The release of the gender-reversed Ghostbusters movie this year (2016) has garnered more than its fair share of criticism..and downright hatred and trolling.
However I've got a theory. It's one which I hope becomes more of a prediction as to where the franchise is heading in the future.
SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers. If you haven't watched the movie then consider this your warning.
However I've got a theory. It's one which I hope becomes more of a prediction as to where the franchise is heading in the future.
SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers. If you haven't watched the movie then consider this your warning.
Okay, let's get into the nitty gritty. A LOT of fans of the original Ghostbusters (with original cast of Dan, Harold, Bill, and Ernie) hate the new Ghostbusters movie. For some "hate" is too timid a word - they despise this latest movie and consider it an afront to the entire franchise.
I have a different theory to offer which may appease some of the haters...though I doubt it will satisfy many of them.
I have a different theory to offer which may appease some of the haters...though I doubt it will satisfy many of them.
Theory: The Altered Timeline
This theory isn't so far out there that it is implausible - the storytelling technique has been used before. Star Trek, with the rebirth of the franchise, altered the Star Trek universe timeline and created an all new timeline in order to not be bound by the old Trek universe.
In my theory, the Ghostbusters universe timeline has been skewed into this new alternate reality.
In the Ghostbusters universe, there has been a 30 year gap since the events of the Ghostbusters II movie. A lot can happen in 30 years, and I think they were hinted at in this latest movie. Within this unknown timeframe I propose that the original Ghostbuster's early knowledge of the technology, and their attempts at combating temporal beings like Gozer to Gozarian and Vigo the Carpathean, something happened to the original Ghostbusters which drove the timeline into a skewed one, with only fragments of the original timeline left.
...It's almost like a "Ghostbusters meets Back to the Future" crossover..for some reason scriptwriters love 30 year gaps?
The points of interest in the 2016 Ghostbusters movie I took note of were: (in no particular order)
In my theory, the Ghostbusters universe timeline has been skewed into this new alternate reality.
In the Ghostbusters universe, there has been a 30 year gap since the events of the Ghostbusters II movie. A lot can happen in 30 years, and I think they were hinted at in this latest movie. Within this unknown timeframe I propose that the original Ghostbuster's early knowledge of the technology, and their attempts at combating temporal beings like Gozer to Gozarian and Vigo the Carpathean, something happened to the original Ghostbusters which drove the timeline into a skewed one, with only fragments of the original timeline left.
...It's almost like a "Ghostbusters meets Back to the Future" crossover..for some reason scriptwriters love 30 year gaps?
The points of interest in the 2016 Ghostbusters movie I took note of were: (in no particular order)
- There is a bust of Egon at the Columbia University
- There may be several meanings to this bust:
- It is a homage to Harold Ramis who passed away on Feb. 24, 2016
- Egon's work in theoretical physics was recognised as he did not go into the paranormal investigation path of the original movie
- There may be several meanings to this bust:
- Ray Stantz/Cabbie (Dan Aykroyd) being a dishevled cabbie with unusual knowledge of paranormal activity. The cabbie's knowledge of paranormal classifications consistent with the original Ghostbusters timeline, to me, is the key to unravelling the connection between the old and new timelines.
- Winston/Uncle Bill (Ernie Hudson) owning a funeral parlour, complete with hearse's - the original role of Ecto 1. Winston was the most normal member of the Ghostbusters team so it stands to reason that the temporal affects on him were the most normal.
- Peter Venkman/Martin Heiss (Bill Murray) being a highly public paranormal skeptic - almost a polar opposite to his day job in Ghostbusters II as host of paranormal TV show "World of the Psychic". As the most cynical Ghostbuster his cynicism has been magnified to the point of being full denial/skepticism.
- Janine Melnitz/Vanessa the Desk Clerk (Annie Potts) being a pushy concierge - still active in a HR/services role
- Dana Barrett/Rebecca Gorin (Sigourney Weaver) is Holtzmann's mentor. This character, along with the cabbie, is very unusual. I suspect that Gorin's mentoring role was not accidental and may be related to Egon in some way.
- After the credits there is a mention of Gozer in an audio recording listened to by Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones). This strongly suggests that Gozer's influence on the entire situation is larger than first thought
The Cabbie
Aykroyd's "Cabbie" role, despite being so very brief on-screen contains more depth than being a simple cameo role.
The cabbie describing the paranormal event as blaise, as if he's seen something like it before, while humourous initially, gives pause to identifying a link to the original Ghostbusters' timeline, in particular the first movie where the original team fight Gozer.
