No one sets out to make a bad movie and it must suck to pour your energy and passion into making what is hoped will become a huge smash and franchise-starter only for naysayers to tear it to shreds before even seeing a scrap of footage. It must be especially harsh after “fans” do see the footage and still trash it. But that’s what happened to ‘Ghostbusters’, the upcoming reboot of the classic 1986 comedy. The remake’s trailer is the most disliked in Youtube’s history with 849,981 thumbs-down votes, versus 244,692 thumbs-ups.
When the second trailer debuted, Sony made it available only on Facebook and skipped Youtube.
The stars and director Paul Feig have spoken out to defend the film, but one headliner, Melissa McCarthy who plays Abby Yates isn’t fazed by the negative barbs.
“All those comments — ‘You’re ruining my childhood!’ I mean, really? Four women doing any movie on earth will destroy your childhood? I have a visual of those people not having a Ben [Falcone, her husband and frequent co-star], not having friends, so they’re just sitting there and spewing hate into this fake world of the internet. I just hope they find a friend.”
The negative reactions seem to stem from various points. The original film, which starred Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver and Dan Aykroyd (all of whom make cameos in the new film) is indeed a classic, one of the highest-grossing comedies of all time. Many feel that any remake not starring the original cast is blasphemy.
But the fact that the reboot stars four women in the lead roles has also caused a firestorm. A LOT of that criticism is flat out misogyny. You’ve seen the tweets. In less hateful responses, some see the gender-swap as a gimmick.
Then again… the trailers are kind of just not funny, which may be the real problem. Director Kevin Smith (who is not affiliated with ‘Ghostbusters’) stated, “It could’ve been all men with the same jokes, and it still would have sucked.”
Well, we’ll be able to make our own judgements next month, when the movie premiers.
‘Ghostbusters’ won’t be afraid of ghosts on July 15th, 2016. It is directed by Paul Feig and stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Charles Dance, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Chris Hemsworth.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
