Ghostbusters III

Taking the moronic controversy out of the equation, I was not a fan of 2016's Ghostbusters. I hated it, if I'm being honest. Its humor, its characters, its story, its visuals, none of it really worked for me and it angered me something fierce. But as time went by, I felt like maybe I was a bit too harsh on it. Out of curiosity, I decided to check this edit out and, much to my shock, I quite liked it. Almost every change made is for the absolute better. Not only does removing a large majority of the improv, pop culture references, and filler it keep the story focused and have it flow much more naturally and move at a much smoother, less bumpy pace but it also allows the humor to come from the characters, much like the original Ghostbusters films. The characters, especially Erin and Abby, are also more likable and compelling with the improv and out-of-character lines and scenarios -- i.e. especially the dreadful Bill Murray subplot -- being cut out. Even Rowan, as a villain, works much better here, as the changes and edits made allow Paul Feig and Katie Dippold's deconstruction of toxic masculinity to actually have a chance to shine. This is such a significant improvement upon the original cuts it's not even funny. If you want to see a better-realized version of this take on the property, I say give this a watch.

I'm going to be honest here, and say I have been pretty neutral on the whole GB remake storm on the internet. I saw the trailer, snickered a bit at one or two jokes and thought nothing much else of it. So going into this edit I didn't have much to go on, since I never even saw the theatrical release, but with all of that said I really found a great deal of enjoyment here! A good sense of pacing and flow is to be found, no noticeable cuts at all to things like improv gags or even axing Bill Murray's cameo. Changes to the music were of course good choices and had a clean execution to them, adding a sense that we are watching a new GB movie with a fun atmosphere about it. Using the extended cut was a smart move, in adding a bit more to character like the added scene between Erin and Abby at the university. Are there still problems that exist with the script/story? Most likely, but there's only so much you can do with the tools at your disposal. Is there anything cringe worthy left in this cut? One or two small things, like Abby/Erin's dancing ghost presentation (but again not a deal breaker). This, IMO is a very suitable replacement for anyone who felt the original cut was a slap in the face, or heck even if you liked the theatrical version. Definitely recommended!

After all the bad press for the original, I opted to avoid it. Not for any male dominance boycott, but mostly, because it seemed like a hollow polished Hollywood nostalgic reboot with humor that doesn’t necessarily vibe with me, essentially not my type of movie.

When I saw an improved fanedit had been released, one that had largely favorable reactions, I opted to watch that instead.

I can’t speak for the original theatrical cut, but based off of the more streamlined fanedit material that opts to remove a lot of the lengthy improv, it’s exactly what I thought it would be, a nostalgia fueled Hollywood blockbuster, that instead of going inventive new places settles for rehashing the original.

And to see so much money and talent put on the screen from main cast to supporting cast, (Michael C. Williams, Charles Dance, Andy Garcia, and the absolutely hilarious Chris Hemsworth), CGI and effects including a hefty amount of practical effects, and set design, only for it being a disappointment.

Admittedly, from what I’ve seen of the cut list, the fanedit achieves its goal, letting the jokes here breath and removing some of the worst offenders of the improv, the amount of toilet humor removed is astonishing. The script itself actually isn’t bad, with a core emotional point on the friendship between the two leads, and thankfully the edit keeps the movie moving at a quick clip. The main cast stick to their characters well, even if I'm not fond of the cast by and large.

One thing that bugged me was there’s just way too many, “mount up” scenes, so much so that they lose impact by the end. Compare that the originals confrontation with Zuul in the climax, they're a team, for real and you feel it. This new film spends way too much time spent on gadgetry and gear, while that was the least interesting part of the originals, certainly it's important because it pays off in the climactic fight, it's just not that interesting.

The film as a whole missed its mark, and while there’s clearly a lot of homages and fun cameos to the original films, it missed the inventive spirit of the original, the wit and assholeness of Bill Murray’s Venkman as a guy who doesn’t take this absurdity seriously compared to his colleagues, who spout random techno-babble nonsense. There's far too much scientist here and not enough everyman asshole wit.

As for the fanedit itself, it’s clearly excellent work technically. I barely noticed any cuts, outside of two instances that felt off, the transition of the proton pack testing with Melissa McCarthy to the next scene that features the team, and a line that feels cut, where possessed Hemsworth says, “ Women…”

It did have the usual problem I have with the sound mixing in blockbusters in that the music is really loud drowning out dialogue.

Overall, while I can't compare this to the theatrical, I can give the edit a thumbs up for making a bad movie watchable, but the film as a whole is just another hollow Hollywood nostalgia cash grab, unfortunately and I continue to learn that an edit can't make a bad movie great.

The day I saw this edit posted on IFDB was the day I reluctantly bought a copy of Ghostbusters 2016. I have not seen the original film because of the negative reviews and bad word-of-mouth it was receiving, and so I lost interest. When I saw that TM2YC had cut this thing up, I said "Alright, let's get that official movie, put it on my shelf forever, and watch this edit!"

They say that the best cuts are the ones you don't notice. I can probably list about five cuts I noticed based on audio quality or just an odd cut where something felt out of place. So imagine my surprise when I looked at the extensive cut-list: Hundreds of cuts went by completely unnoticed. This fanedit is near-perfectly cut together, and I was often asking myself why this version wasn't released in theaters. Is this the funniest Ghostbusters? Not by a long shot. But TM2YC put together a solid comedy that got some genuine laughs out of me. At no point was I frustrated or angry at the edit (which is what I've been hearing about the theatrical cut). Except for Chris Hemsworth, but to be fair, there was seemingly no way to shut him up.

That all said, the flaws of this edit (as with many great edits) come from the source material. This movie kind of degrades into a generic superhero-like plot that really does nothing interesting. But! I liked the main characters and wasn't annoyed with them at all! Which, again, is something I was expecting. So, because I liked those characters, I was okay with a sort of mundane plot.

This cut won't have you dying of laughter, as with the original Ghostbusters. And most of the humor doesn't hold up to the first half of Ghostbusters II (It has an amazing first half, watch it again and you'll remember how funny it is. Stop watching as soon as they get they put on the Ghostbusters suits). But you know what? This edit is as good a blockbuster "appeal to all audiences" comedy can get. It's got some great stuff in it, and I was pleasantly surprised. After reading the enormous cut-list, I think it's safe to say that this movie has been saved. Seriously, some of the stuff in that cut-list was downright scary...

A fantastic cut that I'll reccomend to anyone morbidly curious about Ghostbusters 2016. TM2YC has answered the call with GHOSTBUSTERS III!