Rebooted Ghostbusters Is Surprisingly, Refreshingly Good

DETROIT (WWJ) – Believe it or not, it's been 30 years since the original Ghostbusters burst onto the big screen, and this weekend, a new rebooted version makes its debut.

First of all, it's important to point out that this remake hasn't been without controversy. Plenty of people, myself included, felt that the original Ghostbusters, a classic, should have been left alone.

But, I'm happy to report that this new version of Ghostbusters is a fresh take on the original that doesn't disappoint. For those diehard Ghostbusters fans, there are certainly plenty of nods to the much-loved comedy, which took the world by storm in 1984. But, it's an entirely new story, so they didn't just replace the male stars from the first film with female stars.

The new team consists of four of the funniest women on the planet right now: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Of course, the original team of Ghostbusters included Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson.
And, just as the original Ghostbusters did, this new one grabs your attention right from the start. It's a smart, well-written story and, yes, it's very funny.

Melissa McCarthy stars as Abby, the leader of the group who has spent her life studying ghosts. Kristen Wiig is Erin, a physicist; Kate McKinnon stars as Holtzmann, the engineer who builds the ghostbusting equipment; and Leslie Jones stars as Patty, who helps the team track down the ghosts. Chris Hemsworth portrays the beefcake member of the team, Kevin.

Hemsworth brings a laid-back style to the role, and while he may be more familiar to audiences for his more serious roles in such films as Thor and "The Avengers" films, he's certainly no slouch in the comedy department. Yes, he's funny, too.

Ghostbusters puts the funny in fun. I highly recommend going to see it. And be among the first so you're not disappointed when everyone else starts telling you how good it is.

Co-written by Katie Dippold, co-writer of The Heat and Paul Feig. Directed by Feig, who also directed Bridesmaids. Rated PG-13.

See you at the movies!

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