Now with yet another Ghostbusters sequel/remake/reboot on the way soon, the unlikely box-office smash in the summer of 1984, initially based on star and co-writer Dan Ackroyd’s family history of interest in ghosts and the paranormal, was transformed into one of the most daring special effects-driven sci-fi comedies in history, grossing over 200 million at the box office in its initial run 37 years ago.
While there has already been a Netflix Movies that Made Us special on the original Ghostbusters, now we get this two-hour documentary extravaganza that leaves no stone unturned in its quest to cover every single production aspect of the movie: from the raw inception of Ackroyd’s overly technical script to the background skinny on how the gooey grand finale—the urban romp of the giant smiley-faced Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man through Manhattan—was conceived and executed.
For all its technical challenges, Ghostbusters, as learned in Cleaning Up the Town was throughout much of the production, a by-the-seat-of-the-pants affair, with many on the production crew having never worked on a film before—much less a special-effects-crazy mega-picture like this. From a lowly gaffer to director Ivan Reitman, and from bit-part actors (and even extras on the film) to the leads like Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, and Ernie Hudson, all levels of cast and crew are interviewed about their experiences and their contributions to the film.
One area, not surprisingly, that’s given particularly generous shrift are the animation and special effects departments—all of whom are certainly the unsung heroes of the film. Just the sheer amount of modeling and puppeteering, sculpting, and animating that went into the making of the film—not to mention the fact that it all got done in around 12 months—is extraordinary (the story of how the famous “Slimer” ghost was created is not to be missed).
Of course, all of this obsessive attention to detail on the part of the filmmakers can wear you down after two hours (longer than the original film itself), despite all the juicy insider technical background being doled out. But this is a worthy and often fascinating deep dive into one of the most unlikely franchise successes in movie history. Recommended. Aud: C, P.