Ghostbusters (1984)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Ghostbusters has got to be one of the most inventive, and original comedies in a long time. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script to this awesome comedy sci fi horror gem. In the process they created something refreshing and ingenious. Ghostbusters can now be seen as a… More
  Ghostbusters has got to be one of the most inventive, and original comedies in a long time. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script to this awesome comedy sci fi horror gem. In the process they created something refreshing and ingenious. Ghostbusters can now be seen as a classic, there are so many things that are memorable in the film, and those elements really made the film what it is. The Stay Puft marshmallow Man attacking New York being one of the prime examples of this film being memorable, another would be Dan Aykroyd's character confronting Slimer for the first time. Ghostbusters is a terrific Comedy Horror film. The film effectively blends different genres to create something new and refreshing. The result is an original supernatural comedy with touches of mystery, horror, and sci fi. The film blends everything so well that you really can't put a label on the genre of this film. It's really a true classic. The acting is great, and the story is very original. Probably one of the most memorable things about this film is the Stay Puft Marshmallow man and of course, Slimer. The actors here are simply terrific, Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis portray the fearless Ghostbusters as they rid New York City of the ghosts of the undead. A terrific film that blends many good genres into one great and memorable film. Ghostbusters is a film that will definitely appeal to different genre fans whether you're a horror fan or comedy fan. This film has something for everyone.

• Alexander D

  
  Who ya gonna call?

• Bruce B

  
  Hard to believe that this movie came out 28 years ago, until you watch it again and see how young Bill Murry, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver were. The next time you get ready to complain about the price of a DVD or Blue Ray is, I will tell you I paid $69.95 at K mart for the VHS… More
  Hard to believe that this movie came out 28 years ago, until you watch it again and see how young Bill Murry, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver were. The next time you get ready to complain about the price of a DVD or Blue Ray is, I will tell you I paid $69.95 at K mart for the VHS Tape and that was ten dollars less then anywhere else, there wasn't no Wal-Mart back then. Back then it was a 4 star movie, but when I compare it to movies of today I can only muster up 3 stars, but still its a classic that will be shown for years to come.

• Stuart B

  
  I love this movie, who doesn't?

• Graham J

  
  A film that on paper doesn't seem like it should work, Ivan Reitman's comedy/action masterpiece works just fine due to groundbreaking special effects and great comedic performances.

• Matheus C

  
  There's something quite magical about seeing well made pre-digital old school optical effects - they required so much more imagination from our brains (now anaesthetized by so much digital trickery) and even though they're not always entirely convincing, there's always… More
  There's something quite magical about seeing well made pre-digital old school optical effects - they required so much more imagination from our brains (now anaesthetized by so much digital trickery) and even though they're not always entirely convincing, there's always the "how did they do that?" sense of wonder (how can't one love the sight of a giant marshmallow wreaking havoc in the streets of New York). The film itself appeals to our need for 80s nostalgia, but it hasn't aged as well as some of other fantasy-based comedies from the same time and has lost some of its firecracking energy. Still, it's a welcome reminder of a time before Hollywood went all raunchy and there were pretty good family comedies around - now pretty much an extinct breed. Bill Murray and Rick Moranis have those faces you feel you've known all your life, but that you can't help but laugh at the simple sight of them - but it's Sigourney Weaver who really steals her later scenes with her foxy cross of Regan McNeil and Dr. Frank 'n Further. And who'd have known that the most evil force in the universe would look just like David Bowie.

• Scott G

  
  A truly revolutionary film, and is definitely way ahead of it's time, Bill Murray in particular gave a performance you can't forget, CGI isn't spectacular, but that is just because of it's standard at the time it was made, and is therefore not a problem.

• Michael E

  
  The first Ghostbusters film is a very funny movie, and probably one of the most innovative films of the time. Bill Murray does a hysterically well done job as the douche-bag Dr. Peter Venkman, and the other Ghostbusters do great jobs, Dan Akroyd is great as Peters friend Ray, Harold… More
  The first Ghostbusters film is a very funny movie, and probably one of the most innovative films of the time. Bill Murray does a hysterically well done job as the douche-bag Dr. Peter Venkman, and the other Ghostbusters do great jobs, Dan Akroyd is great as Peters friend Ray, Harold Ramis is great as the techie dude Egon, and Ernie Hudson is great as the cool guy Winston. The effects are incredibly well done, and I think it personally has the best effects of the time, if not some of the best effects ever put in film. The plot is very creative and the best thing about it is that the effects and the comedy never overshadow what it is all about, but adds to how interesting the plot of the film is. If you want to see one of the gems of the 1980s then definitely check this film out.

