Guys, Chill Out About The New Ghostbusters Already

Does anyone know what the most disliked movie trailer on YouTube is? Is it Ted 2? Perhaps it’s something controversial, like Fifty Shades of Grey? Nope, both pale in comparison to the monumental insult that is the new Ghostbusters. Apparently.

The all-female Ghostbusters reboot can now boast the dubious honour of being the most ‘disliked’ movie trailer in Youtube history. It’s had so many little ‘thumbs down’, in fact, that it breached Youtube’s top 100 most disliked videos ever. Surely the trailer must be a scandal then? A modern day Clockwork Orange, complete with moral backlash from wholesome parents’ groups and the FCC?

Well, no, not exactly.

 

Hollywood Killed My Childhood

Forgive me for my hyperbole, people, but the furore around the latest 80s reboot has me somewhat exhausted. Let me explain how this whole mess sucked me in. The first I heard of the most recent Ghostbusters trailer (its second if you’re keeping count) was how rubbish it was. Words like ‘disrespectful’ were bandied around, with a general simmering feeling that the film was dropping a turd on an all time classic.

Imagine my surprise when that second trailer turned out to be just sort of alright. Not exactly exceptional, but at least an interesting distraction. The kind of breezy comedy that we get perhaps three or four of every summer. Inoffensive 90 minute gag factories that serve as easy escapism.

Let’s be clear though; the mess surrounding this film stopped being about whether it was actually good a long time ago. Shitty remakes come out all the time. Where was this flailing mob of dribbling man babies complaining that their childhood had been ruined when Russell Brand remade Arthur? Did they fall asleep on their keyboards when Hollywood decided to turn Total Recall and Robocop into boring grey-brown action flicks with generic male action heroes?

This isn’t like last year’s Pixels, where the people behind the film had a record of lowest common denominator humour. As much as you might want to hate on it, the new Ghostbusters has some real talent at its disposal who are unlikely to be there just for the paycheck. With proper direction, Melissa McCarthy can deliver some real gems (The Heat is still the best buddy cop movie of recent years). Meanwhile, Ghostbusters‘ other three female leads, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon are all exceptional comedy performers in their own right.

 

Anatomy Of A Trailer

So what’s the problem? For a moment let’s ignore the early reviews that are trickling out and just look at that last trailer one more time, and see if we can find a reason to hate it.

First up we get a few shots of ghosts, a neat version of the Ghostbusters logo sprayed onto the wall of the New York subway. Then, hey, it’s the Ghostbusters; they have the jumpsuits and the proton packs, and they’re a team. Next, more ghosts, some cool paranormal gadgets, and is that the theme song? Yes, that’s definitely the theme song.

A few shots later we get the ecto-vomit scene. This could be something of a cheap visual gag if it’s overused, but it’s nowhere near as on the nose as Dan Aykroyd receiving ghost fellatio. There’s plenty of shots of the Ghostbusters doing Ghostbusters stuff (fighting ghosts, firing their proton packs), then Chris Hemsworth gets possessed by a ghost. Near the end there’s a laugh out loud moment as Kristen Wiig has a panic attack, warning people to get out of the city as she’s dragged out of a restaurant by waiters.

All in all there doesn’t seem to be a lot here that fans of the original can take offense to. Leslie Jones’ stereotypical black character is problematic, but no less problematic than the character of Winston Zeddemore in the original film. This is not a travesty – it’s just what it looks like when an 80s movie is rebooted and turned into a franchise. Considering some of previous attempts, it could have been a lot worse.

And listen guys, if you feel like you’ve got legitimate criticism of the new Ghostbusters that’s fine. But please try not to form defensive nerd ranks when you hear the word ‘misogyny’ bandied in your general direction. Take a quick glance at some of the mass online hate that’s getting churned out against this film. There’s a simmering subtext to it, a strange spitefulness that seems unwilling to allow the new film a shred of legitimacy.

 

We Need To Have A Chat

The cultural conversation surrounding this film has been toxic for so long any room for actual debate has been lost. And yes, defenders of the film as well as its legitimate critics should be equally frustrated by this. We should all be able to talk about whether we liked a film or not in a sensible environment, but when that debate is reduced to ‘feminists fucked my childhood’, we need to have an entirely different conversation.

That other conversation? It’s one that’s slowly crystallised into a cultural battleground over who gets to be represented in the stories we tell. When the first trailer dropped for 2014’s Robocop reboot, presenting a world and protagonist devoid of the personality and charm of the original, where was the army of nostalgia crusaders shredding it on social media? A quick thought experiment though: how would you feel if the new Robocop had been a woman? Say some coke fuelled Hollywood executive decided to remake Die Hard; who would play John Mclain? Would Jennifer Lawrence or Zoe Saldana be on your list?

When most stories for the last few thousand years have been about big burly men saving the day, it can be confusing when all of a sudden people want to tell stories about women and other under-represented groups. That doesn’t mean they can’t be good stories, or that manly stories about big men doing man stuff are going to disappear.

With early reaction already slipping through the cracks of social media, it feels like the film’s divisiveness is going to continue unabated. At this point though, whether the film is actually good or not feels kind of secondary to how its very existence has been received. Maybe it will actually suck. Maybe I won’t like it. An angry segment of the internet appear to dispute its very right to exist.

As much as we might want to criticise the visual effects, the jokes, the action of the new Ghostbusters movie, the presence of a vitriolic minority means we have to have that other conversation first. For what it’s worth, I don’t really have a problem with much of anything in the any of the trailers, but right now my critique is like a fish starting life in already toxic waters.

Anyone who has thoughts on this film, good or bad, should care about this. Their thoughts are swimming the same toxic ocean. You’re allowed to dislike the new Ghostbusters guys, but some of the abuse that’s getting hurled its way deserves to get called out. Your bitching about Ghostbusters doesn’t matter, not until the movie is out, and not until we’ve talked about the misogyny that the film has shone a light on.