading the Big Apple, there’s no suspense to be felt.
“Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989) pepper in Gothic imagery, grime and an underlying sense of menace from the villains. None of that is found here, and my enjoyment of the film sank from fairly high to middling by the time the credits rolled.
An enjoyable quartet
The hottest topic surrounding “ATC” – other than the question of whether it should exist – was the gender swapping.
Science-minded Erin is joined by her former ghost-book-authoring partner Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), who has maintained an interest in the paranormal; sardonic tech guru Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon, whose hairstyle and glasses call to mind secretary Janine as drawn in “The Real Ghostbusters”); and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), who has seen a ghost in her subway security post and needs a new job.
The gender swap is notable only in the sense that there’s now a version “Ghostbusters” with four gals, and they make for an enjoyable enough quartet just as the guys do.
While “ATC” is a lesser film than the original (and about even with “Ghostbusters II”), that’s the fault of the script, not the actresses. There’s little if any commentary in “ATC” about the different circumstances or treatment women might face on a ghostbusting career path.
Writers Katie Dippold and Paul Feig (who also directs) give these ladies roughly the same arc as the original story’s men — they face down some doubters but are ultimately heroes for saving the city – although “ATC” spends more time on the question of whether the existence of ghosts can be scientifically verified. Although they capture ghosts on camera, the counter-argument is of course that the footage has been faked.
It can’t win the comparison
I think “ATC” would’ve played better as a spinoff rather than a re-imagining. As it stands, the original Ghostbusters don’t exist in the world of “ATC.” But the five highest-billed living actors from the 1980s films all make cameos.
How much cooler would it have been if they played their original characters, handing the baton to this new group? They could be washed-up and cynical, if you’re worried about the idea that the women are merely following what the men already did; the story could then be about the women doing it better.
The issue of “Yeah, but then the world would already know about ghosts, from the previous events” would fit nicely into “ATC’s” theme about how people like to explain away things that make them uncomfortable — and how it’s easy for the government to help them do that, with official explanations.
It’s better to continue a franchise as a spinoff rather than a re-imagining whenever possible because then you can expand the world, and even if you revisit ideas, it will play as interesting parallels rather than boring repeats.
As noted, “ATC” is not a straight remake, and it does get clever with callbacks (I like how the Ghostbusters look at an old fire station but can’t afford the rent, so instead put their headquarters above a Chinese restaurant). But it treads enough familiar ground to invite comparisons to the original, and — except on rote technical levels such as special effects — that’s a matchup it can’t possibly win.