GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)
Genre: Fantasy
Certification: 12A
Duration: 116 minutes
Directed by: Paul Feig
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Charles Dance, Chris Hemsworth
KRS Releasing Ltd
The 1980s supernatural comedy Ghostbusters (1984) and its sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989) – both directed by Ivan Reitman – were huge big screen hits and took the world by storm. They spawned a cartoon series and video games, besides making the trio of main protagonists – Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis – household names.
Now comes the rebooted version in which the new paranormal investigators are all female, a fact which has raised a few eyebrows since the cast was announced last year.
The events in this film, directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), take place 30 years after the original franchise.
Paranormal researchers Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) work together to pen a book saying that ghosts actually exist among us. Upon its release, the piece fails to get any attention – but that all changes a few years later.
Erin manages to land herself a teaching job at Columbia University, but when her work on the book is discovered, she is laughed at and thrown out of academia.
It’s at this point that she reunites with her former best friend as well as nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and subway attendant Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) to fight off a slew of ghosts that have invaded New York City. Eventually, they come face-to-face with an evil entity who can control human beings.
Chris Hemsworth co-stars as the ladies’ hunky receptionist.
Unlike recent blockbuster hits that reboot the series while acknowledging the events of their predecessors like Jurassic World, this reboot starts from scratch. Sony also decided to reboot the series with much of the original film’s cast in cameo roles.
After all the chatter and gender politics, the film has received generally positive reviews, with the female leads showered with praise.
Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post, said: “Headed by a cast that includes Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, this iteration possesses the same casual, unforced humour that made the 1984 original a virtual instant classic.”
The Guardian’s film critic, Peter Bradshaw, wrote: “Paul Feig’s reboot pays tribute to the 1980s blockbuster with in-jokes and cameos – but it’s a brand new work, firing off top-quality zingers every 10 seconds.”
Jordan Raup of The Film Stage was not totally convinced about the film but commented: “While it doesn’t quite reach the height of laughter or thrills of Feig’s best work, Ghostbusters has a persistent dose of rollicking, scrappy fun that the ideal summer blockbuster should contain – all the way past the last credits.”
Ghostbusters debuted in N. America this weekend to a solid $46 million. However, Sony needs more cash from international markets to generate a profit since the film cost a hefty $144 million to make and millions more to market.
THE BFG (2016)
Genre: Fantasy
Certification: PG
Duration: 117 minutes
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rafe Spall
KRS Releasing Ltd
Directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison, The BFG is based on Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel.
The fantasy adventure film, set in London, sees Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), who kidnaps young Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) from an orphanage and takes her back to his home in Giant Country, where they attempt to stop man-eating giants that are invading the human world.
Despite the seven-metre behemoth’s intimidating appearance, he turns out to be a kind-hearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.
Like the original novel, the film includes scenes from the Dream Country where the BFG demonstrates his dream-catching skills to Sophie; but the BFG mistakenly captures a nightmare, and uses it to start a fight among the other giants.
As their friendship grows, Sophie’s presence attracts the unwanted attention of Bloodbotter, Fleshlumpeater and other giants.
Thus, the 10-year-old and BFG team up on an unlikely adventure which even takes them to Buckingham Palace, where they meet Queen Elizabeth (Penelope Wilton) and try to enlist her help against the “cannybully” and “murderful” giants.
The BFG received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the film’s visual effects, screenplay, musical score, Spielberg’s direction and faithfulness to Dahl’s novel.
Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer said: “In Spielberg’s grasp – mixing live-action and green screen, CG and motion-capture effects – the 1982 children’s story becomes a large-scale tableau of impossibly wonderful images.”
Empire Magazine’s Anna Smith wrote that she was slightly disappointed but overall she liked the film. She wrote: “Giant expectations may lead to tiny disappointments in this two-hander that’s slow in parts. But it still offers magic and visual delights, and the final act is a treat.”
Rylance’s performance in the film was particularly appreciated. The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Rylance has again brought something transformational to a Spielberg film. He gives the kind of performance you can’t look away from, even with all the big-budget delights.”