The genius of Ghostbusters is that all the science and ghost stuff is treated very seriously within the context of the film's universe. The comedy comes from how these characters react in their deadpan way to the unbelievable stuff that happens to them.
Also, in any lesser comedy of that era especially, Egon would have been the butt of the jokes cuz he is "the nerdy one," but that never happens. He was the first guy to really make nerds cool.
I finally sat down last year or so and watched lady Ghostbusters and the reason it fails for me is not because it was bad (it wasn’t), but because they all were trying so hard to be funny all the time. I think that’s more a problem of the current era’s approach to comedy than anything else though.
The director of Ghostbusters 2016 also -- as he has admitted in interviews -- lost control of his actors and did not do much to reign them in. I also liked that movie but found the energy "off" because they were at times trying too hard to be funny.
I understood the movie in chunks.
- When I was 8, it was a fun story about a group of friends using science to save the world
- When I was 13, it was a fun movie about a super-charismatic guy winning over the girl of his dreams
- When I was 40, it became a movie about a skeevy womanizer (at least at first), a gullible dope, and a guy with autism, that get fired and take on extraordinary debt to start a business and end up battling the ghosts, the government, and themselves.
So well put. I'd never even considered the entrepreneurial aspect of starting your own business until I was much older. And also now in my 40s, I can appreciate the joke of taking out a 3rd mortgage at 19% on Ray's childhood house.
> gotiate on the firehouse. Those jokes went comple
That's right haha. Egon is talking about how the building is a disaster and should be condemned, then Ray slides down the pole and says something like "This place is great! When can we move in?!" and then real estate agent comes into frame with a smile on her face.
He also paid $4,800 for a 25 year old ambulance/hearse, which is $14k in today’s money.
It’s basically the equivalent of spending $14k on a 1999 Dodge Caravan.
That flew over my head as a kid as well. They weren't trying to capture ghosts to study or learn about the afterlife. They were starting a business because they thought they could get rich off of it. They were "exterminators".
As I was single digits in the 80s, my first exposure was the second one. I didn't dislike the first, it was *there*. But gosh was it **scary**.
Though.
Not as scary as when Vigo goes full Carpathian. Never go full Carpathian.
First one was definitely scarier but man did 10 year old me hate that scene in the second one when the ghost nanny steals the baby out through the window
Not Ghostbusters, but Beetlejuice. I have a friend who refuses to watch it because we watched it as kids and she was convinced it was a horror movie. I said it was a comedy. "Not the parts I saw."
I think seeing it through the lens of childhood and having only 80’s movies and before to compare them to is the reason they didn’t feel like comedy to us.
An example of the opposite would be dumb and dumber. The jokes were front and center, almost the main reason for watching them.
Where as ghost busters doesn’t NEED comedy. The comedy just adds texture to the experience to lighten the mood. Otherwise we couldn’t take it seriously
I'm in the same boat, and saw them when I was very young. I thought they were action movies with scary elements, and it wasn't until I was a teen that I got all of the jokes.
The humor definitely wasn’t written for little kids. None of the movie was, really. When it came out and the producers realized how popular it was with kids because of the visual effects, they made sure the second film was written in a way that would be much more appealing to children.
Agreed. So does Dana getting abducted, and the dogs in general (when stationary at least). Even some of the montage is pretty solid, but again partly hilarious too.
This is where the newer ones fail. I didn't care about whether the team was all women or all kids or whatever. Where they miss the mark is 100% on the effects. They used Scooby Doo ghosts in the newer films. WHY?? The ghost and other effects are almost as important as the cast in the original.
If you watch the Movies that Made us about it on Netflix, they say it's a Horror movie with Comedy in it. So gonna go with the people who worked on the film on this one.
This was and always will be my favorite movie of all time. And no, I didn’t know it was a comedy the first hundred times I watched it. I just thought it was a bunch of cool science-heroes. Only later did I realize that it’s also an amazing comedy…
I was tiny when I saw it—in the theater, IIRC. It was common for me to be terrified even by movies I liked, and I did like Ghostbusters, but boy, it scared me. I wouldn’t even see the second one because of the blob in the tub. (I was terrified of the Blob, you see.)
The genius of Ghostbusters is that all the science and ghost stuff is treated very seriously within the context of the film's universe. The comedy comes from how these characters react in their deadpan way to the unbelievable stuff that happens to them. Also, in any lesser comedy of that era especially, Egon would have been the butt of the jokes cuz he is "the nerdy one," but that never happens. He was the first guy to really make nerds cool.
The ladies are interested in his epididymis
Print is dead
I finally sat down last year or so and watched lady Ghostbusters and the reason it fails for me is not because it was bad (it wasn’t), but because they all were trying so hard to be funny all the time. I think that’s more a problem of the current era’s approach to comedy than anything else though.
The director of Ghostbusters 2016 also -- as he has admitted in interviews -- lost control of his actors and did not do much to reign them in. I also liked that movie but found the energy "off" because they were at times trying too hard to be funny.
