Discuss all things Ghostbusters here, unless they would be better suited in one of the few forums below.
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By SSJmole
#4929668
Hello.

Let me start of by saying this is not a knock on ghostbusters afterlife or its trailer. It's unrelated it's more ghostbusters looking at how the orginal was. If you disagree I'm more than happy to hear why. That's why I made this a separate thread as it's not linked directly to afterlife.

Now what started this thought? One of my nephew's aged 12 watched the orginal movie with me and 1 of his friends today. I watched it with them as they want to watch 1+2 this week before new movie. However their thought after was "it was okay but it was boring" which took me by surprise.

I talked to them about Peter and how hilarious he was as the funny one. They said he wasn't funny and after talking through they said sarcastic characters should be like Tony stalk.

Then it hit me why they can't get enjoyment out of it that I got. The movies they watch are marvel and new Star wars ect .., those movies are basically joke joke joke joke plot joke joke action.

Ghostbusters takes its beats from a horror movie gradually building the tension and threat ect.... Where as even horror today is mostly jump scares and cheap horror Vs the old more tradional style.

Now a big thing people say is stranger things is like ghostbusters. The issue here? 31 percent of people between ages 18 and 29 who were polled have seen every episode , 19% said no but may soon and 19% said no with no interest too. More viewers on average were 25 - 60 than younger as "nostalgia" been a big factor.

Most popular for 12 year olds? Cw show The Flash which is very much like the marvel movies in tone. This is what i personally think or feel is the reason , that reason in YouTube. Kids watch YouTube almost none stop. It's quick easy videos that are designed to make you laugh non stop around 10-20 minutes at time. The marvel format everyone follows is very much this through the movie to keep you entertained none stop (personally I'm bored of that format now)

Top 5 highest grossing films of 2019?

1 Avengers: Endgame
2 The Lion King
3 Frozen II
4 Spider-Man: Far From Home
5 Captain Marvel

Notice anything? 1 4 5 are marvel format , 2 is lion king which could argue against the argument I'm making I'll admit and 3 was frozen a Disney movie that's full of none stop jokes ect...

A movie I'd argue had most tones associated with ghostbusters in 2019 was the kid who would be king. The movie bombed (it was a great movie imo) it couldn't grab the attention. Now it's possible 3rd movie could ride the nostalgia to the box office like lion king did but will it grow the franchise , can it if it feels like ghostbusters?


That's why I'm genuinely wondering what people think. The slower paced , less jokey movies that take some things serious like ghostbusters seem to be all but removed from modern movies.


So looking at trends and how kids (future fans) take in media and the types they do , can ghostbusters work or will it need to go the way of men in black international (I enjoyed that film) were if compared to 1-3 it's more marvel like and more emphasis on comedy than 1-3 which were already funny.Even ninja turtles has learned this and the new one is bright , jokey and obnoxious.

So can a franchise like ghostbusters capture a mass appeal and build the franchise going forward like in its heyday or is destined to be a niche thing for older viewers only?

All opinions on this are welcome I'm not saying mine is the only opinion or view that's right. I genuinely want to hear the other side too.
By philmorgan81
#4929670
Actually you may think I am crazy for saying this, but I think the humor and style in the 2 Original Ghostbusters films paved the way for the style of the modern Marvel films. The Marvel movies are way mor action oriented sice we are dealing with Super Heroes, but Ghostbusters in its few action sequences had action and funny quips. The same way Marvel has got the action and funny quips. It is just a fun way to keep audiences engaged in the story and I think Ghostbusters was one of the films that helped pioneer that style of story telling. I think the young audience you were with were just a little tooyoung to see or appreciate the parrallels. Kids are afterall little people and no 2 will appreciate the same thing, but I think Ghostbusters can definately work with todays audience if executed well enough. :):):)
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By SSJmole
#4929671
philmorgan81 wrote: January 2nd, 2020, 10:23 am Actually you may think I am crazy for saying this, but I think the humor and style in the 2 Original Ghostbusters films paved the way for the style of the modern Marvel films. The Marvel movies are way mor action oriented sice we are dealing with Super Heroes, but Ghostbusters in its few action sequences had action and funny quips. The same way Marvel has got the action and funny quips. It is just a fun way to keep audiences engaged in the story and I think Ghostbusters was one of the films that helped pioneer that style of story telling. I think the young audience you were with were just a little tooyoung to see or appreciate the parrallels. Kids are afterall little people and no 2 will appreciate the same thing, but I think Ghostbusters can definately work with todays audience if executed well enough. :):):)
That is an interesting way of looking at it. And do love the humour in ghostbusters obviously I love all the films so far.

However I don't see it as the same as the marvel movies. Look at 2 dealing with an apocalypse. Ghostbusters and Thor Ragnarok.

First encounter
Ghostbusters : librarian scares the shit out of them
Thor : captured but keeps making none stop jokes completly removing all threat

Side characters effected by big bad :
Ghostbusters : dana is possessed , some jokes when she is from Peter but ultimately we see he's worried
Thor : his best friends from one and two to were brutally murdered. He never facts or brings it up


Final fight
Ghostbusters almost get thrown off a roof with electricity , worry about crossing the streams and what it could mean
Thor nameless army mixed with big had. None stop joking throughout , never feel he can loose


That was just somebody examples I could make more and compare it to other movies but the point was with ghostbusters the humour elevates the plot and when needed they let things breathe. Obviously I've said before I want jokes in Ghostbusters like 1st. But they let the jokes land.

