Ghostbusters (1984) Review

"That's a big Twinkie."
-Winston Zeddemore



Just after collecting their first evidence of the existence of ghosts, parapsychologists Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr. Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), and Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) lose their jobs at a university and decide to go into business for themselves.  They start a company called Ghostbusters, where they capture ghosts.  While they deal with getting their business off the ground and an interfering EPA agent (William Atherton), they also start investigating a strange case of paranormal activity happening in the apartment of Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver).  This case could lead to the end of the world, unless the Ghostbusters can save the day.


What Works:

Ghostbusters is widely considered a classic, with good reason.  First and foremost, it's a hilarious comedy.  There are so many one-liners that are not only hilarious, but that have become ingrained in pop culture.  Ghostbusters has become a staple of pop culture.  It's iconic, and if you haven't seen it, that's pretty weird.

But, it's not just a hilarious story with ghosts.  It's also a movie about a group of guys starting up a small business together, which is also hilarious.  If fact, there are a lot fewer ghosts in this movie than I think people realize.  But that's ok, because even when the ghosts aren't on screen, the movie is still hilarious and entertaining.

Finally, the characters are what make this movie.  Every single one of the Ghostbusters makes their mark on the movie, even the 4th Ghostbuster, Winston (Ernie Hudson).  He has easily the least to do of all the characters, but he has some of the most iconic lines in the movie.  Even the other characters are great, Dana, her neighbor Lewis (Rick Moranis) is an amazing dork.  The Ghostbusters secretary Janie (Annie Potts) is awesome.  Everybody plays their part well and their chemistry is what really makes the movie work.


What Sucks:

I'll be honest: some of the special effects have not aged well.  It's part of the movies charm, but parts of the movie don't look great.

Also, Peter Venkman comes off as a bit of a creep at parts.  I think he's supposed to come off as endearing, but some of his interactions with Dana have not aged well.


Verdict:

Ghostbusters is a great and iconic movie that certainly earns the title of "classic".  The story, the characters, the comedy all function perfectly.  And while a few parts of the film have not aged well, it's easy to look past them and enjoy this excellent movie.


 9/10: Great 

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