This morning, we finally got a better look at the new Ghostbusters in action. We know a lot more about the plot and there are some much cleverer homages to the original than in the first trailer. We broke everything down here so you wouldn’t have to.
“It will haunt you every night. No matter what it is, no one should have to encounter that kind of evil,” says what sounds like Michael McDonald, as images we saw in the first trailer — angry Victorian ghost lady, Times Square transported through time and the logo sprayed on the subway — flash by.
“Except you girls, I think you can handle it,” he finishes. This, with the cases in background, pipes on the ceiling and posters on the walls, looks like it’s backstage at the concert we see a lot more of in this trailer.
All four of these actresses are giving a masterclass in reaction shots here.
The shots of the firehouse continue to be slightly odd, since their headquarters appears to be in a Chinese restaurant later. What happens to this location? Do they end up here at the end or do they lose it early on?
Anny Yates (Melissa McCarthy): “We have a gift. We see what no one else is willing to see.” This looks more like the firehouse than the restaurant.
We’ve seen bits of this showdown with the swirling green vortex before, too.
We’ll see the mirrors full of ghosts again later, just note that they are collected in lab space.
Proton packs! Yates continues, “We do things others can’t do.”
“Ghostbusters,” says Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) the assistant. After barely being in the first trailer, Kevin is fairly important this time around.
Fun little detail from the hood of the Ecto-1. Abby: “If there’s a paranormal problem, we’re the ones to answer the call.” And we see the angry Victorian lady slime Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) again.
Not only is this a hero shot for the new team, this definitely looks like an homage to the hotel scene from the original movie. If this movie follows the rough template of the original, we should see the team get famous for busting ghosts right around the second act.
“What do we think of these Ghostbusters? Are they to be taken seriously?” asks NY1 — yep, certainly getting press attention. Abby’s voiceover actually sounds like it could be part of an interview or commercial as much as it could be a rousing speech to her teammates.
There’s a chase of a winged, demonic-looking creature down the same hallway Michael McDonald lectured them in before.
And it bursts through the stage at a concert.
“You take that aisle, I’ll take this one,” Abby says.
Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones): “OK, you sweaty freaks, I’m about to save you from this ghost!” This was a totally predictable joke, but still funny.
This gif is here so that you will all notice, as I have, that the drummer on stage hasn’t stopped playing, despite the ghost and the appearance of the Ghostbusters.
“OK, so I don’t know if it was a race thing or a lady thing, but I’m mad as hell.”
Abby: “There’s a bigger picture at hand here.”
Erin: “Someone is creating a device that amplifies paranormal activity.”
Kevin: “We’re going to need a bigger boat.” Kevin is an adorable moron. For now.
Kevin: “Hey guys, check it out.” It’s weird that it’s weird to hear Chris Hemsworth use his real accent in a movie.
Abby: “Kevin, come inside.” Kevin: “I was born to be a Ghostbuster, all right?” Where Janine was fabulously indifferent to the Ghostbusters in the original series, Kevin is apparently a superfan… who gets possessed. (Also note that they’re in the Chinese restaurant here.)
Again, the plasticity of these women’s faces is amazing. Always, always look at Kate McKinnon (Holtzmann). Patty: “Oh man, that is so not good.”
In proof that things have gone wrong, cute idiot Kevin immediately turns into badarse wheelie Kevin.
A portal over Manhattan.
Which appears to be the fault of the possessed Kevin, because the machine in the centre — presumably what’s amplifying the paranormal activity — cracks open all the mirrors with trapped ghosts. And green energy streams out.
Erin: “Something big is going to happen.” Holtzmann: “The word you’re looking for is ‘apocalypse’.”
Abby: “You want a piece of me? Yeah!”
Required Today show cameo courtesy of Al Roker: “The government’s trying to claim the event isn’t supernatural.”
Here’s Andy Garcia as the mayor and Cecily Strong as one of his staff members. The Ghostbusters being called into the mayor’s office feels like another nod to the original film.
Even if Abby’s “We don’t want mass hysteria” is the opposite of Venkman’s famous speech in that same office.
Erin screams, “Get out of the city!” It seems so out of character compared to everything else we’ve seen, I almost want to say this is a flashback to the event that caused Erin to leave the paranormal — and Abby — behind for a respectable university career.
Abby: “I will kick the unliving crap out of you!”
“And you!”
“And especially you.” Hey, Slimer.
Abby: “Patty, don’t move.” Erin: “You got a, uh –”
Patty: “I’m tired, I’m just gonna go ahead and take off, how about that?” Leslie Jones’ facial expressions are likewise perfectly hilarious.
And this image, while she says, “I’m gonna take off, don’t piss off the ghost” is priceless.
Finally, we have what can be mistaken for the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at first glance, but really looks to be the white ghost from the Ghostbuster’s logo, but in a red tie.
Things still missing from the trailers? The person — undead or living — responsible for Kevin’s possession. He can’t be the big bad all on his own. But other than that, there is a lot more originality and better jokes in this trailer than the first one. It’s not blowing anyone away yet, but it’s enough to make one cautiously optimistic.