The campaign to make the new Ghostbusters trailer the most ‘disliked trailer on the internet’ always seemed slightly bizarre. According to the list of most disliked videos on Youtube, it currently stands at number nine, significantly behind Gangnam Style by Psy and Friday by Rebecca Black. Baby by Justin Bieber (featuring Ludacris) stands proudly on top of the list, a positioned that should not be usurped! Ghosbusters is however, the highest rated trailer on the list, and in that sense at least, they won.

Such contempt for a film before it is released is quite unusual, and is quite possibly linked with misogyny. There are a number of other reasons though, as many wanted the original team back on screen. Thankfully, this never happened, quite possibly as Bill Murray has more sense to be involved in an action comedy at this stage of his career. Was it that they were tampering with a classic? Was there any need for a remake?

Then there is the unusual status of the film. The film seems to stand in a universe quite different from the original, with no mention of the first team of paranormal investigators. It is obviously not a remake, as the script is quite different to the original, but it does draw quite heavily from it in terms of style and structure. It is a reboot of sorts, just one that substituted the original male team for a female one.

Ivan Reitman, who directed the original Ghostbusters, first approached Feig about this reboot, and it obviously has the full backing of the original cast, as they feature in a variety of cameos. The new cast have followed similar routes to the 1984 cast, with SNL featuring heavily in their previous work. Why the public turned on it without seeing the new film first is quite bizarre. Reviews have been relatively positive, a lot of them quoting the initial back lash against the film, and in truth it possibly helped the critical response. The film seems set for a mediocre opening at the box office, slightly below what was expected for a release of its size, but it is by no means a failure, taking a predicted $38–49 million in its opening weekend. While the new film is obviously not the classic the original turned out to be, it is an enjoyable romp. Hopefully the public will wait to see the evidence before judging any future instalments!