Ghostbusters: Breaking Down The New Trailer
It’s finally here and – rather than casting the universe into a chasm of nothingness – the brand new Ghostbusters trailer is…well, it’s good.
Why the hesitation? Well, there’s an overriding feeling we’ve not seen the best just yet (at least we hope we haven’t seen the best jokes yet). It certainly looks fun and, yes, the internet has exploded in premature condemnation but, let’s take a closer look at Paul Feig's Ghostbusters and see if busting will make us feel good once again.
Firstly, there’s the homages. The trailer strikes an odd tone; starting as it does with the reminder – as if the world needed it – that 30 years ago ‘four scientists’ which is factually inaccurate although a lot easier to type than ‘three scientists and some bloke they hired’, saved the world – so is this a reboot? A remake? A sequel?
It feels like all of the above. We then get a glimpse of the firehouse which, although they filmed there, we’re not sure it’s their actual HQ – in fact, later in the trailer, we see Ecto 1 burst out of a garage in an old Chinese restaurant. So do they end up back at the old base following their success in this film or is It there as a weird homage?
We then get our first look at Kate McKinnon, Kirsten Wiig, and Melissa McCarthy in action in a scene reminiscent of the library scare at the beginning of the first movie; it’s probably safe to assume that it’s in roughly the same point in this incarnation.
At least they are addressing the legacy of the first movie head on.
Then, we’re introduced to Leslie Jones’ Patty Tolan and, if you’re wondering how a MTA employee ends up working for the Ghostbusters, well, the trailer answers that emphatically with what feels a little like an homage to the railway scene from Ghostbusters II. Also, doesn’t it feel a little weird that the African American character is the only one who isn’t a scientist? I know Winston wasn’t but his character isn’t really the example to follow, is it?
Following that, we get some spooks – well, a lot of spooks – dressed in what appears to be 1920’s/1930’s garb – the scene looks as though it takes place somewhere else to the earlier Tolan scare – as we see later in the trailer, New York of the 70’s (Check out the retro Taxi Driver poster in Time Square and a Twinkie poster with a familiar catchphrase) also puts in an appearance too; maybe the afterlife is bringing back more than former inhabitants of our realm?
We then get a few shots of the newly fashioned proton packs (the handmade quality is a great addition – check out the ‘ghost bear trap’ later in the trailer) as well as a few introductions to our team: there’s Kate McKinnon’s engineer Jillian Holtzmann, who looks likely to be the breakout star of the film, Kirsten Wiig’s Erin Gilbert – a disgraced Colombia professor (check out the web address hidden on the whiteboard) who appears to be embarrassed by Melissa McCarthy’s Abby Yates (who isn’t really introduced here – perhaps there’s a greater significance to her character, other than being the enthusiastic impetus for the girls forming the ghostbusters) and then Leslie Jones’ everyman Patty Tolan.
So you can see, we’ve got some fairly well defined character types: the reluctant hero, the believer, the everyman and the eccentric – what’s missing, and perhaps this is the greatest concern, is the deadpan cynic, you know, a ‘Peter Venkman’ type.
Then there’s this green thing – no, not that one, that’s a little later in the trailer – spewing supernatural energy (which looks fabulously cartoony) into our realm, which is handily summed up by Gilbert: “Someone is creating a device that amplifies paranormal activity, and we might be the only ones who can stop it,” which is as succinct a plot summary as you might get.
We also get the best joke of the trailer when Yates and Gilbert both refuse to surrender the lead of the team with their competitive and redundant cries of ‘Let’s go!’.
We then get the fullest scene of the whole trailer; a little bit of an Exorcist nod, as Yates has one of the same spewed green spirits take control of her body; it doesn’t quite land but Melissa McCarthy’s body language is perfect.
It’s a new take on the possession of Louis and Dana and, while Ray was briefly possessed in Ghostbusters II, this is the first time one of the team has been possessed and turned on another member with quite the same force.
Something that definitely works is the production design – the brand new Cadillac looks great roaring through the New York night life and the handmade proton packs- including some neat variations on the traditional stick, look to add another dimension to busting some heads…in a spiritual sense.
Ghostbusters hits theaters on July 15.