I would theorise that Ray, had not lost all of his memories of the original timeline but, perhaps overcome with grief at the loss of his closest friend (Egon), has resorted to laying low in the new timeline and not attempting to explore the paranormal for fear of history repeating.
In the understanding that Ray has not lost his memories of the old timeline hints at his close involvement in events which caused the timeline to skew in the first place. It hints at him bearing the burden of the events which caused the timeline to skew.
Unbeknownst to him, there are other fragments of memory which survived.
Aykroyd's "Cabbie" role, despite being so very brief on-screen contains more depth than being a simple cameo role.
The cabbie describing the paranormal event as blaise, as if he's seen something like it before, while humourous initially, gives pause to identifying a link to the original Ghostbusters' timeline, in particular the first movie where the original team fight Gozer.
I would theorise that Ray, had not lost all of his memories of the original timeline but, perhaps overcome with grief at the loss of his closest friend (Egon), has resorted to laying low in the new timeline and not attempting to explore the paranormal for fear of history repeating.
In the understanding that Ray has not lost his memories of the old timeline hints at his close involvement in events which caused the timeline to skew in the first place. It hints at him bearing the burden of the events which caused the timeline to skew.
Unbeknownst to him, there are other fragments of memory which survived.
The Mentor: The Dana/Egon Chimera
Okay, this one is stranger than my thoughts on the cabbie, however it's as strange as the appearance of Gorin at all.
Rebecca Gorin (Weaver) appears at the very end of the movie. Her understanding of the devices Holtzmann has made shows a level of intelligence and insight into the purposes of the technology than what would be expected. Gorin's mannerisms and stylings seemed to be a reflection of Egon's confidence and intelligence, as if it were from Egon himself.
Perhaps Egon's consciousness has survived the incident which caused the timeline skew and attached itself to Dana/Gorin in order to continue working out what went wrong in the events which caused the timeline to skew.
With this in mind, Egon's consciousness could be influencing Holtzmann's devices, through Gorin, to improve upon the devices of 30 years ago. This could be happening unbeknownst to Ray/Cabbie and the others.
Okay, this one is stranger than my thoughts on the cabbie, however it's as strange as the appearance of Gorin at all.
Rebecca Gorin (Weaver) appears at the very end of the movie. Her understanding of the devices Holtzmann has made shows a level of intelligence and insight into the purposes of the technology than what would be expected. Gorin's mannerisms and stylings seemed to be a reflection of Egon's confidence and intelligence, as if it were from Egon himself.
Perhaps Egon's consciousness has survived the incident which caused the timeline skew and attached itself to Dana/Gorin in order to continue working out what went wrong in the events which caused the timeline to skew.
With this in mind, Egon's consciousness could be influencing Holtzmann's devices, through Gorin, to improve upon the devices of 30 years ago. This could be happening unbeknownst to Ray/Cabbie and the others.
Suppositions
There are several implications as to what happened in that 30 year gap:
There are several implications as to what happened in that 30 year gap:
- Egon died, perhaps in a self-sacrificing way, however the method of death also resulted in his consciousness being transposed into Dana/Gorin
- Ray/Cabbie has an understanding of the paranormal (from the old timeline) but little/no recollection of the Ghostbusters in this timeline
- Holtzmann being able to create these new Ghostbuster devices was no fluke and neither was their appearance being similar to the original devices as her mentor has Egon's knowledge (and could also contain Egon's consciousness)
- Winston/Uncle Bill running a funeral parlour (an industry servicing the conventional handling of our dead) and Venkman/Heiss being a paranormal skeptic is no fluke
- There was an incident which took place after Ghostbusters II within the 30 year gap which resulted in Egon's death, the disbanding of the Ghostbusters, and the skewing of historical events to prevent the Ghostbusters forming
- Egon's consciousness could be the only thing which
- Gozer, or some other entity capable of time travel/multi-dimensional travel, could be responsible for the timeline changes
Conclusion
Well, you'll either like or loathe the latest (2016) Ghostbusters movie. I hope that this little theory will be a bridge between the old and new Ghostbusters timelines. It attempts to fill in the gaps and make sense of the plot within the current movie and why events "are the same but different".
I've never seen the 2016 Ghostbusters movie as a replacement to its predecessors. It's certainly not got the same humour or feel to it, but that's a sign of the times - The demographic, as well as our sensibilities, have changed.
I've never seen the 2016 Ghostbusters movie as a replacement to its predecessors. It's certainly not got the same humour or feel to it, but that's a sign of the times - The demographic, as well as our sensibilities, have changed.