Scene from Ghostbusters. Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures
Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Ghostbusters

also known as “Ghostbusters 3,” “Super Power Dare-to-Die Team,” “Cazafantasmas,” “See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for supernatural action and some crude humor.

Reviewed by: Rev. Bryan Griem
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Supernatural-Horror Comedy Reboot
Length: 1 hr. 56 min.
Year of Release: 2016
USA Release: July 15, 2016 (wide—3,950 theaters)
DVD: October 11, 2016
Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Picturesclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures
Relevant Issues

ghosts in the Bible

death and final judgment

demons in the Bible

Satan / Devil

Is Satan a real person that influences our world today? Is he affecting you? Answer

DEMON POSSESSION and Influence—Can Christians be demon possessed? In what ways can Satan and his demons influence believers? Answer

exorcists

bullies and revenge

Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures
Featuring Chris HemsworthKevin Beckman
Kate McKinnonJillian Holtzmann
Melissa McCarthyAbby Yates
Kristen WiigErin Gilbert
Sigourney WeaverJillian’s Mentor
Charles DanceHarold Filmore
Bill MurrayMartin Heiss
Dan AkroydCab Driver
Michael Kenneth Williams … Hawkins
Andy GarciaNYC Mayor
Leslie Jones … Patty Tolan
Elizabeth Perkins … Scientist
Annie PottsHotel Clerk
Ernie HudsonPatty’s Uncle
Matt Walsh … Agent Rourke
Toby HussOfficer Stevenson
Cecily Strong … Jennifer Lynch
Ozzy Osbourne … Himself
See all »
Director Paul Feig — “Bridesmaids” (2011), “Spy” (2015), “The Heat” (2013)
Producer Amy Pascal
Ivan Reitman
Columbia Pictures
Feigco Entertainment
See all »
Distributor Distributor: Columbia Pictures. Trademark logo.Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures

I can hardly believe that over three decades have passed since the original “Ghostbusters” came out, but I do remember being there when it did. I also wondered, as a fairly new Christian, if it would be appropriate to attend a movie that made light of the very spiritual matter of ghosts. I talked myself into going, and didn’t feel so conflicted afterward. The movie was not meant to teach anyone anything about the afterlife, not really, but simply to display the comedic skills of the much beloved Saturday Night Live players and some others from the Second City comedy troupe.

Today’s entry does much the same, as most of the characters in the current “Ghostbusters” movie are either current SNL players or alumni from the film of 1984.

The movie opens in a haunted mansion tour, like so many that are offered around our country, but in this case, something genuinely abnormal occurs, something paranormal, and so it begins. Immediately, the Ghostbusters team is cobbled together as the apparitions are in need of capture, and an old book that two of the team ashamedly co-authored years prior, suddenly brings them together with renewed faith in their earlier theories about spooks.

Much like the first “Ghostbusters,” this one is plied with much goofiness, ridiculous situations, and multiple one-liners that kept the audience mildly chuckling. Something I noticed, too, was how many of the jokes banked on knowledge of the first movie, as well as cultural things that would just not be funny unless one was in the know. It was kind of like those animated films where they entertain the kids because of the spectacle and charming characters, but what the adults are laughing at, the kids have no clue. It was like that here, and, in the end, the audience clapped. Clapped! This wasn’t a fantastic movie; it just connected, knowingly, with the audience.

Spiritual Issues

The movie is about capturing ghosts, and that’s not really something humans have any hope to ever do. Besides, if by “ghosts” the understanding is that they are the departed spirits of dead people, this movie doesn’t stress it. In fact, all of the ghosts seem to be malevolent, and we might applaud that, as we believe there are evil spirits (fallen angels) that exist; we call them demons.

In the movie, there is one obviously demonic ghost that appears during a rock concert, and a band member cheers the fact that their music has summoned “Satan himself!” In another scene, Abby (Melissa McCarthy) is demon-possessed temporarily and Patty (Leslie Jones) slaps some sense into her while uttering, “the Devil is a liar!” That’s a paraphrase of Jesus’ words in John 8:44. Of course, it’s also a phrase one might hear in a Pentecostal deliverance service. So you have those that welcome the Devil, and those that cast him out, and everything is something of a silly stereotype.

In the Bible, Paul the Apostle wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:8, that to be “absent from the body” is to “be present with the Lord.” We take this to mean that human souls are either present in the living person, or they are in the immediate incorporeal company of God. Human “ghosts” do not wander around Earth haunting anything. And the one Bible mention in the movie was “Biblically bad!” with reference to a plugged toilet. Ahem.

Other Content of Concern

As for other content of which to be aware; there is lots of destruction, people being tossed around, and ectoplasm (green slime) being vomited on everyone. The ghosts are mostly scary looking, and small children should not see this film.

There are many references to God, and they are not, generally speaking, referring actually to Him. Instead, there are over a dozen OMGs uttered without the abbreviated initials, and almost all uses are exasperated utterances, rather than legitimate calls upon deity. There is one notable moment where God is spoken of as a person, but the speaker says, “I know God doesn’t make mistakes, but he must have been drunk when he made Gertrude’s personality.” That statement is not meant to disparage God but Gertrude, unfortunately it smacks of blasphemy.

There are some childish jokes about flatulation, virtually every current expletive (especially a**) finds its way into the script (except maybe the very worst) and the middle finger is flashed. The original Ghostbusters logo is designed with bosoms because of the ghostbusters’ gender, but they are later removed. There are a couple mentions of drug use, but no actual scenes of it, though there is a bar scene. There is a shirtless male actor, Chris Helmsworth, and an unclothed mannequin that comes to life, but neither really come off as prurient.

