FILM REVIEW: Ghostbusters (12A)

So the new female-centric reboot was meant to be eerily rubbish, then some early test screenings raised hopes it was spookily good - now it's been released it kind of sits somewhere in between, like a fascinatingly unnerving apparition, writes Gavin Miller.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Jul 2016, 10:00 BST

Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy provide enough decent gags to outshine the ones that fall flat, the zany Kate McKinnon just about stays the right side of kooky, and Leslie Jones (despite being passable) is arguably the weak link as she borders on an annoying character stereotype.

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert (Wiig) and Abby Yates (McCarthy), nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon), and subway worker Patty Tolan (Jones) all band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

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The biggest problems don’t really lie with the cast, but director Paul Feig’s reliance on paying homage to the first film and the need to shoe-horn in cameos by the original surviving cast members which isn’t really necessary.

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Sadly the film just can’t seem to properly pull out of the shadow of the 1985 masterpiece – which was the perfect blend of comedy, action and ingenuity and this (despite the best efforts of Wiig, McCarthy and McKinnon) ends up being all too predictable, seen first-hand with the tedious finale which has a total lack of invention.