Movie Review: Ghostbusters (1984) directed by Ivan Reitman
The parapsychology department at Columbia University in New York City is small, consisting of three men. They are Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Ackroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis). While the other two are serious and dedicated paranormal researchers, Dr. Venkman as head of the department is treating it more as a scam, running rigged psychic experiments to amuse himself and hit on female students. Thus, even after an incident at the New York Public Library finally provides solid proof of the existence of ghosts, the department is shut down and the three expelled from the university.
Egon has come up with technology that will actually capture and hold ghosts, so the three men decide to enter the private sector as “Ghostbusters.” A third mortgage produces enough capital for a rundown fire station, a converted hearse, unlicensed nuclear accelerators, and a television ad campaign. But of course, most people don’t believe in ghosts, so the customers aren’t rolling in. Cynical office manager Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) doesn’t have a lot to do.
However, one person in New York is about ready to believe in ghosts. Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), a classical musician, found a portal to another dimension in her refrigerator. She contacts the Ghostbusters, but Peter does not find anything wrong in Dana’s apartment, and just uses the occasion to hit on her. He reluctantly agrees to research the matter further. Meanwhile, Dana’s neighbor, nebbish accountant Louis Tully (Rick Moranis), also has a hopeless crush on her.
The Ghostbusters’ first publicly successful case is at a hotel, battling the rotund ghost we will come to know as Slimer (Ivan Reitman). This leads to other jobs, and soon the Ghostbusters have more business than they can handle, needing to hire a fourth man, Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson). But this also attracts the attention of stupidly arrogant EPA agent Walter Peck (William Atherton) who is simultaneously convinced the Ghostbusters are pulling some kind of hoax and that they’re violating environmental regulations. (He is technically correct on the second part.)
Egon realizes the surge of paranormal energy in New York City is not “natural”–there’s way too much of it, and it’s building up to something. That, it turns out, ties back to Dana and Louis, who are being targeted by the ancient Sumerian spirit Zuul to be turned into the Gatekeeper and Keymaster, who will open a portal and summon Gozer the Destructor (Slavitza Jovan) to bring about the next Age of Darkness.
Walter Peck abuses his authority to shut down the containment unit the Ghostbusters have been using to store the ghosts they’ve busted, unleashing a flood of supernatural horrors on the city, and making conditions ripe for the coming of Gozer. With the few people who could stop the menace in jail, who will save New York?
This supernatural comedy film took the old “ghostbusters” idea used in previous Hollywood movies and updated it for the then current day, with modern technology applied to the problem of catching ghosts. It had a solid cast of veteran comedy performers (and hot actress Sigourney Weaver) and didn’t stint on the cool special effects. And of course, a very catchy theme song by Ray Parker, Jr. It’s no surprise it did very well at the box office.
To repeat myself, the special effects were some of the best parts of the movie, and have generally aged well. This did mean that the budget was well above that of a normal comedy film.
The dialogue is heavy on the improvisation, and most of the humor hits, with many quotable lines.
Dr. Venkman’s sleazy attitude towards women has aged less well. We are perhaps meant to see him as a more desirable suitor for Dana than the short and poorly socialized Louis, but it’s not a fair comparison. Also, while Walter Peck is definitely in the wrong, Peter’s snotty behavior did not help, and he doesn’t follow up by contacting the EPA to have a more sensible conversation about that storage facility. Egon and Janine’s budding romance in the background is much more likable.
Content note: Ray has a dream about being sexually assaulted. Lots of slapstick violence, none fatal to humans or animals. A bit of rough language. Casual smoking. Some jump scares. Guidance recommended for younger viewers.
This is a fun movie that stands up to repeated viewings. (I’m more nostalgic for The Real Ghostbusters, the animated series spun off from it.) Recommended to fans of Eighties comedy and special effects buffs.
