Ghostbusters

The infectious charm of the 1984 original lay in the goofy chemistry between bright, slyly satiric SNL comedians Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis, along with Ernie Hudson (all have cameos, including a bust of the late Ramis), coupled with cool ectoplasmic special effects. The problem with director Paul Feig's mediocre remake is not the gender-redo but its lack of originality, as well as the scarcity of in-jokes, irony, and cynicism—plus the repetition of the same supernatural SFX. The story begins as Columbia University physics professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) realizes that her bid for tenure has been endangered by the re-issue of a parapsychology book she wrote years ago with a high school pal, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy). When Erin tracks Abby down, she discovers that the latter is still chasing ghostly phenomena, partnering with crazed tech-head Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). Joined by cheeky MTA worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones)—a walking encyclopedia of New York folklore—the quartet set up shop above a Chinatown restaurant, aided by a dimwitted assistant (Chris Hemsworth) who is hired simply because he's hunky. The playful plot involves Manhattan's historic (fictitious) Aldridge mansion, where resident ghosts start an epidemic of psychic nuisances. The mayor (Andy Garcia) and his assistant (Cecily Strong) are naturally into deceptive denial, but the ghostbusters are on the trail. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one by writer-director Paul Feig and writer Katie Dippold; the other by editor Brent White, executive producer Jessie Henderson, production designer Jefferson Sage, visual effects supervisor Pete Travers, and special effects supervisor Mark Hawker), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Jokes a Plenty” (35 min.), “Visual Effects: 30 Years Later” (15 min.), “Meet the Team” (8 min.), and “Slime Time” (5 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are extended and alternate scenes (21 min.), two gag reels (16 min.), production segments on “The Ghosts” (14 min.) and “Chris Hemsworth is ‘Kevin'” (8 min.), and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a somewhat uninspired remake.] (S. Granger)