Some crazy stuff, some funny guys. Who ya gonna call?

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2008)

Combining big-budget special effects with irony and sarcasm-laden dialog, "Ghostbusters" is a one-of-a-kind sci-fi fantasy comedy as entertaining as it can get.
The movie stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, three graduates from the great schools of "Saturday Night Live", "SCTV" and "National Lampoon", as three "scientists" whose specialty is to detect and hunt down ghosts of all kinds. They form a team called the Ghostbusters and they offer their duties to whoever wanting to get ridden of a ghost.
After some troublesome beginnings, the team quickly becomes very popular and is able to eradicate dozens of paranormal creatures from every corner of Manhattan. They are in such demand that they need to hire a fourth crew member, played by Ernie Hudson. However, their skills and their knowledge are soon going to be rudely tested when a destroyer god from the Babylonian era is getting ready to penetrate into our world and to spread chaos in a Judgment Day fashion.
This kind of scenario could reminisce anybody of such disaster movies from the middle of the 20th century, monster movies such as "King Kong" and "Godzilla", or even contemporary blockbusters, filled with rumpus, destruction and special effects intended to terrify and provoke some panic. "Ghostbusters" is all of that at once, but it dissociates itself from the bunch in its own particular way.
Instead of presenting itself as a drama, a thriller or an action flick, "Ghostbusters" is introduced as a heavy special FX comedy. Chimeric idea? Maybe. But the result is simply delectable, because of the quality of the special effects, but mainly because of the humor brought out by the stars of the picture, beginning with the master of irony, Bill Murray.
Murray plays Dr. Peter Venkman, the unofficial leader of the group. His on-screen appearances are always delightful, his lines being almost always stamped with irony and impassive humor. Murray is very much at ease and he does whatever he wants in front of the camera.
Murray's two accomplices (and the co-writers of this movie), Aykroyd and Ramis, are not relegated to oblivion anyway and, together with Murray, the three of them have a good lot of chemistry. At moments, they can become as funny as Murray is.
Sigourney Weaver is also a part of the cast in "Ghostbusters". She plays a violinist who quickly realizes that her refrigerator could very be some kind of portal towards a parallel dimension. Rick Moranis plays her nerdish neighbor. Sometimes nice, sometimes unpleasant, it's actually very hard to really care about Moranis' character in this movie. It becomes easier when he is pursued and possessed by the Sumerian demons, but we actually do care much more about Sigourney Weaver in that situation.
Ernie Hudson, a relatively underground actor, is fairly attractive as the fourth Ghostbuster. He represents somehow the link between the ghost trackers and the ordinary people.
Nonetheless, the actors from "Ghostbusters" are generally overshadowed by the impressive special effects required for that kind of movie involving creatures from another world and innovative technology to hunt ghosts. But the actors find themselves rewarded from that move. Thus, we see "proton packs" with extremely dangerous, but extremely convincing beams. We also see ghosts that are both frightening and funny, the green wiener-eating "Slimer" being the best example.
But how could we forget the unforgettable climax starring the most unlikely destroyer in New York City history: the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man? It is without any doubt the most famous scene of the whole picture and it's not without reason. His arrival unleashes the greatest panic attack from the movie's extras, because of his menacing stature. But in the viewers' case, they can't help themselves from smiling and laughing when they see that surreal giant walking in the streets of Manhattan, even if they know that this monster is not so much different from Godzilla, save for the hideous and repulsing appearance.
So "Ghostbusters" is technically innovating, comically revealing, but it's globally some really tasty entertainment that everybody will be able to appreciate. Everyone will be able to find at least one element that will satisfy them. Those who love spectacle and eye-popping sequences will be delighted by the special effects. Others will respond to Bill Murray's lines with an inescapable smile. And let's not forget the eponymous theme song from Ray Parker, Jr. that will play in the heads of people long after they've seen the film.
So, twenty-five years later, we can still watch "Ghostbusters" without telling ourselves that this picture comes from another era. The majority of the special effects have aged well, even if some of the moves from the demonic dogs begin to look like those created by Ray Harryhausen for "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms". So, it's still easy to love the movie, just like if it was just being released.
Since the first silent movies of the early 20th century, there have been a lot of comedies that were created. But among those which tried to insert big-budget special effects to counterbalance their comic moments, "Ghostbusters" is among the best, if it's not THE best. It's really some pure crazy fun.