Semi-obligatory Ghostbusters post

So, confession time: I may have seen the original Ghostbusters movie maybe once, a long time ago. I don't think I've ever seen any of the others. I probably remember more about the Ghostbusters references in a Daffy Duck cartoon than I do the movie itself. Clearly, I'm not really the world's biggest fan.

At the same time, I recognize that it's a Big Deal, especially with the new movie coming out. My husband is a huge fan of the original franchise, up to and including the cartoon. (I didn't even know there had been a cartoon until he mentioned it.) So when news about the new movie kept cropping up online, he was concerned. Not because it was an all-female cast, thankfully; he was more concerned that this was being billed as a reboot, rather than a continuation. Still, he remained cautiously optimistic, and we went to see the movie yesterday.

Considering our respective histories with the original franchise, our reactions to the new movie were a little surprising. His first response was "It's not a good movie, but neither was the original, and it was fun." Mine was "I need to figure out how to make a proton pack so I can cosplay as Abby." I had found my fandom, and I jumped in feet-first.

Now, I agree, this is not the best film in the history of film. Then again, I doubt very much it was aiming to be. It wasn't just fun - it was fun that wasn't at the expense of anyone's weight, gender, sexual orientation, or overall appearance. It was fun that wasn't mean. The older I get, the less comfortable I am with media that serves only to punch down.

The dialog came across as realistic, maybe just because some of those conversations are the kinds I have had with my friends and family before. I'm half-certain that the Patrick Swayze tangent is one that my mother and I have had at least once. The woman are trying to get things done for a variety of reasons, not least of which being "to save the city". They aren't catty at each other, or seeing each other as competition - they realize that each has a strength, and that working together is going to be much more effective than working separately.

What I'm saying is, I'm a fan. There's a lot going on here that just makes me happy, and I look forward to seeing it again.