Ghostbusters

• Title:  Ghostbusters
• Director:  Ivan Reitman
• Date:  1984
• Studio:  Columbia Pictures
• Genre:  SF, Fantasy, Comedy
• Cast:  Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Back off  man, I'm a scientist!" -- Dr. Peter Venkman 

"Yes, of course, they're serious." --Janine 

"If  there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."  -- Winston Zeddemore

Ghostbusters was a favorite film of  mine when I first saw it when it came out, and it remains a favorite.  It's one of  those movies where I can quote most of  the dialogue.  I also enjoy and own the complete The Real Ghostbusters animated series.

But what seems hard to imagine now was just how revolutionary the film was at the time it was made.  Prior to Ghostbusters, most science fiction movies were deadly serious or even depressing (think 2001, Planet of  the Apes, Soylent Green, etc).  Ghostbusters is funny -- and works as a comedy as equally well as a SF/Fantasy film.  Second, the film used real newscasters and television personalities in it's montage sequence in the middle of  the film (including Larry King and Casey Kasem), as well as real newspapers and magazines with obviously created headlines about the Ghostbusters -- this placed a fantasy/SF film in a real context.  Also, the special effects were state of  the art for the time, and included model work, matte paintings, and hand animation -- this would have been a bit early for CGI.  In many ways, Ghostbusters, as a film is the grandfather of a lot of  today's popular films.

The film also has an almost vignette style to it -- though the vignettes build on and support each other, building to the big confrontation on the top of  Dana Barrett's apartment building with Gozer.  Drs. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spangler (Harold Ramis), are paranormal researchers at Columbia University but are fired for wasting department resources and poor skills at research and publishing.  However, having just actually encountered their first real ghost at the New York Public Library, Peter comes up with the idea of  opening their own paranormal elimination and storage business.  At first, they aren't getting anywhere.  Then one client, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) arrives, and Peter immediately takes a shine to her.  Peter's initial investigation doesn't really turn up much, but Dana and her neighbor Lewis Tully (Rick Moranis) will prove to be at the center of  the paranormal happenings.  Meanwhile, EPA Agent Walter Peck, whom Peter's irritated once, shows up at Ghostbuster Central and shuts down the protection grid for the ghost containment system.  It blows sky high, as does the building.  The Ghostbusters are arrested, but as ghosts take over the city, and Dana's apartment is obviously the center of  it all, the mayor gets them out of  jail and Peter convinces him to allow them to try to stop Gozer.  They do, of course, in a thrilling and exciting sequence.

Overall, Ghostbusters is a really, really good film.  It's funny, clever, intelligent, and has a fair amount of  action, as well as good special effects.  I do highly recommend it.

Recommendation:  See It
Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Goldeneye