• Tim S

  
  A long forgotten film reviewer described this movie as "a perfectly told joke" and I couldn't agree more. Ghostbusters has always been, in my estimation at least, to be the funniest and most engaging film ever made. There are several reasons for this, but they all start… More
  A long forgotten film reviewer described this movie as "a perfectly told joke" and I couldn't agree more. Ghostbusters has always been, in my estimation at least, to be the funniest and most engaging film ever made. There are several reasons for this, but they all start with the stellar direction from Ivan Reitman (who never really gets enough credit). Also credit is due to the wonderful and brilliant writing from Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis in a truly remarkable happy accident of ingenuity. The ensemble cast is quite remarkable too, including Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson and William Atherton. Bill Murray steals the show for the most part but there are lots of great moments for the rest of the cast and each of them has their moment to shine. Combining gothic elements, art deco and a gritty New York sensibility, the actual look of them film really stands out and makes it one of the best-looking comedies probably ever produced. Due to the popularity (and rightly so) of the film's theme song, Elmer Bernstein has never been given quite enough credit for the delightful score. At times it can whimsical and upbeat while also managing to capture the fun of the film's more sinister moments and even its romantic side. Industrial Light And Magic also really out-did themselves and enhanced the story's possibilities with the great special effects on display. The ghosts look great and scary, the proton wand shooting and trapping shots look incredible and the final showdown of the movie is nothing more than pure spectacle. Hardly any film has ever combined horror and comedy so well, and still remained so accessible to so many viewers. If it goes down in history as the funniest comedy of all time, I would happily smile and agree. :)

• Directors C

  
  Ghostbusters is a classic comedy film and the best film that Bill Murray has been cast in to. The laughs come when they need to be. Superbly Silly.

• Film C

  
  I dont understand, im pretty sure i watched the same movie as everyone else but this is the most unamusing movie ive ever watched! Admittedly its an 80s movie so i cant expect much from the lack of graphics and how the visual affects are terrible but i found this movie to just be a… More
  I dont understand, im pretty sure i watched the same movie as everyone else but this is the most unamusing movie ive ever watched! Admittedly its an 80s movie so i cant expect much from the lack of graphics and how the visual affects are terrible but i found this movie to just be a poor sci-fi that isnt funny and im not sure why its a classic!

• Manu G

  
  They're Here To Save The World. Good 80's movie. It was very entertaining. This movie won 2 Oscars awards for Best Visual Effects and and Best Original Song. There is no set definition of the word "classic" but I'm sure this film qualifies as such or will in… More
  They're Here To Save The World. Good 80's movie. It was very entertaining. This movie won 2 Oscars awards for Best Visual Effects and and Best Original Song. There is no set definition of the word "classic" but I'm sure this film qualifies as such or will in the near future, since it was so unique and popular....and remains so today, over 25 years old later. I know the story is ludicrous and I don't believe for one second in ghosts so I ignore the "theology" and just laugh at Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson. Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler are three scientists at Columbia University in New York City. When their grant expires, the guys are fired and they go into business as a ghost extermination company called "Ghostbusters". Their first customer is orchestra cello player Dana Barrett, who was scared out of her apartment on the 22nd floor of a high rise apartment building on Central Park West. It seems that Dana's neighbor, Louis Tully, is also being affected by the strange happenings in the apartment building. Armed with proton guns, the Ghostbusters become wildly popular, and they are joined by Winston Zeddmore, who is looking for a job with good pay. Overzealous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agent Walter Peck thinks the Ghostbusters are frauds, and he has the Ghostbusters put in jail. Peck is forced to believe the Ghostbusters when New York City is put under siege by an ancient Sumerian God named Gozer the Gozerian, who is channeled through the apartment building that Dana and Louis live in, and the mayor has no choice but to let the Ghostbusters out of jail to face Gozer.

• Brad W

  
  Pure fun. Ghostbusters mixes comedy and the supernatural and it works. Bill Murray is my favorite. A all time classic.

