Ghostbusters (1984) - Movie Review

Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters is a comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and is about 3 guys who lose their jobs and form a business hunting ghosts. Released in 1984, the film was critically acclaimed and was a massive box office success, and was the highest grossing comedy film of all time at the time.

THE GOOD

Ghostbusters is a classic, pure and simple. It has everything, comedy, action, and even horror. All of the characters are likable and memorable, thanks to a perfectlly written screenplay. The dialogue is flawless, full of quoteable lines and deadpan humor. Bill Murray delivers the best performance in the entire movie, he has the best lines, and has the best line delivery. Rick Moranis is excellent here too, he really sells the whole annoying socially awkward neighbour guy. Sigourney Weaver's performance is great too, her chemistry with Bill Murray is wonderful. The action sequences are exciting, the glorious 80s special effects help make them tons of fun. The climax of the film is especially exciting, like the fight between Gozer and the Ghostbusters, and of course the giant sentient "Stay Puft" marshmellow man! It's classic stuff! Elmer Bernstein's musical score is fantastic as always, right up there with Heavy Metal and Airplane! in terms of phenomenal Elmer Bernstein musical scores. This film is also the prime example of why I love 80s PG movies, back when PG movies could get away with adult content, like swearing and sex jokes. Seriously, it's not every day that you get to see people get blowjobs from ghosts in a PG movie! The genre blending is perfect! This film manages to have action, comedy and horror while never compromising the consistency of the tone, it's a great example of good filmmaking.

THE BAD

My only issue is that while most the special effects hold up, the only time they don't is when they decide to use green screen. Whenever green screen is used, it really sticks out like a sore thumb.

CONSLUSION

If you haven't seen Ghostbusters yet, what the fuck are you doing? It's a must see for everyone! It's extremely entertaining, perfectly written, has delightful characters, it's everything a true classic should be! If it's streaming, or if you can find it on Blu-ray or DVD, I don't care just do yourself a favor and watch it! It's essential Halloween viewing!

9.7/10

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG (N/A)

Run time:  105 min

Release date:  June 8th, 1984

Studio:  Columbia Pictures 

SOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters