RichardLess wrote: ... So my question is, has the reboot made you appreciate/ re-examine the original films in ways you perhaps didn't expect? Have you noticed others doing the same thing?
I actually took up the challenge myself yesterday. You make some valid points, and I wanted to respond to you first before getting into what others have said. I had gotten the original Ghostbusters when I still watched Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and so on. I was exposed to sci-fi, horror, action, comedy, and drama that were suited for teens and adults. Ranging from the 30s to the 90s. Ghostbusters has been my all time favorite movie and a part of my childhood even though I was born long after its heyday. I would show it to friends, made Halloween decorations with the logo, I drew and wrote stories, as I do today, and when I found the internet, I watched all the episodes of the cartoons on Youtube, went on these cool fan sites, and watched fan-films. When the video game was announced, I was hyped beyond belief and I bought a PS3 for it. The IDW comics only elevated that hype even further because the guys were back and drawn by my favorite artist I knew from deviantART. My uncle even got the Kenner RGB toys from eBay and I had so much fun with the firehouse, ecto-1, the Ghostbusters, and various ghost toys. However, there was a point when all of this positive energy would go sour. A few years back I met someone who would be my first love, and it lasted for a long time, but due to a fall out that lead to betrayal and heartache, I was left devastated and only my Faith in God could pull me out from a depressive suicidal state the person left me in. For all intensive purposes, the flame for Ghostbusters and other passionate stuff I grew up on was dead, and prior to yesterday, the last time I saw the movie as a whole was probably back in 2014. It took a long time for me to erase this person from these things I loved.
Suddenly the reboot was coming and I began to get excited for Ghostbusters again, even though the reaction from the fandom to it shocked me because, while I'm sure these people had this same passion I did or bigger than my own, its incredible how they went the route of say bigots. Not the people who disliked it, but those who hated it with fury to hate the artists involved, and anyone who didn't agree to them at a level associated with say ... Satan? Just pure hate for a movie, when in my head, a movie is a movie, and making it your idol, your religion, your god ... it leads to stuff like that. Of course, I love it too, but not enough to simply hate on anyone. I've defended people from both sides who were attacked, and gotten called names for simply trying to be the level headed person ... but with all this going on, the reboot's coming reignited desire to be a part of Ghostbusters again. The Ghostheads documentary helped in that too. So I go to see this movie at a screening the night before its release, and I loved it. There are multiple reasons why, one was because this was my first time getting to see Ghostbusters in theaters and another was the chemistry. The main cast were fun and funny and their characters had the same same spirit of comradery familiar to the the original was here too, even if the story wasn't perfect or extra special beyond the relationships and battle scenes. Heck, it's the only movie I've gone back to see in theaters. In the year since it came out, I've gotten to watch most of RGB again on Netflix, and I can safely say that I am again in love with this franchise.
I saw this post and I wondered if the reboot made me appreciate the film even more? To test this out, I saw the original again, and yet somehow it has also made me appreciate the reboot even more then when I saw it in theaters and on Cable. You see, the thing is, the original to me was what for many kids is their childhood love for film. It showed us the power of film and art and imagination fueled by passion and care. The reboot, while coming off as a well intention film that loves the originals, it was too afraid to take on the continuation of this series. The reboot made me see things like how important subtlety and a slower pace is to a story. I began to see the faces and body movements of the actors in reaction to something silly. Take for instance when Peter reminds Egon of the drill in the head experiment, Egon tells him it would of worked if Peter didn't intervene, but look at Ray for a second and you'll see Dan give the reaction most would give. Either the character was giving a "Wait, you tried to do what?! Why?" or "What the f*** were you thinking?" Although the Blu-Ray ruined certain effects shots that I heard the 4K fixed on, I was still amazed by so many things going on. Even simple shots like the outside of the firehouse at night with the logo glowing brightly in the city street is a great shot. The map paintings were really great and the cloud flowing over the building effects during the third act were just ... HOW DID THEY DO THAT?! Like, don't get me wrong, the new film has great visual effects, and for the most part there is a grounded state to them compared to most CGI oriented effects in films these days. The ghosts to me have the Ghostbusters flavor like the Librarian and Dream Ghost, people in costumes and lighting as well as puppets on set to help people in the CGI room. However, the flavor of that 70s/80s smokey feeling to the physical film itself really adds to the glow and translucent touch of the Ghost effects. The Bernstein score was also very much an eye opener at certain points because you really get into the comedy and romance and suspense of it all. I think out of anything, I definitely appreciate the montage most. The montage gives that sense of time passing and honestly, that is the point where they do become the rockstars we wish to be, that montage is why I want to be a Ghostbuster. Driving around town, busting ghosts, saving people, being celebrities. They're getting popular as more calls come in, and it gives a greater sense that the city needs them even more at the turn up of a destructive god. If the reboot had this, although it would of been another thing taken from the original, it could of helped the story and make sense of scenes like Rowan growling in the diner, drawing the demonic logo, while seeing the Ghostbusters on TV and the first meeting between them. Let's be honest too, unlike other 80s movies, the montage in this film is not a joke like modern comedies treat them as such because it adds to the story a sense of growth and time and character growth. The animation for the proton streams were greater in my opinion, and I appreciated the finale for being a slower, but still chaotic in the sense that everything they do only escalates. However, it made me appreciate the pay off of Erin and Abby's reuniting at the end because not only was the world saved, but so was a broken relationship which means a lot to me as I too have made peace with the one who hurt me and moved on. In the end though, isn't the message of Ghostbusters about the idea that no matter what monsters we make in the world, real or fictional, if we have the talents and right tools and work together, we can overcome most obstacles?
Boy was this a long answer, but basically I had to lay out my soul to make a point. Seeing it again was wonderful and I'll likely see it more often than before, but not enough to desensatize it and the sequel and reboot. Thanks for making this topic as it was what got me to see it again yesterday. Also, I never laughed so hard watching it until yesterday.