Ghostbusters Movies Ranked
After being delayed for over a year, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has finally dropped in theaters. So today I wanted to rank all 4 Ghostbusters movies. As a point of reference, I hadn’t seen any of the Ghostbusters movies prior to watching them for this ranking. So this was a first time watch for me, let’s get started!
4. Ghostbusters II: A weird and not very good sequel to the original movie. Sure, the cast here is still likable and charming. This was when Bill Murray’s career was in its prime and you can see that. He is as sarcastic and as straight-faced as ever. And I do think the visual effects of this movie are an improvement over the original movie. Now this is a movie with a lot of issues with it. First up, I do think the plot of the movie is not very good. It starts off and the Ghostbusters are the but end of the joke. And they are attending birthday parties to earn money, it’s not what you want these characters to be doing. Even the whole plot line with Sigorney Weaver’s baby doesn’t work for me. And I don’t like how that plot line is so tied into the main plot of the movie. Also, I do think the love story between Rick Moranis and Annie Potts worked at all, and it’s awkward at points in time. So none of the main plot lines of this movie worked for me, and that’s a pretty big issue. Beyond that, it feels like nobody here really cares. It seems like they are just there so they can get a paycheck and that the studio wanted another movie to make money. Bill Murray has stated that he got tricked into doing this movie. The cast signed on to do one movie, with a much better script. But a couple days into filming, they used a different script. And that script was this movie. So this is not a good sequel, and I think the cast would agree with me on that.
3. Ghostbusters (2016): I did have a good bit of fun with this movie. I think most of the cast here is pretty good and get some funny moments. Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig have a great chemistry with one another and their back and forth dynamic provides a lot of really funny moments. But the real stand out here is Chris Hemsworth as the assistant, and this is the character that I was laughing at his jokes the most. His character is so stupid but this part of the charm of the character. Part of me wants to see this 5-10 minute long short film just following this character on a day to day life. And I do think the visuals of this movie are quite a bit better then the previous movies because they are modern day affects, modern day meaning 5 years ago. On the negative, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones I just didn’t find funny in this movie. Whenever I see them in commercials I don’t find them funny, and that’s the case here. Whenever they delivered jokes they didn’t make me laugh. Also, most of the humor relies to much on dance sequences, slime, and cheap easy laughs like that. Some of the humor definitely didn’t work for me, when it worked and when it came naturally from the quirks of the character that work. But the forced humor didn’t do it for me. And, the villain of this movie is pretty bad, and pretty forgettable.
2. Ghostbusters (1984): The original movie in this franchise is one of the best of the bunch. Right off the bat, this is a classic horror comedy that made me laugh. I laughed out loud or chuckled multiple times in this movie. And everybody in this movie gets a joke that shines, the big one being Bill Murray who just nails this role. Murray just has this dry way he delivers his lines, but it works and it makes them funny. Most of his lines in this movie were improvised and I think you can tell that while you watch the movie. Dan Aykryod’s more bubbly personality in the movie worked for me, he also gets some really funny moments. But while they are great on their own, they are even better together. All of them have great chemistry with one another, even Bill Murray and Sigonery Weaver have a nice bond in the movie. Also, the music here is simple, great and iconic. Now I know some people think this is one of the greatest movies of all time, I think it’s really good but it’s not in that top tier spot for me. Some of it being that the special effects here don’t look the best, they look very much like 1984 special effects. Also, while Murray and Weaver have great chemistry, I never fully bought the romance between them. I don’t think the movie spent enough time with the two of them as a couple. But besides that this is a very good 80s comedy that is a classic for a reason.
1. Ghostbusters Afterlife: Now I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but yes I think this movie is better then the original movie. It’s a movie that does something so new and different with the mythology and the franchise established. This is the first and only movie in which it doesn’t take place in New York City. And even the different setting makes this movie feel different. But while it can feel different it still has the same tone and vibe of the original 2 movies. This movie is a love letter to those movies and fans of the original movie, but it doesn’t over shadow the story or the new characters. It’s the right mix of old and new to still have a great central story. The here is also pretty great and I thought they got a fun set of actors for this movie. Paul Rudd was the stand out for me he is so effortlessly funny in movies. And he brings all of his humor and charm to this movie. And I thought the scene with him at Walmart as maybe the best scene of the movie for me. Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace are also pretty solid in this movie and give solid performance for child actors. And it’s also a movie that has plenty of great jokes in this movie, and they made me laugh. There wasn’t one joke in this movie that I thought fell flat. And it’s also a movie that has a lot of emotional moments in the second half of the movie and especially in the third act of the movie. So put it all together and you get a new and different Ghostbusters story, great characters, humor, and emotional moments. This was such a great time at the movies.
There you have it my ranking of the 4 Ghostubsters movies. Which movie of this classic franchise if your favorite? Thanks for reading!
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