I’m going to start by saying I’ve been jazzed about Ghostbusters since the casting announcement, mostly because I’m obsessed with Kate McKinnon. But more than that, I was anxious about it being good. Even during the movie, I was on pins and needles, hoping every joke would land. Because it’s not just some summer flick. Since it was announced that Ghostbusters 2.0 would be headlined by an all-female cast, there has been a smear campaign against it, some even going so far as to create auto-bots dedicated to disliking the trailer on YouTube.

If the movie didn’t do well, it wouldn’t just shoot down any franchise potential. It would mean less confidence in female-driven movies.

That said, you bet your ass I saw it as soon as it came out. I genuinely had a goofy grin on my face the entire movie. Especially during the montage where they’re getting suited up while Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott are playing in the background.

Just as physicist, Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is about to get tenure at Columbia, she’s fired for an embarrassing paranormal book she co-wrote years ago with her estranged best friend, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy). Erin pleads with her to take it down from Amazon, but Abby and her new friend, nuclear engineer, Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon) are still fixated on ghost hunting. Erin’s faith in the paranormal is eventually restored, and with the help of history-obsessed MTA worker, Patty (Leslie Jones), the Ghostbusters are born.

The movie starts out strong, with the same snappy humor as co-writer and director, Paul Feig’s previous film Bridesmaids. The Ghostbusters all have great chemistry and play well off each other.

Just as McCarthy was the breakout of Bridesmaids, McKinnon, too steals every scene as the mad scientist of the group. You can feel her delight in every second of screen time. There’s an action sequence at the end where she’s fighting ghosts and looks like a f-cking badass. And oh God, I practically melted when she winks at Erin across the table.

I never thought I’d say this, but Chris Hemsworth is the comedy relief of the movie. He’s too much of a meathead to carry one on his own, but he works really well making fun of himself. I love that they turned the tables on having a hot, ditzy secretary with “nerd glasses.”

Part of what’s so brilliant about the reboot is its focus on intelligent women. On how knowledge can be a super power in itself. And that it can be cool. Like yeah, you can be nerdy, but also ride around in a hearse saving the town from ghosts and look fly doing so.

Not that Ghostbusters doesn’t have its flaws. It suffers from a weak third act, where the plot doesn’t even make sense anymore. Neil Casey camps it up as the evil villain, but it’s not hammy enough to be ironic, so it just falls flat. If it’s any consolation, I guess you could see him as a metaphor for all the f-ckboys against female Ghostbusters.

There are a couple cameos from the original movie, but the bit with Bill Murray just felt too long and unnecessary. I get it though, there was inevitable pressure to acknowledge the original.

But whatever, it’s still funny overall and I think there’s potential for it to get better in the sequels. Yes, sequels. Ghostbusters just crossed $500 million worldwide, technically making it a success.

Just as my family was getting up to leave, I shrieked at them to sit down because there was a bonus scene after the credits. So try not to drink too much before the movie. Or if you absolutely need a bathroom break, take it when you see the evil villain or Bill Murray.

Image credit: Columbia Pictures

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