A tale of two Ghostbusters movies
So, the more I thought about the similarities between 1984 Ghostbusters and the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife the more annoyed I got by it. So annoyed I decided to start a list of how similar they are.
STOP NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE YET AND CARE ABOUT SPOILERS
I’ve decided at this point that they are effectively the same movie. I understand that the plot requires there be some similarities between the two movies, this is the Ghostbusters “coming home” moment after all, but MIX IT UP A LITTLE!
Here is the recipe for the Ghostbusters Afterlife script, if it were to just replace the original in the 1980s:
- Take the 1984 Ghostbusters script in it’s entirety.
- Move the location out of NYC. It’s too expensive to film there anyway.
- Add the cast of The Goonies in.
- Wreck a town while trying to catch a ghost rather than a hotel.
- Ghost gateway in a mountain mine rather than a building.
- Change a couple of character representations (see below)
- Change a couple of names (ie. “Slimer” to “Muncher”)
Here is a short list of character translations:
- Egon Spengler -> Phoebe (scientist)
- Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman -> Podcast (team cheerleader, comic relief, occult dictionary)
- Winston Zeddemore -> Trevor (handyman, support)
- Lewis Tully, Walter Peck -> Grooberson (comic relief, releases ghosts by messing with electricity, keymaster)
- Dana Barret -> Callie (love interest, gatekeeper)
- Janine Melnitz – Janine Melnitz
- Gozer -> Gozer
The end! See how easy that was to change one movie to another? You don’t even need to change the plot at all, just some set pieces.
Am I wrong? Yell at me why you think so in the comments.