Part of the jokes is Peter is sarcastic and how the others respond. Like egon is hilarious because of how little he's joking i.e the perfect straight man. If there's a threat they let it be felt before any jokes and only make a couple for optimal effect.

Marvel movies even thanos killing half the universe = undone in seconds by some kind of joke (also by announced sequels of people they killed) leaving no stakes imo , no threat and no sense of danger. Even killing half the people was turned into "haha Thor is fat and plays fortnite now" for laughs and product placement. Were as still based on marvel look how Logan handled the deaths of everyone he knew.


So in essence I do completely see where you are coming on. But I feel the marvel movies take that to an extreme , to an obnoxious level. Now as I've mentioned recent ones you can tell I still watch (or did not sure on new phase) and I enjoyed them despite how they were but it annoys me everything tries to be that. Personally I prefer a comic movie like the dark Knight , hell I absolutely LOVED joker.

To me part of the ghostbusters charm is knowing when to add humour when to technobabble , when to let a situation rest or breath. It knows the line and doesn't cross it. Ghostbusters is like the orginal lion king , marvel are like Shrek. Hopefully this helps my side be better understood but as I said i understand and appreciate the point you addressed and find it interesting how you came to that conclusion.
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By Kingpin
#4929673
I think a version of Ghostbusters could've worked in 2020, but it would be a vastly different kettle of fish.

I mean, to take it to the extreme scenario, if Ghostbusters had been made today rather than in 1984, it would be like what we saw in Answer The Call, give or take. There'd be some notable differences obviously, but the basic premise would probably be there, and I bet you the 2016 movie would've probably proven more successful for not having the original for it to be compared to, as well as not having the baggage associated with the social media fallout.

It's the fact that comedy, cinematics, and storytelling have evolved considerably in the past 30-40 years. 1984's Ghostbusters comes off as boring to some because the comedy is much more subtle than it is now...

And... There's also the intellectual level of the average cinemagoer to consider, as well...

...And the pace can seem slower, the visuals more restrained due to the limitations of 1980s special effects. Afterlife is definitely going to be borrowing some of the positives from the Marvel cinematic storybook, because Jason has to make it appealing to a post-millennium audience.
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By SSJmole
#4929674
Kingpin wrote: January 2nd, 2020, 11:57 am And the pace can seem slower, the visuals more restrained due to the limitations of 1980s special effects.
That's true.like jaws was filmed the way it was as the shark kept breaking so they had to get creative. But it made it better imo. It's almost tragic watching shark movies made now as they dont get the same emotion as jaws Imo.


It's like ninja turtles is the perfect example of this. 1990s we got :

Image

A practical effects driven movie , humour in the right parts , the look of the ninja turtles is perfect. And the story is dark when needed , emotional and just perfect. Highly underrated with critics imo

Now days we got
Image

They look wrong , too much bad humour , effects are like "we can do this so we will" (like making shredder basically a f****g robot) plot is weak and the tone is all over the place.


But my concern and you could say it's with 3 but it's ghostbusters as a whole is we are left with 3 choices imo 1) change it so it's not really ghostbusters 2) make it feel tone ect... Like orginal but franchise won't grow or 3) leave it alone. I'm not sure I like any of these 100%
it would be like what we saw in Answer The Call, give or take. There'd be some notable differences obviously, but the bastic premise would probably be there, and I bet you the 2016 movie would've probably proven more successful for not having the original for it to be compared to, as well as not having the baggage associated with the social media fallout.

I've said in past I liked that about it, it might seem apposed to this view but what I mean is that's 100% imo perfect for a modern ghostbusters. The fact it's a reboot means I'm not expecting it to keep same tone and I'm actually ok with that like the mummy reboot with Brendan Fraser I loved that and felt it was a great was to make that for modern audience (at the time), batman begins in the same way. As that way orginal still is there is still uneffected by continuing it and new can be modern . Like Disney star wars continues but feel very different and been connected to orginal actually undoes everything the heroes accomplished in 1-6.

But if a franchise continues its hard to swap genres imo like child's play becoming comedy in bride of and seed of was not good. Though terminator 2 and aliens do move from horror to action really well ( but I prefer terminator and alien but appreciate they did it really well)
Afterlife is definitely going to be borrowing some of the positives from the Marvel cinematic storybook, because Jason has to make it appealing to a post-millennium audience.
By making it a shared universe with men in black!! (Joking though I want that lol)


I hope as you say it's SOME of the positives. I hope they don't copy it too much as I feel it looses what ghostbusters is if it's a full copy like everything tries now. But you post makes me hopeful it can be worked and made modern while keeping it rooted in ghostbusters. My worry is it'll be force awakens or Jurassic World , which both changed dramatically from Orginal imo (though force copies everything while not having the context or heart) both feel like marvel versions of the orginals and feel like a shift to me too far. But as I say you have me more hopeful thank you.

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