July 11, 2016. The day every petty straight man cried. Manly tears, of course.

The 2016 rendition of the famous Ghostbusters franchise was released. It was stapled as fan service to “whiny feminists” who only want to see women on-screen because they hate men, or something of that ridiculous nature. Ultimately, old fans were not impressed.

I, however, was.

The movie was very engaging, with hilarious jokes and bright colors to keep you focused on it the whole time. There were cute little jabs at haters of the film and clever references to previous Ghostbusters movies throughout. There was also a clear personality to each individual character, something that is unusual for females in an action movie.

Typically, the women in action films belong in one of three stereotypes. The damsel in distress, the stupid blonde, or the brooding bully. The first two come hand-in-hand sometimes, and they all never wear something that fully covers them up.
In Ghostbusters, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) had their own unique styles and personalities … non-sexualized, too. BONUS: there was no unnecessary romantic subplot.

To be honest, the plot was very generic and forgettable, and the villain had nothing to him except perhaps how obnoxious he truly was, but that may be part of the charm. Each male character in the film held a certain stereotype. Kevin the intern (Chris Hemsworth) got to play the role of the stupid blonde who thought he couldn’t hear when he covered his eyes instead of his ears, which was amusing to watch.

The best part of all, though, was McKinnon’s character, Holtzmann. She was the most memorable piece with her quirky quotes, inventions and iconic clothes. The character was well-played and easily brought to life by the actress who was obviously having a lot of fun playing her.

The movie was not astounding by any means, but it certainly had an impact on how the media views women. They can, in fact, have personalities and plotlines beyond that of the men surrounding them. I think men are only disappointed, because now people are going to be expecting more movies with all-female leads, and they’re getting kicked out of the spotlight. So, all-in-all, the Ghostbusters remake enhanced the franchise.