Throwback Thursday - Ghostbusters (1984)
Hey guys, Chuck here. Today is Throwback Thursday here at Chuck's Movie Breakdown.
On Thursdays, we will be looking at older films. mostly ones that are more that ten years old. And today, with it being October (as of posting this), I thought I'd take a look at a spooky Halloween classic, "Ghostbusters."
Released in 1984, this supernatural comedy stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and the late Harold Ramis, and it was directed by Ivan Reitman. It focuses on Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, a trio of college instructors in New York who, after an encounter with a ghost, and having their college grant terminated, decide to open a business as professional ghost hunters, and they call themselves the Ghostbusters.
The trio are ultimately brought onto a case when Dana Barrett, played by Sigourney Weaver, opens her refrigerator and sees a demonic hellhound standing near some sort of pyramid-like structure. After researching several things, including the name Zuul, which Dana heard during her paranormal encounter, the Ghostbusters, along with their newest member Winston Zeddemore, look to find out why so many ghosts are popping up everywhere, and what Dana's apartment building might have to do with it all. All the while Dana and her neighbor Louis, played by Rick Moranis, are both possessed by a pair of hellhounds named Zuul and Vinz Clortho, the Gatekeeper and Keymaster of Gozer.
Meanwhile, a member of the Environmental Protection Agency named Walter Peck, played by William Atherton, looks to assess whether the Ghostbusters operations may have any sort of environmental impact, leading him to get a court order to shut off the protection grid that is storing all of the captured ghosts, which releases them all. After the Ghostbusters are arrested, they discuss the history of Dana's apartment building, and how it is an antenna for an ancient paranormal being named Gozer to step into our world and wipe everyone out. After getting clearance from the Mayor, the Ghostbusters head into battle against Gozer, who appears first as a woman, and later as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. When both are defeated, Dana and Louis are dug out of the charred remains of the hellhounds they were turned into, and the Ghostbusters are hailed as heroes.
Even to this day, this movie is seen as a Halloween classic. Every year, people are watching this on TV, or on Blu-ray, every October. Writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who also starred in the movie as Ray and Egon, put together a very clever script, which director Ivan Reitman made into a movie that is a lot of fun and still holds up even by today's standards. Bill Murray is clearly the standout here as Venkman, and it is still seen as his most popular character. Also, the puppetry and practical effects still hold up very well.
I cannot recommend this movie enough, and I give this movie a solid rating of 5 out of 5.
This is Chuck signing off. See you next time.
On Thursdays, we will be looking at older films. mostly ones that are more that ten years old. And today, with it being October (as of posting this), I thought I'd take a look at a spooky Halloween classic, "Ghostbusters."
Released in 1984, this supernatural comedy stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and the late Harold Ramis, and it was directed by Ivan Reitman. It focuses on Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, a trio of college instructors in New York who, after an encounter with a ghost, and having their college grant terminated, decide to open a business as professional ghost hunters, and they call themselves the Ghostbusters.
The trio are ultimately brought onto a case when Dana Barrett, played by Sigourney Weaver, opens her refrigerator and sees a demonic hellhound standing near some sort of pyramid-like structure. After researching several things, including the name Zuul, which Dana heard during her paranormal encounter, the Ghostbusters, along with their newest member Winston Zeddemore, look to find out why so many ghosts are popping up everywhere, and what Dana's apartment building might have to do with it all. All the while Dana and her neighbor Louis, played by Rick Moranis, are both possessed by a pair of hellhounds named Zuul and Vinz Clortho, the Gatekeeper and Keymaster of Gozer.
Meanwhile, a member of the Environmental Protection Agency named Walter Peck, played by William Atherton, looks to assess whether the Ghostbusters operations may have any sort of environmental impact, leading him to get a court order to shut off the protection grid that is storing all of the captured ghosts, which releases them all. After the Ghostbusters are arrested, they discuss the history of Dana's apartment building, and how it is an antenna for an ancient paranormal being named Gozer to step into our world and wipe everyone out. After getting clearance from the Mayor, the Ghostbusters head into battle against Gozer, who appears first as a woman, and later as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. When both are defeated, Dana and Louis are dug out of the charred remains of the hellhounds they were turned into, and the Ghostbusters are hailed as heroes.
Even to this day, this movie is seen as a Halloween classic. Every year, people are watching this on TV, or on Blu-ray, every October. Writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who also starred in the movie as Ray and Egon, put together a very clever script, which director Ivan Reitman made into a movie that is a lot of fun and still holds up even by today's standards. Bill Murray is clearly the standout here as Venkman, and it is still seen as his most popular character. Also, the puppetry and practical effects still hold up very well.
I cannot recommend this movie enough, and I give this movie a solid rating of 5 out of 5.
This is Chuck signing off. See you next time.
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