I want to be like Holtzmann when I grow up.

I’ve been trying to think of another way to start this, but that’s my overwhelming impression of the film.

So the Ghostbusters remake has arrived. Does it match the originals, or does it fall in a heap, as a large and toxic part of the internet wants it to? Damn right it matches them and then some. It’s the most fun I’ve had at a cinema in a long time, and that includes Deadpool. Were it not for Civil War I’d have this as the film of the year, and it may still hit that. (Yes Rogue One, you’re still in contention) It’s been hard for me to keep my neutral hat on, as the mere existence of the film has stirred an almighty amount of hatred, far in excess to anything I’ve seen, even Jar Jar Binks. (And if you still can’t stand him, read Ahmed Best’s Reddit AMA – he seems like a lovely guy who was genuinely excited to be in the movie) So yeah, I wanted this to be good and I freely admit that. If you’re going to remake a movie, then you should at least try to put a different spin on it, instead of a carbon copy (Psycho remake, I’m looking at you). And really, does the world need yet another movie with a mostly male cast? Besides, this film isn’t interfering with the originals in any way, so where’s the freakin’ problem?

So, the movie itself. Is it perfect? No,  but neither were the originals and I had so much fun watching it I didn’t care.It made me want daughters to watch it with, a feeling I’ve not had since showing Niece, Age 7 The Princess Bride. (She loved it and spent the rest of the night yelling about how she wasn’t left handed) To be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the original films that any childhood nostalgia has faded (We first meet Venkman when he’s electrocuting someone while trying to get laid, something I’m pretty sure wouldn’t fly today), and I never caught the fandom bug as much as others. Yeah, they were a lot of fun, but they didn’t have the spark (Or lightsaber hum in my case) that made me truly obsess over them. Getting back to the point, it takes a little time to really get going, what with the introduction of our heroes and establishment of the threat (Who it could be taken to be a representation of the people attacking the movie). Yeah, not all the jokes worked for me (Even some of the bodily function ones, something I never thought I’d say), but there was a steady enough stream of them that I wasn’t left bored. We even got technobabble that the Doctor would be jealous of! (At one point we were so close to a ‘reverse the polarity’ I could almost taste it)

The main cast all share an equal amount of screen time and spotlight moments, the cameos and nods to the original are well done and don’t take too much away and Chris Hemsworth has some mighty comedy chops – I knew he was funny, but damn. Speaking of the cameos and nods, one feels too short and one a bit too long, but you’re never going to get a perfect ratio. Well, unless you’re The Force Awakens, or modern Doctor Who… I digress. And whatever you do, stay till the end of the credits. Heck, the credits alone are worth staying for- Marvel could learn a thing or two about from them about making the wait for the post credits scence less of a grind. Really, the only quibble I have with the film is I wasn’t a fan of the music over the credits and the new arrangment of the theme tune. If that’s all I’ve got to complaint about, then that’s pretty high praise.So yeah, see it. It matches up to the originals, is an enormous barrel of laughs and both sets up sequels (Not too shamelessly) and slyly hints at a larger universe. I’m really looking forward to the next one.

Really, all that’s left to ask is has someone statted them up for the RPG yet?