Ghostbusters 2016: Talk about the movie(s).

[Christopher]

Most ghosbuster fans wanted a reunion of the original movies actors(We lost Harold Ramis AKA Egon so its to late now) but instead we get this reboot that no one really wanted.

As a rule, any time anyone says "Most fans wanted X," what they really mean is "I wanted X." Nobody can really know what most fans want, especially in this day and age when people tend to self-select the content they read online based on how well it conforms to their tastes and beliefs. So no matter what side of the question you look at, someone is going to believe that their personal preference for it reflects the opinion of "most fans."

Also, remakes are not made for the existing fans alone. They're made to introduce the premise to a new audience. After all, fans come and go. Any existing fandom will undergo attrition due to changing tastes and priorities, aging, and eventually death. So no franchise has much of a future if it caters solely to the old fans. The priority is to invite new fans into the tent. Winning over the old fans is worthwhile too, but they're not the primary target.

And so what if no one wanted it? A lot of great creations are things that nobody knew they wanted until they saw them. Did anyone know they wanted the original Ghostbusters before it existed? How would anyone know they wanted something before they tried it? That's not how wanting generally works.

 

[TRON JA307020]

As a rule, any time anyone says "Most fans wanted X," what they really mean is "I wanted X." Nobody can really know what most fans want, especially in this day and age when people tend to self-select the content they read online based on how well it conforms to their tastes and beliefs. So no matter what side of the question you look at, someone is going to believe that their personal preference for it reflects the opinion of "most fans."

Also, remakes are not made for the existing fans alone. They're made to introduce the premise to a new audience. After all, fans come and go. Any existing fandom will undergo attrition due to changing tastes and priorities, aging, and eventually death. So no franchise has much of a future if it caters solely to the old fans. The priority is to invite new fans into the tent. Winning over the old fans is worthwhile too, but they're not the primary target.

And so what if no one wanted it? A lot of great creations are things that nobody knew they wanted until they saw them. Did anyone know they wanted the original Ghostbusters before it existed? How would anyone know they wanted something before they tried it? That's not how wanting generally works.

Most fans expected a sequel that's what they were clamoring for and the reaction to the trailer just solidifies that. Sure new fans will see it but it will never have the impact as the original. Younger fans probably are already aware of the original. Why do they need a reboot to "invite" them to the franchise?

 

[Timby]

Younger fans probably are already aware of the original. Why do they need a reboot to "invite" them to the franchise?

Because studios exist in order to make money.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Because studios exist in order to make money.

Agreed but a rerelease of the original with a new digital print might have made just as much money.

 

[Timby]

That happened a few years ago. The total gross was something like $6 million.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I am just thinking that many of the well received reboots have had the original character hand off to the new...star wars, star trek, creed, even on tv with flash and supergirl.

Ghostbusters could've worked that way too

 

[Owain Taggart]

It could also have worked as a live-action TV series. Have the old-guard show up in the pilot and maybe have one of them stick around to train them for a few episodes and have them come for cameos every now and then.

 

[TRON JA307020]

I am just thinking that many of the well received reboots have had the original character hand off to the new...star wars, star trek, creed, even on tv with flash and supergirl.

Ghostbusters could've worked that way too

Except for NuTrek Star Wars and Creed are more like revivals because they inhabit the same universe and have the original characters as integral parts of the story. NuTrek was more of a reboot with real Spock being the link to the original series(We are told he is real Spock anyway) so it isn't quite a reboot but not much of a revival. NuGhostbusters is a pure reboot with no link to the original and the original characters.

 

[Set Harth]

The word you're looking for is "sequel".

 

[Cyke101]

That happened a few years ago. The total gross was something like $6 million.

Best $11 I spent that year. But sadly, the theater only had 20 people in it

 

[JD]

Most fans expected a sequel that's what they were clamoring for and the reaction to the trailer just solidifies that. Sure new fans will see it but it will never have the impact as the original. Younger fans probably are already aware of the original. Why do they need a reboot to "invite" them to the franchise?

I had pretty much given up hope of getting third original Ghostbusters movie, so I don't have a problem with a reboot.

I am just thinking that many of the well received reboots have had the original character hand off to the new...star wars, star trek, creed, even on tv with flash and supergirl.

Ghostbusters could've worked that way too

Well, they're not playing the original characters but we are getting appearances from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver, so we are still getting a form of hand off. It's pretty much the same as what Supergirl did with Helen Slater and Dean Cain.

