Film

Ghostbusters

Other titles called Ghostbusters: the 1984 film.

A 2016 reboot of the classic franchise. Four women—a physicist, a paranormal researcher, an engineer, and a transit worker—form an unlikely team to battle ghosts infesting Manhattan. It's energetic, effects-heavy comedy that prioritizes character chemistry and absurdist humour over plot coherence. Fans of ensemble comedies with practical action sequences will find plenty to enjoy.

TMDb rating2.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a loud, gleefully silly blockbuster where the jokes come from four very different women bouncing off each other amid the ghost-zapping set pieces.

Skip it if you came hoping for something dry and affectionate, since this trades that for louder spectacle and frantic jokes that won't suit everyone.

What it asks of you: Just under two hours of brisk, bright filmmaking with effects and banter arriving fast and rarely pausing for the mood to breathe.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Heat2013

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy spark off each other as mismatched law enforcement partners. It has the same irreverent energy and character-driven comedy, with McCarthy given room to improvise and dominate scenes.

But The buddy-cop formula is predictable, and the plot exists mainly as scaffolding for the comedy. If you need narrative momentum, this will feel slack.

The Heat poster

Ocean's Eight2018

An ensemble heist comedy with a similar spirit: charismatic women doing impossible things, sharp banter, elaborate set pieces that are as much fun to watch as they are ridiculous. McKinnon is brilliant in it too.

But The heist itself is less interesting than the personalities pulling it off. Some viewers find that imbalance frustrating rather than liberating.

Ocean's Eight poster

Bridesmaids2011

Kristen Wiig stars in what remains the gold standard for ensemble female comedies: genuinely funny, character-rich, and willing to be gross and undignified. It proved this formula works when the material is sharp.

But It's slower and more melancholic than Ghostbusters. The humour lands differently—warmer, sadder. You're not getting high-velocity spectacle here.

Bridesmaids poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ghostbusters

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Spy Hard1996

Both are action-comedies that treat spectacle as an excuse for jokes rather than the other way around. Neither film trusts plot to carry them. They're about hanging out with likeable people doing ridiculous things.

A 1990s spy-action-comedy that's visually identical to Ghostbusters in spirit: absurdist, low-stakes, more interested in gags than plot. It commits fully to the bit without worrying whether it makes sense. Proof that this exact tone has deep roots.

But The budget shows. The effects are genuinely cheap and the pacing is uneven. It's also very much a product of its era—the humour has dated in specific ways.

Spy Hard poster
More like this (8)

Tropic Thunder2008

An ensemble action-comedy that commits fully to absurdity without losing sight of character. The cast clearly adores each other, and that joy is infectious. Similar DNA to Ghostbusters in how it treats action sequences as comedy fuel.

But It's aggressively irreverent and politically incorrect. That was part of its charm in 2008; some contemporary viewers may find it exhausting rather than funny.

Tropic Thunder poster

21 Jump Street2012

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directing comedy actors through an action framework. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have genuine chemistry, and the film knows that the spectacle is secondary to the banter and the characters.

But The plot is thin and the action genuinely cartoonish. If you need stakes or narrative coherence, you'll be disappointed.

21 Jump Street poster

Spy2015

Melissa McCarthy leads a spy action-comedy with a terrific supporting cast. It's funny, the action is genuinely well-choreographed, and McCarthy gets to be fully realized as both a comedic and dramatic presence.

But It's longer than it needs to be, and the third act feels like it's running on fumes. The formula wears thin before the film ends.

Spy poster

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy2004

An ensemble comedy where four men riff off each other with almost no plot to constrain them. It's beautifully shot, absurdly confident, and proves that chemistry and commitment to the bit can carry a film farther than you'd think.

But It's also completely plotless, which some find liberating and others find tedious. The humour is aggressively broad and relies heavily on improvisation working for you.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy poster

Game Night2018

An ensemble mystery-comedy with real craft behind the camera. Witty, energetic, and genuinely clever about how it plays with genre expectations. It's lighter than its premise suggests and genuinely fun to watch.

But The mystery itself is complicated enough to distract from character moments. If you prefer pure character comedy, the plot gets in the way.

Game Night poster

Central Intelligence2016

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as mismatched partners with real warmth between them. It's a buddy-action-comedy with actual heart, good-natured rather than cynical, and committed to fun above all else.

But It's predictable and slight. The formula is so well-worn that nothing surprises you, and the character development is minimal. It's comfort-watch material rather than anything substantial.

Central Intelligence poster

Spider-Man: Homecoming2017

Both understand that the best action-comedies let the actors be genuinely funny without the action undermining the comedy. Hemsworth's role as ornamental is the exact inverse of his heroic work, and both films know that contrast is gold.

Chris Hemsworth is in Ghostbusters playing a beautiful idiot. In Homecoming, watch Tom Holland be earnest and actually vulnerable while superhero action erupts around him. It's a tonal masterclass in how comedy and spectacle can coexist without stepping on each other.

But It's a Marvel film with all that implies: manufactured, focus-grouped, designed by committee. If you hate that apparatus, this won't escape it, no matter how good it is.

Spider-Man: Homecoming poster

Police Story 4: First Strike1996

Both films trust that character and comedy can carry action sequences, not the reverse. Both are built around ensemble warmth rather than cynicism or irony. Both prove that spectacle works best when the people doing the spectacle are genuinely likeable.

Jackie Chan making an action-comedy in his twilight period, lighter and funnier than his early work but no less inventive. The physical comedy is genuine spectacle, the action set-pieces are jokes, and the warmth between characters is real. It's proof that this formula can work at the highest technical level.

But It requires patience with dubbed dialogue and a slightly incoherent plot. The film also predates modern action editing, so the choreography unfolds slowly by contemporary standards.

Police Story 4: First Strike poster

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Recommended by

Ghostbusters II, Ocean's Eight, We Are Family, I Feel Pretty, The Layover