The film that got me into movies in a big way - not from seeing it, but rather the publicity build up, and the idea that someone had made a film about people who catch ghosts. What an awesome idea! It was great then, it's still wonderful.
It came from the fertile mind of Dan Aykroyd who wrote half the script and produces his best performance - relaxed, funny, unselfish. He gives the best lines to Bill Murray yet still provides the heart and soul of the movie, with his child like enthusiasm for ghosts, the paranormal, the old fire station with the pole - plus his genuine affection for Murray's character.
Harold Ramis is a very strong foil too (I'd forgotten how thin he and Aykroyd used to be) - wiry, whip smart, dry. Sigourney Weaver is a splendid female lead, all magnificent hair and legs, bouncing wonderfully off Bill Murray. And there never was a better on screen depiction of an accountant than Rick Moranis. Ernie Hudson is alright; his part isn't really necessary on any grounds other than adding a bit of colour to the cast (all that exposition could have been delivered to Weaver) and I didn't like how he tried to dump the other Ghostbusters when they got arrested towards the end, but I don't mind him.
But of course the real star is Bill Murray, wry, sarcastic, confident, surprisingly affectionate with his friends. He was a sensational comic leading man at his peak, holding the screen, yet still allowing others the chance to shine.
At its heart the movie is about three big kids being naughty - rorting scientific experiments, getting kicked out of uni, wearing uniforms with cool logos, firing lasers, catching ghosts, wrecking havoc that they're allowed to wreck, being told they're naughty by a stuck up prig who gets his come-uppance (William Atherton in a brilliant comic villain part), saving the day and getting the girl.
The screenplay held up a lot better than I remembered - it moves along at a fair clip, except towards the end when it gets bogged down with special effects. It is smart, with plenty of scientific and religious mumbo jumbo to make it seem realistic - I was surprised with the amount of religious references, including talk of judgement day, appearances by rabbis and a cardinal has a speaking part.
Kudos as well to the music - not just Ray Parker Jnr's famous theme tune (this movie lucked out in several ways - the song, logo, Moranis' casting), but Elmer Bernstein's score and the songs "Magic" and "Saving the Day. The special effects on the whole are impressive, except that involving the demon dogs. Love the Stay Puft Marsh-mellow Man. A lot of fun.
1 comment:
Ghost buster is my one of most favorite romantic comedy movies. Script of this movie wrote so well with so many funny dialogues. I love the characters of the kids who were being naughty.
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