 

[Chris3123]

A new game loosely based on the new movie was just announced by Activision, coming out on the 3 major platforms. Unfortunately it's one of those cheap, lower quality titles. It's a 4-player co-op game that looks very similar to 2011's Sanctum of Slime. It will be out July 12, 3 days ahead of the film's release.

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[jaime]

A new game loosely based on the new movie was just announced by Activision, coming out on the 3 major platforms. Unfortunately it's one of those cheap, lower quality titles. It's a 4-player co-op game that looks very similar to 2011's Sanctum of Slime. It will be out July 12, 3 days ahead of the film's release.

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It's rare to see high level video game adaptations of films these days anyway (development costs enough without buying a license too after all.) but that does look rather.....cheap. I guess Lord of the Rings was probably the last hurrah of the triple A film tie in.

 

[JD]

I really liked the Ghostbuster game that came out a few years ago with the original movies' cast, so I got excited when I saw the headline on IGN, but that does look rather underwhelming.

 

[jaime]

I really liked the Ghostbuster game that came out a few years ago with the original movies' cast, so I got excited when I saw the headline on IGN, but that does look rather underwhelming.

Yeah. Sadly bill Murray and the tacked in romance were the worst thing in that otherwise awesome game. The cartoon low fi version was even slightly different in story to the powerful machines version.

I just read that apparently this isn't even based on the film, and is set in a school with a different set of vaguely similar looking to the characters in the reboot ghostbusters. So the mind boggles.

If you have a psp/vita/Ps2 I recommend giving the cartoony version a try as well as the ps3 original version.

 

[JD]

All I have now is a PS3 and PS4.

 

[jaime]

All I have now is a PS3 and PS4.

Maybe there's a YouTube video of the wii/Ps2/psp version. The fisherman ghost is gone, replaced with a sous chef ghost, and instead of a warped ocean hotel, it becomes a spiders lair instead with a very Alice in wonderland feel and a spider Queen boss fight instead.
I can't remember what else was changed, but that chunk was very different....I seem to remember a bit where you rescue the other ghostbusters in a sewer like slime system that I don't think was in the big version either (with both levels being large there is of course extra dialogue too)

I played the psp version and the ps3 version, so early that my ps3 game save was corrupted before they patched the game. I have the pc version from a steam sale, but haven't really played it through yet to spot any changes.

Alyssa Milano is borderline used badly in all versions, and I have no idea why they throw in the Venkman kiss at the end.

The lo fi version also allows you to play as a girl, the main version does not, largely because of the cost of making extra assets and the answer phone messages which give away the rookies name.

There's also an interesting story around the game where a guy with fanart got 'ripped off' by the game makers, and ends up getting a credit. (as well as the two deleted scenes from the game including stay puft and a parade, which hobbyists managed to find files for in the xbox/pc version)
It's probably the last great movie video game, though I hear the fury Road one is pretty good.

 

[JD]

It's just Mad Max, as far as I know it has no connection any of the movies.

Jaime have you read the IDW Ghostbusters comics?
EDIT: Hmm, I wonder if IDW will do any new Ghostbusters comics?

 

[jaime]

It's just Mad Max, as far as I know it has no connection any of the movies.

Jaime have you read the IDW Ghostbusters comics?
EDIT: Hmm, I wonder if IDW will do any new Ghostbusters comics?

I got the very first modern GB comic, but it was as my comics days were waning, and I have never liked anything idw do with their licenses for totally unknown reasons. I think it's cos I gave up comics 14 years ago when I was between jobs, and don't want to get back up to a 30 quid aMonth habit. It probably helps that my foray into digital comics has left me with a low opinion of the modern slew of things in comics land in general. So haven't really bothered with the comics as much. (artwork doesn't appeal, some of the synopses of early stories didn't appeal...I guess my ghostbusters comics era ended with the real ghostbusters comic and probably it's adaptation of Gb2..
Which also had deleted scenes lol.)

 

[Kemaiku]

I think it's far more telling that every time anything is mentioned about the movie, such as in an article or, say, a TrekBBS thread, the first thing mentioned and the thing most talking about is that it has women in it.

That being the entire way the studio is going about marketing and pushing it...well yeah, that's the key difference between this one and the old one, so naturally the largest change is the one talked about the most.