It’s been more than five years since Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters” reboot hit theaters in 2016. And since then, there have been a number of bad remakes, reboots, and sequels, but you’d be hard-pressed to think of any of them that received the backlash that the aforementioned reboot did when it was released. Honestly, it was over-the-top how much the fandom seemingly not only hated the film but also hated everyone involved in making that version of “Ghostbusters.” And for Melissa McCarthy, the star of the film, even after all this time, she’s still confused by the insane reaction the film received.
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Speaking to Yahoo, McCarthy talked about 2016’s “Ghostbusters” and the terrible reception the film received. For those that don’t remember, the bad buzz surrounding the film started early, with the first trailer getting previously unheard of negative response on YouTube, followed by what seemed like a neverending stream of vitriolic hate thrown at everyone attached to the film, including racist and sexist comments.
“There’s no end to stories we can tell, and there’s so many reboots and relaunches and different interpretations, and to say any of them are wrong, I just don’t get it,” McCarthy said. “I don’t get the fight to see who can be the most negative and the most hate-filled. Everybody should be able to tell the story they want to tell. If you don’t want to see it, you don’t have to see it.”
McCarthy definitely understands just how unique the “Ghostbusters” situation was back in 2016. For many fans, they seemed upset that somehow the reboot destroyed the legacy of the film franchise and, in effect, killed their childhoods. Of course, that’s not the case, as the original two “Ghostbusters” films are still there to enjoy and haven’t been retroactively tainted.
The reaction to the 2016 reboot is also interesting when you contrast it with how the upcoming “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is being received. Though the latter has yet to hit theaters, there seems to be a lot of positive buzz surrounding this film, as it serves as a true sequel to the original franchise and features Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason Reitman, behind the camera. Of course, if the film is terrible, we’ll have to see how the “Ghostbusters” fandom reacts. It might not be a pretty sight.
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” hits theaters on November 19.