Fifth GB entry is mediocre at best. Woke Nonsense: None

Slimer Returns, but wasn’t funny

I was hoping to love, or at least like, the latest in the Ghostbusters series. Alternately brilliant, (the incomparable original), to wretched (the hag show, chick power installment), this one is just…marginal. Meh. Its kind of sits there, like an episode of How I Met your Mother.

The 4th installment was set in Oklahoma, and was fairly decent. I would recommend watching, as it introduced new and interesting characters while paying homage to the original players; (Dan Akroyd, a short cameo from Bill Murray.) They even included the car. Paul Rudd shows up, he is a dependable comedic actor. Along with Rudd, Carrie Coon is Callie Spengler (Egon’s daughter, who makes no impression at all imho), are the adults in the group. We meet McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard as Callie’s children. Pretty good flick. 6-7 stars.

In the chilly new movie McKenna Grace is the troubled and problematic teen Phoebe Spengler, of course is the brilliant one while everyone else struggles with much lesser intellects. Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things, plays Pheobe’s brother Trevor and is you know, kinda there. Man, is he gawky. I can identify. There are about fifty (exaggeration) more actors in this.

Dan Akroyd and Ernie Hudson reprise their roles in the original, to no particular effect. Bill Murray makes a couple of brief appearances, and has but one comic line. He did not bother to mail this performance in, merely sent it via text.

Since Oklahoma is clearly not interesting anymore, the action returns to NYC where William Atherton (the asshole from the EPA in the original) is now an asshole of a mayor. (Really? A white mayor? Just not realistic these days). It was kind of the producers to include him. He is not doing well in real life, I think. We return to the old firehouse/ghostbusters headquarters, where there are still tons of incarcerated ghosts who have filled up the containment unit.

The storyline is familiar, Ghostbusters battling ghosts. There are some decent action scenes. The spectre that Phoebe unleashes thru a very confusing ghost containment device is called Garraka. He or it or zhe is not funny, or hot, like Gozer was. Just fake looking. Garraka roars threateningly as it runs around spreading ice in the attempt to kill all of humanity with a new ice age; (how is this possible in the face of the heat wave about to fry our planet to death? This is not explained.) Its powers do not extend to freezing our ghostbusting heros, even when they are 20 feet away.

The greatness of the original betray the weaknesses of this show by an uncomplimentary comparison. There are almost no jokes, nor humor of any sort. Carrie Coons is almost invisible, just has mommy frustrations with her brilliant but misguided daughter. Paul Rudd who plays the (unmarried to Carrie), reluctant stepfather, is not funny. He spends his time worrying that Phoebe will not like him, rather than acting like a responsible adult and trying to keep her from misbehaving or sulking. I hate that tired trope. Try being a father figure, not being a nebbish. Where is Ward Cleaver when you need him?

Dan Akroyd, one of the funniest comedic actors of this or any age, says nothing funny at all. He kinda grins knowingly, is all.

Plot holes abound. Absurdities happen frequently. Fresh, interesting dialog is rare. There are too many characters overall, most of whose personalities are undeveloped. Why is Annie Potts even there?

Boy, did I want to enjoy this movie. But, I found myself checking my watch often, hoping it would end soon. Sorry, can’t recommend a mediocre movie. Worth watching for free on HBO or Netflix, when it arrives there. Which I am guessing, will be soon.

Movie Tip: The original Ghostbusters is still as fresh and funny as ever. Worth rewatching. Dan Akroyd turns in a terrific performance in Driving Miss Daisy. Bill Murray, of course, is transcendent in Ground Hog Day. Or Caddie Shack. Or Scrooged. Or What About Bob? Or Lost in Translation. Has moments in Stripes, (its pretty uneven). Watch any of those.