Ghostbusters 3 came out on June 24, 1994, and starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. This is my review of the film!
The movie opens with an apology for Ghostbusters 2 that was written by Dan Aykroyd himself while drinking vodka. It's a very funny and self aware beginning, but it also seems to be saying something about the nature of sequels in general. Ghostbusters 3 is set five years after Ghostbusters 2 ended. The movie begins with Bill Murray trying his best to make sure that Ghostbusters 3 doesn't get made by Sony. I found it interesting that the movie was about making Ghostbusters 3.
Bill can be seen hosting Saturday Night Live in the beginning of the movie. I had to explain who Bill Murray was to my Gen Z significant other. They said he looked like an old man. I said that's not true it was 1994 and Bill still looked good for a 44 year old man. My significant other than said that they don't like movies from before 2010.
The main plot line is about making Ghostbusters 3. It has been five years since their last adventure, so Dan Aykroyd tells his friends there are ghosts haunting him at night. They decide to investigate this further. Hi-C Ecto Cooler is in Dan's refrigerator since Ghostbusters 2. Ecto Cooler is an orange-citrus flavored, green colored drink by Hi-C from 1989. I had to explain what Hi-C Ecto Cooler was to my Gen Z significant other.
The four investigate Dan's house because there are ghosts haunting him at night. My Gen Z significant other thought Ghostbusters was a ripoff of Luigi's Mansion. I told my Gen Z significant other that Ghostbusters came out in 1984 one year before Super Mario Brothers. Bill Murray doesn't believe in ghosts and doesn't take the investigation seriously.
This is a good time to now go over all the problematic things in Ghostbusters 3. First off we have no female Ghostbusters which I personally find sexist. We also only see one black character in the movie which I personally find racist. There isn't any representation of TQLGB+ people in the film either which is both homophobic and transphobic at the same time.
The film was also very xenophobic and Islamophobic with many jokes about Muslims being terrorists. It was also a very ableist film as well with no wheelchairs or handicapped characters visible anywhere in it. Let's also not forget about how fatphobic Ghostbusters 3 is towards the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man which made me angry. I think it's important for Gen Zers to know that in 1994 Ghostbusters 3 wasn't the most progressive movie. Which I found very offensive as a progressive person myself.
After investigating Dan Aykroyd's house they discover that he is being haunted by John Belushi. He tells them that they should rename Ghostbusters 3 to Dog Fucker. My Gen Z significant other was very upset about this joke. I explained that yes, that is an awful name for Ghostbusters 3. My Gen Z significant other said that they were upset because they love animals. I said that I don't think any dogs get fucked in the movie. I said that it's an Alt-Right Nazi dog whistle.
My Gen Z significant other said that they didn't understand that term and said that I was just jealous of Donald Trump. So, let us move on. My Gen Z significant other asks me why I can't be as attractive as Bill Murray. This question makes me sad. The four Ghostbusters then take a vote on whether or not they should rename Ghostbusters 3 as Dog Fuckers 3. Dog Fuckers 3 is a terrible title for Ghostbusters 3 and it upsets my Gen Z significant other that they would even consider doing that.
We then finally hit the third act of Ghostbusters 3. After arguing for a long while, they decide to change their minds. They decide to call their movie Ghostbusters 3. It's at this point where Bill Murray becomes fully aware he's in Ghostbusters 3, so he starts half assing his job out of spite towards Sony.
The movie then finally ends. Now I'll end this review with my final thoughts. Ghostbusters 3 is an extremely problematic movie. It is an example of white privilege, toxic masculinity, heteronormativity, cisnormative gender roles, Islamophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, fatphobia, and more. Ghostbusters 3 was a product of its times a time ruled by Right Wing Nazi bigots. I give Ghostbusters 3 a 6.5 out of 10 stars.
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