Responses to marketing for the Ghostbusters remake, which opens this week, have been remarkably negative. The first trailer released on Sony Pictures official YouTube channel set the record for the most disliked movie trailer in history.
Criticism of the property has been muddled by the politics of its casting. The all-female Ghostbusters team has been perceived by some as an absurd exercise in political correctness. However, most of the concern over director Paul Feig’s handling of the property has centered on other aspects. Of particular note has been the cartoonish tone and the fact that the story reboots the franchise rather than progressing the classic continuity.
The film has been screened for the press, and the first reviews have come in. The apprehension regarding tone appear to have been warranted. However, amidst his many gripes, critic Jon Schnepp reports for Collider Video that the overall film is “not a disappointment” and grants it a respectable score of 6/10. “I would recommend seeing it,” he adds.
At the time of this writing, Ghostbusters enjoys a surprisingly high Rotten Tomatoes score, resting at 76%. That doesn’t necessarily mean the film is great, just that 3 out of 4 critics rated it more positive than negative.
Ghostbusters opens in theaters this Friday, July 15th.
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