Ghostbusters (Acchiappafantasmi)

I have special affection for this film. When I was a youngster, growing up between the ages of four and ten, this was my favorite film. I loved the whole Ghostbusters thing. I loved the sequel, the cartoon series, I had to have the toys and merchandise every Christmas, you name it. Strangely, as I have gotten older, I find myself appreciating the film more and more. When I was a child I loved it for the special effects, the gadgets and the ghostbusting especially. Nowadays I love it for the same reasons, but now that I'm older I find myself appreciating the dialog which is some of the funniest committed to a film, the oddball humor, like Venkman's line about dogs and cats living together and the in jokes, like Slimer being the ghost of John Belushi and Venkman rubbing his hand at glee at the thought of the money to be made from the merchandising of the ghostbusters brand. Not only that, but some 80's hairstyles aside, the film as aged remarkably well. My cousin who is five years old has developed a love for the whole Ghostbusters thing, showing that this is truly worthy of being branded one of the most successful films ever made.

Unlike many of today's blockbusters which are humorless and pompous thinking that they are serious films and forgetting about any sense of fun along with the complicated visual effects, Ghostbusters is funny and a fun paranormal movie. The set pieces are superb as we see the Ghostbusters going up against Slimer, Gozer and, undeniably the classic movie moment of the 80's, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. For a film made in 1984 the climax is very well done and looks exceedingly realistic, without any hint of clues as to the fact that it is a special effect. This is what going to the cinema should be all about. Fun with a capital F. All the actors get into it with great comedic aplomb. Bill Murray, one of the finest comedy actors to grace the screen, is superb as Peter Venkmen who gets the best lines in the film as well as the funniest moments. Just check out the "there is no Dana, only Zool" moment. Murray's priceless reaction to Dana Barrett's possession is one of the most side splitting moments I have ever seen. In fact, the casting is pretty much spot on. As well as Murray, we have co writers Dan Akyroyd and Harold Ramis sharing the spotlight as the fellow Ghostbusters, Sigourney Weaver making a wonderful damsel in distress, Rick Moranis is almost scene stealing as her nerd of a neighbor who becomes possessed himself, while Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts both put in wonderfully sardonic supporting roles who get their chances to shine.

Add to this one of the best theme tunes and a truly apocalyptic finale, it is no surprising that this was the biggest film of 1984. A summer blockbuster with humor, trills, spills and some of the best special effects money could buy at the time, this is truly a genuine classic and is one of the best Hollywood blockbusters ever made.

There is no set definition of the word "classic" but I'm sure this film qualifies as such or will in the near future, since it was so unique and popular....and remains so today, over 20 years old later. It's just one of those films that you remember seeing when it came out at the theaters. I doubt if anyone has forgotten the catchy theme song, either.

Despite numerous viewings, I still find this very funny as I suspect many people do, because it entertains so well. I know the story is ludicrous and I don't believe for one second in ghosts so I ignore the "theology" and just laugh at Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson.

Murray, as he tends to do, grabs the spotlight more than the rest and delivers more laughs than any of the cast but my favorite was Moranis as the nerdy "Louis Tully." I wish his role had been bigger. All the guys, however, plus Sigourney Weaver, the love interest of the always-horny Murray, are fun. I even liked the sequel because most of this cast was included.

The first thing that needs to be said is that Ghostbusters (1984) is possibly the funniest film ever. That's quite the bold statement to make but with good cause. This film holds up probably more than any other comedy in existence. You know how there are those movies that you see that are hysterical the first few times you see them? This one just keeps on coming. I remember when I was a kid, I wore our copy of Ghostbusters out. At the time, I thought it was a horror movie (I wasn't the brightest bulb) so I watched it constantly (Being that I am a horror buff) never realizing what it truly was. I hadn't yet caught on to a lot of the humor. About eight years later, I noticed that I hadn't seen the film for forever and a day. I popped it in and oh my God...I just about died with laughter.

This movie has something for everyone. Director Ivan Reitman said that he found a comedic formula for films...it works as follows: There's the brain, the heart, and the mouth. Ghostbusters scored with all of them. As the brain of the bunch, Egon Spengler's (Harold Ramis also co-wrote it) use of witty humor is hilarious. If you have the right mind set, almost everything Spengler says is laugh out loud funny. At the heart of the Ghostbusters is Dan Aykroyd's (Who created the idea for the film) lovable fool, Ray Stantz. Ray has a tenacity for saying simple minded things and using very little logic and yet somehow the man got a P.H.D. (Probably through studying habits, despite ignorance.) There's a line that he says involving a smell in the beginning of the movie that I am chuckling at just thinking about it. This of course leaves Bill Murray (He was nominated for a Gloden Globe) as the sarcastic Peter Venkman (The mouth of the beast.) Peter is likely the one that gets the most laughs because he, being the mouth that he is, never stops making fun of everything. It's like Rodney Dangerfield in the party scene in Caddyshack but a whole lot funnier and continues the rest of the movie. The film also produces some laughter out of the minor characters as well. The scatological humor toward the end of the film between Rick Moranis (In a role intended for John Candy) and Sigourney Weaver is quite laughter inducing. Ernie Hudson in one of his first big roles has a few good lines as the other Ghostbuster, Winston Zeddmore (The only one who's not a doctor) and William Atherton of Die Hard fame plays the ultimate annoyance as Walter Peck. Not to be forgotten in the mix is Annie Potts as Janine who has some rather memorable humorous lines, for instance the one I've written to summarize the movie. Numerous other well known faces are seen on screen too, which includes John Belushi (Or rather his continuation of the character Bluto, from Animal House) as the principal image used for the now famous 'Disgusting Blob,' Slimer. Like any good comic will tell you, good comedy is generally about setting up the other guys around you. Well, it just so happens that the characters all work well with each other to set the great comedic moments staged in this film.

