‘Ghostbusters’ A Creative Blend of Comedy and Horror

*** This is a review for the Examiner of the original 'Ghostbusters' that I worked in the summer of 2020 when the theater was showing the movie during its throwback series!***

In 1984, a group of scientists called Ghostbusters were introduced in the mega-hit “Ghostbusters.” Earning rave reviews, this fantasy flick became one of the biggest hits of the ‘80s and spawned a lucrative franchise, including a return of the series slated for next year. Now, with the upcoming highly anticipated sequel "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" opening in town, give the original 1984 movie and its first sequel another look!

In the Columbia/Sony presentation of “Ghostbusters,” after the members of a team of scientists lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become “ghost-busters” to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money.

They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction.

The original “Ghostbusters” is a consistently entertaining blockbuster that will surely keep your eyes glued to the screen. This is one of those rare movies that combines a lot of genres together and does an amazing job of doing so. There are many, many moments that will crack you up (mainly all of Bill Murray’s scenes).

During the course of the movie, there are a few supernatural sequences that could be a little scary for a younger audience. I’ve seen this movie numerous times over the years since I was little and the movie still never gets old. The effects in the movie are still pretty decent and the ghost segments are very fun to watch.

So, re-live some nostalgic moments and check out the fun flick “Ghostbusters.” Filled with lots of fun, scares and laughs, this 1984 feature will still keep you entertained and laughing!

The cast: Bill Murray (The Dead Don’t Die) as Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd (Pixels) as Raymond Stantz, the late Harold Ramis (Year One) as Egon Spangler, Ernie Hudson (God’s Not Dead 2) as Winston Zeddemore, Sigourney Weaver (Netflix’s The Defenders) as Dana Barrett, Annie Potts (Toy Story 4) as Janine Melnitz, David Margulies (A Most Violent Year) as the Mayor, Rick Moranis (Brother Bear 2) and William Atherton as Walter Peck. “Ghostbusters” is written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and directed by Ivan Reitman, who has recently directed “Draft Day,” “No Strings Attached,” “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” and “Evolution.”

“Ghostbusters” was inspired by Dan Aykroyd’s fascination with and belief in the paranormal. He began writing the script in the early ‘80s and intended to have John Belushi star in it, before his accidental death in 1982. Almost none of the scenes were filmed as scripted. Most of the scenes featured at least one ad-lib, mainly from Bill Murray. “Ghostbusters” was the highest-grossing comedy of all time until the release of “Home Alone.”

In 1989, the movie’s sequel, “Ghostbusters II,” made it way to theaters and wasn’t as well-liked and successful as the 1984 original. After the 1989 sequel, the movie franchise took a little hiatus until 2016 when the reboot was released. The 2016 reboot of the franchise was met with very mixed reviews and didn’t perform well at the box office.

Fans of the original movies should be excited that a true sequel to the franchise will be in theaters next year. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was originally slated to be in theaters this month. But, due to the pandemic, “Afterlife” was moved back to March 2021. You can view the trailer for the upcoming sequel on YouTube.

“Ghostbusters” was initially released on June 8, 1984. The fantasy movie earned great reviews and performed really well at the box office. It ended up earning $242.5 million domestically and $295.7 million worldwide.

“Ghostbusters” is rated PG and has a running time of 105 minutes.

https://youtu.be/6hDkhw5Wkas