Director Paul Feig’s infuriating reboot of a beloved comedy horror franchise Ghostbusters: Extended Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 134 minutes, 2.39:1, $45.99) looks for redemption through home theater owners by offering the theatrical and an extended cut of the film along with an abundance of extras.
Well, I was a huge fan of the original “Ghostbusters” but found the new film unfunny and nearly unwatchable when I first saw it at the cinema, especially with fellow fans on either side of me offering negative commentary throughout.
The concept had some merit with a quartet of oddball females — paranormal researchers Abby Yates and Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), physicist Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Metro Transit worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) — and moronic male assistant Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) now banding together to battle an army of hostile ghosts in New York City unleashed by Rowan, a bitter mad scientist seeking revenge against humanity.
Now, after watching this new cut of the film, offering an extra 15 minutes, I have to admit that I actually laughed multiple times and kinda, sort of enjoyed it. Don’t let that get out.
I’ve also noticed that women are much kinder to the latest “Ghostbusters.” I was watching with a woman who kept asking, “Why was everyone complaining about this movie?” That may have skewed my perspective of a new appreciation of Mr. Feig’s efforts.
Compared to the theatrical cut, the extended version does give much funnier dialogue moments to Jillian, has multiple dance sequences, more green slime and really explains a couple of plot dead spots, including the motivations for the absence of Abby at the beginning of the major ghost battle scene.
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Overall, I really loved the ghosts in the movie. Better yet, the ghouls often broke out from the screen’s 2.39:1 confines and would spew slime across or float over the black bars at the top and bottom of my screen. Even the proton streams from the Ghostbusters equipment danced into the black bars eliciting a slight gasp from audience members.
4K UHD in action: Focus on the wonderful High Dynamic Range delivered in the florescent blues and greens that bring the apparitions to life to fully appreciate the beautiful resolution upgrade on this ultra high-definition disc. Even Abby’s university laboratory and Rowan’s lair, both loaded with gizmos, benefit from the intense depth of colors.
Eye-popping particulars also include the skeletal innards seen through the translucent skin of many of the ghosts, the fine detail of a winged demon flying around a heavy-metal show and the undulating living balloons from Macy’s vintage Thanksgiving Day parade.
Additionally, those lightening bolts and proton beams shooting off the screen also give a slick three-dimensional illusion of jumping into one’s entertainment room.
Best extras: All the supplemental content can be found on the standard Blu-ray disc included in the package.
A pair of optional commentary tracks on both cuts of the film lead the way with Mr. Feig first joined by writer Katie Dippold and a second with the director joined by five production staff, including special effects supervisor Mark Hawker and visual effects supervisor Pete Travers.
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Unfortunately, on either track, is the giant elephant in the room never really discussed, — the enormous backlash to the film by furious fan base. Yet, both tracks are very informative, especially when the effects teams talk about the technical aspects of the very cool ghosts and making slime.
Next, a collection of alternate and deleted scenes, improvisational moments and a pair of gag reels led to over an hour of appreciation for the potentially funny cast. I wish they had a better vehicle to apply their craft.
Finally, a pair of featurettes (about 30-minutes combined) covers the special effects of the film, focusing on the high-tech, motion-capture techniques used to create the spooks while also exploring the 1984 “Ghostbusters” effects with words from original director Ivan Reitman.
Note: An insert in the package supposedly boasts over another hour’s worth of extend and alternate scenes with a big caveat. You’ll need to enter a code and sign up for the Ultraviolet digital storage initiative to access them.
Well, it never worked for me, and worse, it makes the home theater owner now have to jump away from the disc to enjoy the supplements. How about we just keep all of the goodies on the discs?
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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