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Finally! Ivan Reitman says the hate for the new Ghostbusters movie is NOT about sexism

July 2nd, 2016 by Marc Comments

movie-news-banner-copyGhostbusters

Ok, we’ve been fairly vocal about why we were reluctant to accept the new Ghostbusters and, like a legion of fans, it was never to do with a female cast – we have never had an issue with the cast, we think Ghostbusters, over many franchises, can be as diverse as it wants… it’s a movie about working folks and that means it can be any sex, colour or race. Our issue was – and always has been – the reboot aspect.

We went into great detail in a post some time ago – you can read it here – about why we are unhappy about the new movie and how it should have been treated better and we have watched aghast at how, despite many fans’ protests, the sexist argument keeps being pushed by ignorant writers and the studio itself.

But now, finally, someone very close to the movie, producer Ivan Reitman – director of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II back in the 80s – has come out and been honest about why the problem isn’t that Ghostbusters fans are sexist neanderthals, but rather are unhappy for a much more legitimate reason.

Speaking to Mashable, Reitman said: “I think there’s way too much talk about gender [when it comes to this film]. I think that many of the people who were complaining were actually lovers of the [original] movie, not haters of women.”

And, like ourselves and some others, he expresses his annoyance at how the legitimate concerns of the real fans have been mashed in with the handful of neanderthals out there: “Everybody is my audience. Whether they like what I did or didn’t like it,” he said.

“I’ve certainly had my experience with things that did not work. This movie works, [but] no one’s really seen it. I think there’s way too much talk about gender.”

Reitman also addresses the opening of the first two trailers that start off with a ‘3o Years Later’ intro, despite having nothing to do with any previous Ghostbusters stories or incarnations – heck we even went so far as to speculate (here) why we, at the time, were sure it WAS a sequel and not a reboot after all (although I chatted to Paul Feig the day after the trailer dropped and he told me the trailer’s opening was the studio’s idea, not his, and it definitely isn’t Ghostbusters III: “I think we got off to a bad start.” he says, “It wasn’t so much that the trailer was bad or terrible. In its minute and a half, it couldn’t represent what the movie actually is.”

He also acknowledged just how important the original movie(s) is to fans and how that needs to be understood. Here at FTN Ghostbusters holds a very, very special place in our hearts – it’s m favourite movie of all-time – and, while we’re looking forward to the new movie despite our initial shock, we will never understand why the movie couldn’t have been a sequel. Anyway, Reitman says: “I think the lovers of the [original] movie felt there was some kind of sacrilege to re-do it, because it was a seminal part of their moviegoing experience as a 7- or 8-year-old. That’s something that can’t be minimized, and I totally respect that love.”

But, he does reassure everyone that the new movie IS good and needs to be given a chance – something we will not argue against but we’re still not happy that the 30 years of Ghostbusters history that has went before (and still going strong in the IDW comics) has been swept aside to make a whole new world, a Ghostbusters Earth 2 if you will.

Reitman concludes: “All I am asking is that they give the film a shot. I think it is a very satisfying and wonderful experience on its own [and] I think most people are going to go with it.”

Ghostbusters is here in just a few short weeks and we will definitely be front of the line to see it… we just wish  Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Zeddemore had existed in that world too and we really don’t think, as fans, that would have been too much to expect.

Bustin’ makes us feel good…

Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….