New Blood, Same ol’ Slime
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The Ghostbusters are finally back in business, packing a load of new gadgets, a frightening onslaught of ghosts and ghouls, and most notably, a new cast. Obviously this isn’t the real news, as we’ve known about Paul Feig’s summer bound reboot for some time. But this is our first look at the new team in action and the perhaps the first indication of whether dusting off the franchise and proton packs were worth it. Peep the trailer below.
Amidst the remixed fan-fare and a city that still remembers its original haunting, there’s a lot to like about this trailer. Despite being an odd tonal mash-up, seemingly drawn together by two different edits, the footage looks promising overall. Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy make for a superstar team, all operating in shades of the original’s cast. The ghosts pop with the right amount of CGI trickery and cartoonish charm, with the jokes built on a solid foundation of slapstick and comedic chemistry.
My real issue is with the way the trailer has been assembled. It begins as an introduction but rather than giving us brief character beats demonstrating our new leads, we’re treated to stilted dialogue clips as a justification for this new era of ghost bustin’. Before the general feeling has settled we’re confronted with what seems to be the overarching obstacle of the film, a mysterious device that has awakened the spirits of old whom now threaten to overtake the city. And then, after being yanked from a series of high stakes action shots, comes a long-winded gag about possession that book ends the trailer on a particularly weak note. In fact it all feels like a tv spot meant to advertise the film a few weeks away from release, not the first trailer of a long dormant series.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best foot forward for Feig’s new team, but this is hardly the last we’ve seen of these ladies.
Let us know what you thought of the trailer in the comments below.