I´ve avoided this movie so far, since the trailers and negative reviews from people I usually agree with made me expect the worst, yet in preparation for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” I wanted to finally give it a chance. Well, let´s just say I don´t regret not watching it at the cinema.

Let´s start with saying that I don´t really have a problem with the cast. Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones are charismatic and seem to have fun with their roles, and I believe you could make a hilarious comedy with them. It´s just that I don´t vibe at all with how they are directed, or to be more precise, how they seem to have not received any direction at all. Every scene seems to be more or less entirely ad-libbed, and that simply can´t work. Yes, Bill Murray has also improvised lines in the original but not entire scenes. A sci fi adventure comedy needs a coherent and thought-out script, it doesn´t work as improv-comedy. That´s why the original features meticulously crafted scenes and witty dialogue, while this reboot (or remake?) is full of senseless babbling and scenes that meander on and on, since no one feels the need to say “cut”. Therefore, the entire movie has no rhythm or sense for timing, which were great strengths of the original. Furthermore, the humor and character quirks feel natural and confident in the 1984 classic, while they feel forced and sometimes even apologetic in the reboot. This film has no confidence in itself, which is also why it replaces dry wit with loud screaming and gross toilet humor. The nonstop talking and yelling also prevents the film from ever establishing an engrossing atmosphere. The first two movies never were terrifying horror films, but at least they were spooky when they needed to be, and they knew when to be quiet and let a scene breath. All of this is missing in the reboot. The lack of confidence also shows in the plot, which badly copies almost all the story beats of the original (constantly reminding you of a better film) and the embarrassing cameos of the original cast members, one more unmotivated than the other. Not to mention the bland and visually unappealing direction, generic CGI action without any tension or flair, and shameless product placement.

A lot has been said about the gender politics of the movie, and initially I didn´t want to touch upon it (the discourse is exhausting), but it kept irritating me, especially the portrayal of Kevin (Chris Hemsworth). When you gender-swap the ghostbusters, it makes sense to also gender-swap the secretary and that new dynamic has the potential to be very intriguing. I can also understand if you would use this to comment on the gender politics of the original (some of Venkman´s antics are clearly questionable from a modern perspective). The thing is, Janine was a competent secretary, an integral part of the team, and had a dry wit of her own, while Kevin is too dumb to live on his own, let alone assist someone else with their work. He is almost Simple Jack level of stupid, which I realize is the joke, but it doesn´t work for me at all. Janine also never was as sexualized/objectified as Kevin is here, so I can´t really see that portrayal as commentary on the portrayal of female characters (at least in this franchise). So, is it played straight, because sexualization isn´t bad when directed at men? I mean, Chris Hemsworth is probably used to it (not that that makes it right). I could accept Kevin as one singularly dumb character, but almost every other male character is incredibly stupid, as well. Maybe not Charles Dance, he is just a prick. That has to be an intentional choice. And again, I would understand it as a commentary on the original, but Janine and Dana have never been portrayed as stupid and incompetent, so I don´t get the motivation behind this off-putting and mean-spirited portrayal. Though I have to say, it would be easier for me to simply ignore this aspect, if the rest of the movie was any good.

Having said all that about Kevin, I still see Chris Hemsworth as a standout of the movie. This man has such an enormous charisma that it even shines in roles I don´t like. I didn´t vibe with the kind of humor he represents here, yet I was always smiling, when he was on screen. That doesn´t change that Kevin is pretty much a non-character, which makes the emotional stakes of the climax almost nonexistent. At no point, I care and fear for Kevin as much as I do for Dana and Louis in the climax of the original. This simply doesn´t work at all.

To conclude, the film has a talented and motivated cast (excluding the decidedly unmotivated cameos) who are not to blame, but the script and direction (or lack thereof) lets them down immensely. “Ghostbusters” (2016) is not among the worst movies I´ve ever seen, but it definitely felt like a chore to get through it.