• xGary X

  
  A trio of bumbling paranormal investigators are called in when New York City is threatened by a pan-dimensional being set on destruction. Ghostbusters was a staple of my childhood and although it's hardly the wittiest or most hilarious comedy ever written it still has so much… More
  A trio of bumbling paranormal investigators are called in when New York City is threatened by a pan-dimensional being set on destruction. Ghostbusters was a staple of my childhood and although it's hardly the wittiest or most hilarious comedy ever written it still has so much infectious charm it's impossible to not warm to it. It works because of the fun premise and the hugely likeable leads played by an amusingly deadpan Harold Ramis, wide eyed innocent Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray who by now had perfected his sarcastic but charming smart ass persona. It doesn't have the invention of Back To The Future but is still a really nice blend of fantasy and laughs that only loses steam a little for a finale that foolishly abandons the gags in favour of rather dated special effects. But where else are you going to see a Godzilla-like marshmallow man terrorizing New York?! Enjoyable, family friendly fun.

• Michael G

  
  A staple of my moviegoing life, Ghostbusters is great -- plain and simple. Its obviously nowhere near being the perfect movie (my bias will be the first to admit that its probably not as good a movie as I think it is) and its not without a few embarrassing moments but its merits… More
  A staple of my moviegoing life, Ghostbusters is great -- plain and simple. Its obviously nowhere near being the perfect movie (my bias will be the first to admit that its probably not as good a movie as I think it is) and its not without a few embarrassing moments but its merits definitely outnumber its faults. The cast makes the movie even if you're looking for Bill Murray's off button during the last 20 minutes but its got more classic lines than you can shake a stick at. Also, Ghostbusters outside of being a true classic is one of those movies that no amount of nonsensical writing or discussion can do more justice to than actually watching it will ever do.

• AJ V

  
  I love this movie, I've loved it since I was a kid, and I still enjoy it today. It's a comedy/horror movie with a really unique story, and I highly recommend it.

• Candy R

  
  Classic 80s movie. Great cast and music. Three scientists become ghostbusters and rid New York of all its spirits. The special effects were brilliant for its day.

• Cassie H

  
  Absoulutely funny! I love this movie and Rick Moranis is just too adorable. Bill Murray & the rest were awesome :) I just love it!!! :)

• KJ P

  
  Ghostbusters stands alone as one of the best horror/comedies that I have ever seen. It is hilarious in almost every scene, and it never falls short with the cheesy scares. No it wasn't scary, especially due to the lack of seriousness put into the film. This all being said,… More
  Ghostbusters stands alone as one of the best horror/comedies that I have ever seen. It is hilarious in almost every scene, and it never falls short with the cheesy scares. No it wasn't scary, especially due to the lack of seriousness put into the film. This all being said, Ghostbusters is one of the most unique films ever made. It's smart, cool, slick, witty, scary, and intense. I loved every minute of Ghostbusters! I am definitely going to call The Ghostbusters!

• MisterYoda ?

  
  GHOSTBUSTERS was a smashing and innovative 1984 comedy that was the perfect blending of clever comedy, eye-popping special effects, and supernatural silliness that was one of the biggest box office smashes of the year and deservedly so. Three professors doing college research on the… More
  GHOSTBUSTERS was a smashing and innovative 1984 comedy that was the perfect blending of clever comedy, eye-popping special effects, and supernatural silliness that was one of the biggest box office smashes of the year and deservedly so. Three professors doing college research on the supernatural lose their funding and decide to go into business for themselves as paranormal investigators. Bill Murray towers over all with his near perfect comic performance as Dr. Peter Venkman, a sort of wise ass guy who doesn't take this ghostbusting stuff seriously until they start making real money. Dan Aykroyd is a charmer as Ray, "the heart of the Ghostbusters" and Harold Ramis, who would gain greater fame as a director, generates real laughs here as Egon ("I collect spores, moles, and fungus.") Sigourney Weaver makes an intelligent and refreshing damsel in distress and Rick Moranis steals every scene he's in as Weaver's nerdy neighbor who also becomes part of the story as we learn the apartment building where Weaver and Moranis live is on top of some ancient burial ground. Annie Potts (DESIGNING WOMEN) also scores as the guys' secretary and William Atherton is funny as an EPA exec out to ruin the Ghostbusters. But it is mostly Murray's beautifully flippant performance laid against some awesome (for 1984) special effects that made this movie work. It even has a very catchy title tune that became a top ten smash for Ray Parker, Jr. An instant comedy classic and deservedly so.

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