Entertainment

The Old And New 'Ghostbusters' Are Joining Forces

by Mary Grace Garis

It looks like you're going to have a lot of people to call. At long last, the original and new Ghostbusters are meeting up on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to celebrate Ghostbusters Day, the anniversary of OG Ghostbusters release. With all the unnecessary controversy surrounding the all-female Ghostbusters, this seems like an interesting publicity stunt, a way to reach old fans and next-gen fans simultaneously. But is this going to silence the trolls once and for all? The short version a hard "probably not." The long version is a bit more complicated than that.

On the pro side is new Ghostbusters director Paul Feig, who thinks the union will be a big triumph of comedy. On Friday, he shared his enthusiasm with Us Weekly in a statement:

Seeing the original and new Ghostbusters all together (will be) like being in the presence of the comedy gods on Mount Olympus. This is an epic summit of some of the funniest people on the planet. Long live the Ghostbusters!

In a perfect world, I could garner excitement from that alone. Returning to represent that old school Ghostbusters are Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, powerhouses in their own right. And our current batch of Ghostbusters features some of the greatest comediennes of our era (of any era), including Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, and Leslie Jones. When five-eighths of your collective Ghostbusters are Saturday Night Live cast members or alumni, how can you possibly go wrong?

Beyond that, one would think that if you get visual approval from one generation to another, some Ghostbusters traditionalists (purists? sexist dudebros?) will finally loosen up. Simply by acknowledging each other and bridging this divide is a big sign of support for what Feig and the girls are trying to do. And, hey, what would strengthen ties more than vanquishing a gigantic Mr. Stay Puft on national television? (I'm not saying that's what's happening, I'm just saying that's what should happen).

But then there's the possibility that this will totally backfire and incite more trolls tweeting from under their bridge/parent's basement. This alignment is going to get people comparing the original to something new, and that's a precarious position. Especially when you're dealing with the power of nostalgia (and "ruining someone's childhood," ooooh) and especially when the new Ghostbusters doesn't hit theaters till July 15, and thusly hasn't had a chance to prove itself. Is this really a good idea? Well, to be honest, Ghostbusters Day is for the fans of Ghostbusters, not for the haters. If you love the series, you'll tune in to this Kimmel appearance no matter what your opinion of the upcoming movie. And that will give these talented women the chance they need to change your traditionalist/purist/sexist dudebro minds. Everyone wins.

Yes, this might get some of the trolls incensed, but so did everything involving the new Ghostbusters. Us unbiased fans might as well just enjoy the ride (and brace ourselves for all the porto-plasmic slime that's about to hit Kimmel).

Images: Columbia Pictures; Giphy (2)