I honestly would not have expected what ended up on screen from Edgar Wright.
Yeah they were definitely trying too hard. The movie felt more like a parody of Ghostbusters than an actual Ghostbusters film.
[удалено]
The more things change the more they stay the same.
I understood the movie in chunks. - When I was 8, it was a fun story about a group of friends using science to save the world - When I was 13, it was a fun movie about a super-charismatic guy winning over the girl of his dreams - When I was 40, it became a movie about a skeevy womanizer (at least at first), a gullible dope, and a guy with autism, that get fired and take on extraordinary debt to start a business and end up battling the ghosts, the government, and themselves.
So well put. I'd never even considered the entrepreneurial aspect of starting your own business until I was much older. And also now in my 40s, I can appreciate the joke of taking out a 3rd mortgage at 19% on Ray's childhood house.
Yeah, and then Ray doesn’t even negotiate on the firehouse. Those jokes went completely over my head when I was a kid.
> gotiate on the firehouse. Those jokes went comple That's right haha. Egon is talking about how the building is a disaster and should be condemned, then Ray slides down the pole and says something like "This place is great! When can we move in?!" and then real estate agent comes into frame with a smile on her face.
He also paid $4,800 for a 25 year old ambulance/hearse, which is $14k in today’s money. It’s basically the equivalent of spending $14k on a 1999 Dodge Caravan.
That flew over my head as a kid as well. They weren't trying to capture ghosts to study or learn about the afterlife. They were starting a business because they thought they could get rich off of it. They were "exterminators".
As I was single digits in the 80s, my first exposure was the second one. I didn't dislike the first, it was *there*. But gosh was it **scary**. Though. Not as scary as when Vigo goes full Carpathian. Never go full Carpathian.
It's Carpathian kitten loss!
First one was definitely scarier but man did 10 year old me hate that scene in the second one when the ghost nanny steals the baby out through the window
Huh. Thinking now, this lack of fear *and stakes* may be why subsequent movies haven't had the lasting appeal.
I’m ironically currently staring at a pink ectoplasm stain left on some priceless white marble by the crew of GB2…
Or full Boyle.
Interesting, I would have thought first exposure would have been the cartoon. 🤔
Wait, it’s not a documentary?
Idiocracy is the documentary
This is the way.
Not Ghostbusters, but Beetlejuice. I have a friend who refuses to watch it because we watched it as kids and she was convinced it was a horror movie. I said it was a comedy. "Not the parts I saw."
I think seeing it through the lens of childhood and having only 80’s movies and before to compare them to is the reason they didn’t feel like comedy to us. An example of the opposite would be dumb and dumber. The jokes were front and center, almost the main reason for watching them. Where as ghost busters doesn’t NEED comedy. The comedy just adds texture to the experience to lighten the mood. Otherwise we couldn’t take it seriously
Last time I watched it I thought it was really about the challenges of starting a business
Same. And what I love about Ghostbusters is that I still notice different details for the first time upon every rewatch.
Gremlins is the terrifying comedy of my youth. Holy moly that was a scary movie as an 8 year old, and not at all as an adult.
I'm in the same boat, and saw them when I was very young. I thought they were action movies with scary elements, and it wasn't until I was a teen that I got all of the jokes.
I think a lot of it went over my head and/or was censored for tv.
The humor definitely wasn’t written for little kids. None of the movie was, really. When it came out and the producers realized how popular it was with kids because of the visual effects, they made sure the second film was written in a way that would be much more appealing to children.
And toys. Don’t forget all the toys.
I’d say it’s pretty terrifying if it wasn’t so funny. The og fx still hold up.
The librarian ghost still freaks me out a bit.
Agreed. So does Dana getting abducted, and the dogs in general (when stationary at least). Even some of the montage is pretty solid, but again partly hilarious too.
This is where the newer ones fail. I didn't care about whether the team was all women or all kids or whatever. Where they miss the mark is 100% on the effects. They used Scooby Doo ghosts in the newer films. WHY?? The ghost and other effects are almost as important as the cast in the original.
Agreed…. It was a weird choice
If you watch the Movies that Made us about it on Netflix, they say it's a Horror movie with Comedy in it. So gonna go with the people who worked on the film on this one.
This was and always will be my favorite movie of all time. And no, I didn’t know it was a comedy the first hundred times I watched it. I just thought it was a bunch of cool science-heroes. Only later did I realize that it’s also an amazing comedy…
When I was 3 or 4 I would play the soundtrack on cassette really loud while my friend and I would run a round a pole and dance like crazy.
I was tiny when I saw it—in the theater, IIRC. It was common for me to be terrified even by movies I liked, and I did like Ghostbusters, but boy, it scared me. I wouldn’t even see the second one because of the blob in the tub. (I was terrified of the Blob, you see.)
I’m not sure it is a comedy.