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‘Ghostbusters 3’? Cast Slammed, Reviews Don’t Look Good

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 04:49 PST, Jul 28, 2016

While the movie isn’t technically Ghostbusters 3, the cast as facing high expectations. The film didn’t meet those expectations as Paul Feig’s remake has been considered a mediocre and unnecessary attempt to keep Melissa McCarthy’s career going.

Before it was released, the 2016 Ghostbusters remake was slammed for replacing everybody in the original team with women. That wasn’t the real problem. The best parts of the movie were scenes featuring Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, the former of whom had been the subject of misogynist and racist insults. Unfortunately, Jones’ best scenes were mostly in the trailers, but she still managed to outshine McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.

Unlike in Spy, McCarthy wasn’t the subject of fat-shaming jokes the entire time, so her performance was at least more interesting. The part where she was possessed was, unfortunately, her best scene. For once, she was confident and aggressive, characteristics she has never displayed before.

Kristen Wiig was basically little more than an intro character, someone to get the story started and then end up forgotten in the shadow of Kate McKinnon’s ever enjoyable antics.

The film will probably get a sequel just to attempt to improve on it, but a Ghostbusters 3 isn’t looking likely. Many in the audience claimed that the film ruined their childhood, even before it was released. It wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t great either.

Sony president of Worldwide Distribution Rory Bruer says that a sequel is inevitable.

“The Ghostbusters world is alive and well. I expect Ghostbusters to become an important brand and franchise. … While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen.”

The Nation says that the original Ghostbusters wasn’t really that funny or lucrative either. Beverly Hills Cop actually outperformed it and brought more laughs. What the original did was jump-start a story about a charming and very human team of scientists and one guy simply needing the job. The movie which could have been Ghostbusters 3 if it had stuck to the original canon mirrored that well.

Throughout most of the movie’s first half, the Ghostbusters remake fumbles with the scientists inventing and testing new equipment, while the original simply had them test everything on their first job. The pacing was slower in the remake, which if its supposed sequel doesn’t knock it up a notch, means there probably won’t be a Ghostbusters 3.

The cameos were spaced out well, even though it seemed as if the film was trying too hard to make them important characters. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver all could have had smaller roles so we wouldn’t have been overly reminded of the original film. Ernie Hudson’s role was the most clever, though, as he played a relative of Leslie Jones’ Patricia Tolan. Dan Aykroyd’s cameo was almost one you’d miss if you had gone to the restroom at the wrong time.

Even Slimer, although he wasn’t really named in the unofficial Ghostbusters 3, had a major role as a ghost who ends up being a bit more of a jerk this time. He even hinted at how the jerk always gets the girl, a real problem with the dating world.

As Film Fare states, the unofficial Ghostbusters 3 tries too hard and misses the mark in attempting to bring back the original’s effortless wit. Even the somewhat romantic subplot involving Chris Hemsworth’s Kevin seems slapped on as a convenient bridge to further the story, and his character also illustrates just how shallow the new female Ghostbusters really are.

If there is a Ghostbusters 3, hopefully, the attention will shift to Kate McKinnon even more and rely less on references to a better film.

[Image via Sony Pictures]

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