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October 21, 2004
Ghostbusters 2: Bad Movie, Socially Relevant?
Last night, having nothing else to do, I decided to crack open one of the unwrapped DVD's sitting on my dusty shelf. I could've chosen high quality laughs like Caddyshack or Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks. But for some reason, unseen forces were pulling me to watch Ghostbusters 2.
As a young lass, I was a huge fan of the original 1984 franchise. I had an official "No Ghosts" t-shirt, played with homemade proton packs, and even developed a crush on Bill Murray...which I somehow never outgrew.
When Ghostbusters 2 entered theaters five years later, the thirteen year old in me rather enjoyed it. Bill Murray was still as charming as ever, and that Bobby Brown theme song killed. Damn Bobby! But deep, deep in my cavernous heart, I suspected that maybe, just maybe, this movie blew.
So when it came time to choose a movie last night, I think I secretly wanted to test myself. I wanted to see, once and for all, if Ghostbusters 2 was as bad as I feared.
It was. Oh yeah, it was.
With the exception of Bill Murray's ad libs, Ghostbusters 2 is a horribly written, directed and edited film. The characterization is poor, and the plot is a bit weak.
But as I watched on, I came to a stark realization! This movie couldn't be more relevant to today's times. Sure it sucked, but hey, so does the current state of the world! Here's what I'm talking about:
At the beginning of Ghostbusters 2, New Yorkers have become mean, selfish and inconsiderate. All this negativity causes gabs of underground pink ooze to expand and attack the city. At the same time, Viggo, an evil foreign guy in a museum painting, tries to inhabit the soul of Dana's young innocent baby so that he may live forever.
Think about it. Why do terrorist groups like Al Qaeda hate us? They believe Americans are a bunch of rich, SELFISH and exploitative people. Hmmm...
While Viggo's nationality is never revealed, we do know that he is foreign, as is his possessed sidekick, Janosz. These guys, while likely not from the Middle East, were implied to be of Russian ancestry. Russia, as we know, harbors old nuclear weapons. Nukes, which we fear, could mistakenly be sold to terrorist groups today.
Now when Viggo is moments from taking over the baby's soul, who do the Ghostbusters enlist to save the day, but Lady Liberty?! Is this metaphor not obvious?? Freedom kills terror!
And the people of New York help defeat evil by singing along to Jackie Wilson's positive anthem, "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher." If only it were so easy...
What, if anything, do we learn from this movie? The lesson is twofold. One, we need to show more compassion in order to win this war on terror. Positivity breeds positivity. And two, we can effect change by starting with our own captured terrorists. Forget the old methods of torture and humiliation! We just need to show Ghostbusters 2 over and over and over again, and just maybe the message will sink in, and the world will be a safer place for it.
Posted by Michele at October 21, 2004 05:54 PM
Comments
You passed up Caddyshack to watch Ghostbusters 2? What kind of comedy lover are you? Next you're going to say you've never seen Monty Python: The Search For The Holy Grail!
Posted by: Brian at October 22, 2004 06:10 PM
A crush on Bill Murray! We could definately go out together and not get in each other's way. :)
Posted by: Jackie at October 25, 2004 01:11 PM
Brian - I will put money down that Michele HAS NOT seen The Search For the Holy Grail.
Posted by: cootie girl at October 26, 2004 02:19 PM
