Ghostbusters (1984) Snapshot Review

Ghostbusters (1984)
Director: Ivan Reitman
Screenwriters: Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Peter Torokvei
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis

When paranormal pests overrun New York, Ghostbusters prove that deadpan humour is the best defence against the dead. Peter Venkman (Murray), Ray Stantz (Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Ramis) are down on their luck after being kicked out of their university for poor para-psychological experiments. They enlist the help of Winston Zeddmore (Hudson) and embark on a ghost-hunting business venture that not only ends up saving their professional reputation, but also the world to boot.

The last thing Dana Barrett (Weaver) expected to find in her fridge when she returned home was a dog demon called Zuul, but lucky for her the Ghostbusters were there to help. It turns out Zuul is just a minion for a more powerful and spiteful entity called Gozer, and he wants to destroy the world with a plague of supernatural nasties.

Any film that can turn a fridge and a giant marshmallow into a nightmare, while keeping our lips upturned in a goonish smirk certainly deserves respect, and that’s exactly what this summer Blockbuster got. The iconic quartet of boiler suit-sporting heroes busted their way out of the confines of their decade by remaining relatable and marketable for years to come, inspiring multiple sequels, series and re-imaginings. Much like their action figure and duvet-set counterparts, Ghostbusters are hand-me-down heroes for younger siblings to cherish.

The only thing that has “aged badly” about this 1984 comedy classic is the cigarette smoking, and maybe some of the special effects, but the performances and script outrank the others.

If you are yet to see Ghostbusters, or perhaps don’t remember it as well as you used to, then I urge you to revisit.

22/24

Disclaimer: the chances of you forever saying “listen, you smell that?” will increase tenfold.