It seems that reboots are just the latest trend in Hollywood. From The Planet of the Apes to Annie, you can bet your bottom dollar that any successful film is up for a reboot.
Ghostbusters, the hit film from 1984, was an instant classic. The film circles around three male New York University professors who lose their jobs, and after several turn of events, join together to fight the supernatural and save New York from evil ghosts. A classic ‘80s gem, right?
Ghostbusters was such a success that it went on to inspire a sequel, Ghostbusters II in 1989. Talks of a third entry bounced around until late 2014, when it was announced that Paul Feig would direct a rework of the first film with an all female cast.
In January of 2015, it was announced that the Ghostbusters reboot would star Kristin Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy. Many people were, of course, incredibly excited to hear the news. Although it was not the original cast, the opportunity to experience the Ghostbusters universe, seemed exciting to many.
Unfortunately, the response was not entirely positive. Many people declared that the reboot was created simply to monopolize on the feminist movement, and that the talented comediennes would not be able to match the first film in quality. These reactions, while artificially masked as some worry about the future of the Ghostbusters franchise, they are simply sexist in nature.
In an interview with Variety, Kristin Wiig explained why she was troubled by the negative feedback to the remake:
“The fact there was so much controversy because we were women was surprising to me. Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women. It didn’t make me mad, it just really bummed me out. We’re really honoring those movies.”
All of the women cast have comedic backgrounds. All four have experience from Saturday Night Live. Additionally, several of these women have starred in major films such as Bridesmaids (2011), Identity Thief (2013), and The Heat (2013), just to name a few. All of these films were successful, and strengthened the reputation of female comedy.
But these reboot has the potential to offer more than just fame and starring roles. At a time when female politicians are still questioned on their choice of outfit rather on the matter of their stance on important issues, it is vital that young women have the opportunity to see strong, funny, and most importantly, “common” women as role models. This film could do that for young girls.
Film has always played an important role in our lives; It shows us who the heroes are. Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon have been placed in a valuable position. This reboot has the ability to take a classic still loved by many and pull it into the 21st century. When the young women of our generation need strong, diverse role models, who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters is pegged for release on July 22, 2016.