Not to be forgotten however in all the funny one liners and set ups is the overall film. Ghostbusters was nominated for numerous awards including Oscars for best song (Courtesy of Ray Parker Jr.) and special effects, which are now slightly dated but possibly work even better with the wacky style being consistent with the rest of the movie. Along with Parker, there are numerous other great songs including a song by The Bus Boys that climbed charts and a rather creepy seeming song (But works well) by Mick Smiley. Another thing that should not be forgotten is the horror elements of the film. Though purposely outrageous, the effects do serve as some potential scare moments. Among the most frightening involve stop motion animated puppets called Terror Dogs. Though the scares are few, they do work fairly well (They had me convinced as a youngster) bringing enough threat to the ghosts that haunt New York City. The story itself is interesting as well, involving some intriguing mythology of Sommeria among other countries.

Where some films tend to only work a few times, Ghostbusters is consistent. Although, I've found movies such as CLUE, Dr. Strangelove or Airplane to be funnier at different times in my life, this one still makes me laugh even after seeing it hundreds of times. From the opening scares to the ending credits, it will almost surely reel you in. I've laughed harder at some moments in other films but it's rare that I find one that's funnier throughout. Even those films lose their edge after you see them a few times...this one just doesn't. If you haven't seen it, do so. You will almost certainly be glad you did. If you have seen it and didn't like it, try watching it again in a few years. It's almost sure to grow on you eventually. I dare anyone to sit through this movie and not laugh once, no matter how many times they've seen it. If you don't laugh, you're either trying really hard to hold back, have a very odd sense of humor or are dead! It's just that funny. Although I don't rate films, I would easily rate this one a five out of five, placed among the classics. Believe it or not, I think that it belongs alongside Citizen Kane and Lawrence of Arabia. It also spawned an entertaining sequel in 1989. Enjoy!

Ghostbusters was an incredibly huge smash hit on its original release back in `84 and its not hard to see why - its a funny , exciting and imaginative thrill ride. There is a lot to like about ghostbusters , like bill Murrays constant and always funny wise cracks, the films constant shift from a light hearted comedy to intense ghost busting thriller and of course , the technically flawless attack of the marsh mallow man that is probably one of my favorite parts of this film.

In this day and age of computer generated fx wizardry the completely analogue special effects still look great ( especially the stay puft marsh mallow man , its rampage through the city looks incredibly real ! ) and the film it self is still better and more imaginative than a lot of event movies you will find in a cinema near you today .

And to top it all off Ghostbusters is one of the few films out there that actually had worthy TV spin off that was the "real Ghostbusters", a cartoon that i loved as a kid.

Ghostbusters is a film that truly deserves its iconic status.

The screen dwellers mark (out of 5 ) : * * * *

Bill Murray is one of the best wise guys in the business. I was amazed to find out on the GHOSTBUSTERS 15th Anniversary DVD that Murray had little to do with the dialogue his classicly blase, fiercely cynical 'Dr. Venkman' cuts loose throughout this good comedy. Credit Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis with "getting into Bill's mind" as Ramis puts it and presenting Murray with a gag-a-second character. Murray also lends his own comic genius through his delivery and facial gestures (especially with his classic cross-eyed, curled-lip look). Together with a fun premise and above average special effects, GHOSTBUSTERS will never be a relic of the 80's and should always be a refreshingly humorous spook show.

Murray rules the screen, mauling his geeky para-psychologist partners and hitting on a young blonde while conducting shock therapy experiments on her. Aykroyd uses his standard machine gun delivery of obscure (or should I say made up) facts and anecdotes and Ramis is just enough for the ultra-dork 'Egon'. The funniest element in GHOSTBUSTERS happens to be Rick Moranis in a splendid role as a small-time accountant who has parties for clients only and becomes mixed up in some extremely supernatural events. Along with Sigourney Weaver, Moranis has the most difficult physical tasks to topple.

This was a picture I loved when I was a kid. I must have went some 12 to 15 years before I saw it again and I was alarmingly impressed. It has endured. The special effects are not only good, but they are comedic and add even more laughs throughout the 'Busters turbulent jobs. The DVD version has tons of goodies included and is an essential addition to any Saturday Night Live fan's movie library. SNL is the very essence and reason for GHOSTBUSTERS, where Murray and Aykroyd starred. Director Ivan Reitman created his meal ticket here and can pretty much do any comedy he wants now.

It is a shame John Belushi was not around to play one of the 'Busters, for he was originally cast. The movie is already well-paced and engaging so just imagine how frenzied the pace would have been with Belushi. Regardless, GHOSTBUSTERS is one for the kids, teens, and adults alike. It has spanned these phases for me and still works wonderfully.

RATING: ***