Paul Feig, who directed the Ghostbusters reboot in 2016, has been in the news recently. Feig expressed his disapproval of his film not being included in box sets with Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Feig’s claim made me think about how the reboot compares with the other films.
First, I’d like to say that I enjoyed the reboot. It’s funny, and I liked the idea of a gender-bent team. However, the original trailer didn’t convince me. It started with the text: “30 years ago, four scientists saved New York City.” I thought this film would be a continuation of the original films. However, after watching it, I found that this wasn’t the case -the opening text in the trailer was misleading.
The trailer received the most dislikes of any movie trailer on YouTube upon release. Perhaps that hurt the film’s chances of box office success. I don’t believe it deserved the negativity it received, but that feels like a failing on behalf of Sony’s marketing team, not the filmmaker.
I think the film would’ve performed better if the reboot took place in the same universe. Maybe if it had involved a daughter or a niece of one of the original Ghostbusters, the audience would have felt a stronger connection to the original films. When the trailer seems to promise a continuation, disappointment is the logical reaction to what amounts to a remake.
Other than the premise of catching ghosts, the reboot features the original cast members playing different characters. For instance, Dan Aykroyd appears as a cab driver. Ernie Hudson plays Leslie Jones’ uncle, a mortician that gives them a hearse as their new vehicle. Bill Murray has a supporting role as a skeptical doctor who thinks the Ghostbusters’ actions are false. Perhaps Murray was spoofing Walter Peck (William Atherton) in the original film.
I liked how the film had the original cast members because it showed their support of the reboot. They even featured the late Harold Ramis in a bust outside Kristen Wiig’s office. However, other than the premise, plot, and featuring the original cast members, I don’t believe this reboot belongs in the same universe as the others.
If the film took place in the same timeline as the others, my opinion would probably be different. I mean, I don’t see box sets of every Batman film ever made. The films directed by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher are included in the same sets because they exist in the same universe. Sure, three different actors played Batman, but the later films referenced the previous films. Also, Michael Gough and Pat Hingle continued to play Alfred and Commissioner Gordon, respectively.
However, you don’t see The Dark Knight trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan in the same set because they explicitly show that they are in a different universe. Nolan also said that he was rebooting the franchise.
I suppose it all comes down to how the distribution companies want to market their box sets of films. I personally agree with the decision to exclude the reboot from a box set that otherwise contains only films set within the same universe. Again, nothing against the reboot, but it should be sold separately from the others.
I respect what the reboot was trying to do, and I was sad that it didn’t do better at the box office. However, if the reboot had been successful enough to spawn more sequels, we wouldn’t have had Ghostbusters: Afterlife. This film is a delight, and it brought out the kid in me. I felt that it had a better dedication to Harold Ramis throughout the film. It was also great seeing the remaining Ghostbusters suit up one last time.
Happy watching!