This movie is not unlike a Saturday Night Live sketch that goes on and on. It’s a little better than that actually, but, still, the somewhat bawdy humor and persistent language of some of the characters wear on Christian sensibilities. Nevertheless, this is not a “Christian” movie with a Gospel message or a sanitized presentation. Rather, it is typical of secular culture and has no great redeeming truths to convey (although friendship and sacrifice come through on occasion, and the good guys, or gals, triumph over evil in the end). If you stay through the whole of this movie, then you might as well sit through the credits and catch the extra scene (which, again, won’t make sense unless you’ve seen the original).

  • Violence: Moderate to Heavy
  • Profane language: “J*sus” (1), “Oh my G*d” (15), “G*d” (3), “Oh G*d” (2), “My G*d” (3), “Good G*d” (1), “h*ll” (8), “d*mn” (5)
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Moderate— a** (5), cr*p (1), s-word (1), b**bs (1)
  • Sex: Moderate— mostly in the form of jokes and innuendos

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—I loved this movie! I’ve seen it multiple times now. It showed the power of strong friendships and had the message that good conquers evil. What I really liked is that these ladies are shown getting made fun of and discredited throughout their lives, yet they still choose to help others, unlike *spoiler* the villain of the movie who chose evil under the same circumstances. It was also nice that the focus was not on the women finding love matches, but, instead, about their capability in this world, which is incredibly rare in movies these days. Overall, very fun and upbeat!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Kate, age 22 (USA)
Positive—…I found this movie to be hilarious, and I loved the ladies that were chosen to be the Ghostbusters. Yes, Kate Mickinion may be offensive to some, due to her quirky attitude, but I found her hilarious. There’s VERY mild language in the movie, which was a HUGE treat for a summer comedy. Go rent it; you will love it
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Chris, age 27 (USA)
Positive— I loved The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot film Ghostbusters aka Ghostbusters: Answer the Call—great special effects, good plot and chemistry between all the actors, good cameo appearances by the surviving cast of the first two Ghostbusters films, I just wish that Rick Moranis appeared in this reboot. Overall, the 2016 Ghostbusters film was great!!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jeffrey Andrew Winters, age 37 (USA)
Negative
Negative—I gave this a negative review because the only good part were the cameos from the original actors. I really really wanted to like this film. You can’t replace the original.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 2
James, age 42 (USA)
Negative—This movie was quite a disappointment. Alongside the music and production design, the cast is good and the first minutes were initially promising. But quickly, a few details start bothering you and as they keep coming, more and more of them, you just realise this is just a bland Hollywood comedy with a big budget. The story, particularly, lets you down, as the director tried to add too many things, too many elements and scenes, which combined together don't really make sense. Yes, this is a comedy and it requires you to completely switch off your brain. Stop thinking or you’ll notice so many flaws and will stop laughing at the basic slapstick jokes.

Does the old movie get spared? It probably does, as they are trying something new, while many times referring to the old movies and the recent backlash. There are countless cameos as well handled mostly in a lazy way (not as bad as Zoolander 2 though) but which reflects the quality of the movie. (This scene weird look strange and unneeded. Is it because of that new character? - Imdb check - right, he's a cameo!) Ignoring the overwhelming number of stupid supporting characters, the cast seems to be having fun (McKinnon and Hemsworth are a standout!), however they barely have any character development.

Sure, recognition and acceptance are the main themes, but I would have hoped for more discussion about the supernatural world and being rejected by others. Maybe Paul Feig should practice directing a drama...
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Nicolas, age 28 (United Kingdom)
Movie Critics
…Paul Feig’s reboot pays tribute to the 80s blockbuster with in-jokes and cameos – but it’s a brand new work, firing off top-quality zingers every 10 seconds. …
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)
…It’s at once satisfyingly familiar and satisfyingly different, kind of like a new production of “Macbeth” or a Christopher Nolan rethink of Batman. …
Manohla Dargis, The New York times
…a worthy reboot…
Brian Truitt, USA Today
…bright gags pop up fairly frequently… Busting ghosts used to be a lot more fun. …
Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
…An effectively spooky opening gives way to a film that’s fun, funny and full of energy. …the film works for the most part, and even though the laughs notably dry up as the CGI spectacular kicks into gear… [3]
Jonathan Pile,·Empire [UK]
…a timid, generic dud… the picture is an ornate ghost town: It has everything but a pulse. …[2/4]
Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald
…spends far too much energy channeling the original to establish its own identity… cartoonishly feeble-minded plot twist that suggests Feig might be better suited to be directing the new “Scooby-Doo” reboot…
Peter Debruge, Variety
…Winning cast barely saves underwhelming reboot… a relatively unassuming movie of comparatively modest pleasures… don’t expect much more than a paint-by-numbers “Ghostbusters” reboot.
Scott Mendelson, Forbes
…A bust. …unfunny mess… What's most surprising is the curious shortage of chemistry among the four leads…
David Rooney, The Hollywood reporter
“Ghostbusters” just a big marshmallow that could use some toasting… there’s no plot to speak of and the effects are nothing to shout about. … [2/5]
Susan Ellingburg, Crosswalk
…“Ghostbusters” reboot a horrifying mess… So bad. “Ghostbusters” is a horror from start to finish, and that’s not me saying it’s legitimately scary. More like I was horrified by what was transpiring onscreen. …
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
Comments from non-viewers
Negative—I would not recommend Christians see this movie. Besides the occult themes and story elements of the original film, the humor is very rude. It’s from the same people who made “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat,” so that should tell you all you need to know about the kind of humor this movie has. Again, I advise you to skip this movie.
Alexander Johnson, age 25 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.