Ghostbusters reviews began appearing Sunday morning as the studio lifted the embargo on the film.
The new female-led Ghostbusters has been a topic of much discussion over the past couple of years — people have feverishly debated whether the classic franchise should’ve received a reboot. Adding to the “drama” is the fact that the new Ghostbusters is led by an all-female cast. Lots of people have been upset by this decision.
Critics started sharing their reviews of the new Ghostbusters throughout Sunday morning. Overall we’ve seen many mixed reactions to the comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Kristen Wiig.
Check out our Ghostbusters review roundup below:
I was pleasantly surprised by #Ghostbusters – it's a REBOOT, not a remake, and the ladies made it an adorable one with references to OG film
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) July 10, 2016
I enjoyed GHOSTBUSTERS. Not on the level of SPY or THE HEAT for me in terms of Feig-McCarthy collabs, but I also think I will need a rewatch
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) July 10, 2016
I liked the new Ghostbusters but didn't love it. Some really fun parts. However, use of 3D is awesome and def recommend seeing it in IMAX 3D
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 10, 2016
See Ghostbusters in 3D if, like me, you wish more 3D movies had goofy, fly-off-the-screen fx. An indictment of male blockbusters with flair!
— Matt Patches (@misterpatches) July 10, 2016
#Ghostbusters is a perfectly fine summer movie. Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth worth the price of admission alone.
— Linda Ge (@lindazge) July 10, 2016
I love the GHOSTBUSTERS franchise. It's my STAR WARS. I've held out hope & don't care about gender. But the script lets these ladies down…
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) July 10, 2016
And all hail Kate McKinnon in #Ghostbusters. She is so damn funny and fascinating and I love her so much.
— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) July 10, 2016
GHOSTBUSTERS confirms that Paul Feig comedy is hard to capture in trailers. The movie is HILARIOUS.
— devin faraci (@devincf) July 10, 2016
Ironically one of the problems with GHOSTBUSTERS 2016 is that it has so much fan service intended for the ppl who are mad it exists.
— devin faraci (@devincf) July 10, 2016
The New York Times, with a generally positive review:
Part of what makes “Ghostbusters” enjoyable is that it allows women to be as simply and uncomplicatedly funny as men, though it would have been nice if Ms. Jones had been given more to do. (If this were a radical reboot, she would have played a scientist.) In the end, these are Ghostbusters, not Ghostbusting suffragists, even if there’s plenty of feminism onscreen and off. It’s hard to know if the movie started off being as meta as it now plays, but when these Ghostbusters are labeled frauds — or crack jokes about ugly online comments or take on a fan boy from hell — it sure feels as if Mr. Feig and his team are blowing gleeful raspberries at the project’s early sexist attackers.
The Hollywood Reporter, who was very negative about the movie, didn’t like the chemistry or the attempt at recreating the same lead characters:
But there’s a hole in the movie where its anchoring central friendship should be — between Melissa McCarthy’s Abby Yates and Kristen Wiig’s Erin Gilbert, a bond that dates back to high school and is gradually rekindled after an extended chill. While the actors worked together effectively in Bridesmaids, there’s minimal evidence of a connection in their scenes here, which are often flat and sagging under the weight of dead air. Concept suffocates comedy at almost every step.
All the supernatural mayhem of the first movie — and to a lesser extent its 1989 sequel — was supported by the terrific rapport among four distinctly drawn main characters. Bill Murray’s deadpan drollery, Aykroyd’s earnest enthusiasm, Ramis’ geeky awkwardness and Ernie Hudson’s relaxed everyman vibe intersected in appealing ways that made it a hoot to watch how the team approached each fresh menace.
And finally, Variety was also largely negative:
All reboots are haunted by the specter of the movie that inspired them, but Sony’s new gender-swapped “Ghostbusters” — which substitutes comediennes Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones for the previously all-male paranormal exterminator squad — suffers from a disappointingly strong case of déjà vu. While both funnier and scarier than Ivan Reitman’s 1984 original, this otherwise over-familiar remake from “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig doesn’t do nearly enough to innovate on what has come before, even going so far as to conjure most of the earlier film’s cast (including Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man) in cameos that undercut the new film’s chemistry.
Ghostbusters hits theaters this Friday, July 15. Despite mixed reviews, it’s bound to be a hit at the summer box office. It’s GHOSTBUSTERS with funny women!
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