Discuss Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released on November 19, 2021 and directed by Jason Reitman.
#4923032
it goes without saying we all just want a good movie first and foremost. But I thought it would be fun to maybe make a list and see all the different things fans here want and don't want from a new Ghostbusters film. It could be anything.
For example, something I definatley want is the old equipment being used
Something I don't want is drastically altered equipment. Keep the original look. Maybe alter it as much as the video game did.

Something I want: Seeing the old GB's in action. Something I don't: Just cameos of the original cast.

Something I want: a reason for the old characters to be in the film other than "they were in the original".
Something I don't want: Cameos for cameos sake. If it doesn't make sense for Rick Moranis to be in this particular Ghostbusters movie, which is set in a different state, then that's fine. I don't need Rick Moranis.
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#4923053
I pretty much agree with everything above.

Original style equipment and cast is probably the biggest thing for me.
Add to that a tone similar to that of the original movie and as many practical effects as possible, within reason.

What I don't want is more focus than there needs to be on other characters outside of the original cast.

Or subversion of established canon from the previous two installments for the sake of a plot point.
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#4923067
Want:
• A connection between Carrie Coon's family and the 1984 movie that isn't just "they're relatives of [1984 cast member's character]!"
• A story that focuses on the new characters with the original characters as supporting
• A balance between honoring the spirit of the originals while primarily breaking new tonal, stylistic, and structural ground
• New ghosts, new threats
• No unwarranted references or tributes to the original films (as someone mentioned, for example, please no Rick just for the sake of having Rick, or Slimer just for the sake of having Slimer)
• Incorporation of Harold as elegantly as possible
• A closing status quo which opens up a world of possibilities beyond just more adventures with this specific cast

Don't Want:
• Original cast stepping in to save the day
• Original cast taking over, even briefly, for the sake of letting them "ride off into the sunset" or something
#4923149
want: as little CGI as possible. Dust off the old optical printers and do the FX for the ghosts and the proton beams the old fashioned way. I know this will never happen, but a fan can dream...

Want: A Composer that can mesh the comedy and horror like Elmer Bernstein did(again I put forth Howard Shore as my choice)

Do not want: a modern interpretation of the Ghostbusters song like the one in GB16. Just leave it alone. Maybe don't even use it until just before the end credits start to roll.

Do not want: a set up for any kind of sequel. No after credits scenes setting up the Villian or plot in the next one. Just give us a self contained story that can stand on its own two feet.
#4923152
droidguy1119 wrote: August 23rd, 2019, 11:28 am Want:
• A connection between Carrie Coon's family and the 1984 movie that isn't just "they're relatives of [1984 cast member's character]!"
• A story that focuses on the new characters with the original characters as supporting
• A balance between honoring the spirit of the originals while primarily breaking new tonal, stylistic, and structural ground
• New ghosts, new threats
• No unwarranted references or tributes to the original films (as someone mentioned, for example, please no Rick just for the sake of having Rick, or Slimer just for the sake of having Slimer)
• Incorporation of Harold as elegantly as possible
• A closing status quo which opens up a world of possibilities beyond just more adventures with this specific cast

Don't Want:
• Original cast stepping in to save the day
• Original cast taking over, even briefly, for the sake of letting them "ride off into the sunset" or something
Bro, do you even Ghostbusters?
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#4923154
What I want:

•For the new film to be successful, and if willing, lead to a new series of well-developed films, rather than quick cash-ins on the franchise name.

What I don't want:

•For the characterisation of any original characters or equipment to be assinated in order to make the new characters succeed.
•To have to go through another two years of moderating bellyaching fans who are letting their ugly sides show.
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#4923171
All I want is something made with love and affection towards the original premise. I REALLY don’t want another reset, where the Ghostbusters have to prove themselves again. It’s been done to death.

And to paraphrase Kingpin, I don’t want to hear a single second of gross entitled whinging about anything that isn’t a carbon copy of the original. I want Ghostbusters to be able to live on and be amazing, and I’m pretty sure this is the last chance, which refers me back to my first point; If it is the last time out, let’s hope it can exist as a wonderful standalone film that still honours its forebears. I’d rather have it be Blade Runner 2049 and do no business then have it be Scary Movie and get a bunch of sequels, to use the clumsiest ass analogy going!
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#4923181
robbritton wrote: August 25th, 2019, 1:50 pm All I want is something made with love and affection towards the original premise. I REALLY don’t want another reset, where the Ghostbusters have to prove themselves again. It’s been done to death.

I’d rather have it be Blade Runner 2049 and do no business then have it be Scary Movie and get a bunch of sequels, to use the clumsiest ass analogy going!
I'd like this to be a Standalone sequel as well, not a jumping off point to get 4,5,6....

i just want Ghostbusters 3, im prepared that it will be something completely entirely different from what i've envisioned the last 25 years.

All i want is a third outing for Venkman, Ray, Zeddemore, and hopefully Louis too, prominently featured, all together, no Han's over there..and luke is on an island..

..AND ALIVE..no ghost-form OG's.. (i absolutely hated the Ghost Venkman idea..ever since it came about in the early 00s, it might work in the cartoon/comics, but in a movie..i automatically think the zombie-dance scene in Blues Brothers 2000 )

Anyway, All the remaining characters in the flesh for a third live action story. How they do it is up to the filmmakers, whether they're gonna be like Old Cowboys or Batman Beyond-ing it or what, i'd just like to see those actors in those roles making me laugh in a new movie.
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#4923222
As far as wants go, I really want them to strike the right tone between comedy and the supernatural. I would say that GBII has a more lighthearted tone than the first. While I would like to see the tone be closer to the original, if that is not possible than I would prefer a more upbeat tone compared to a more dark tone.

I do want to see NYC. If this happens to be the last time we see the 'busters, I'd really like to see them in New York.

What I don't want: any of the original characters getting killed off, like
This Post Contains Spoilers
That would be a real dampener on tone.

As is probably blatantly apparent, I really want this movie to be funny. The comedic brilliance of the originals is underappreciated. The layering of Ghostbusters, and all its working parts, are what make it such an iconic, rewatchable film.
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#4923251
BatDan wrote: August 25th, 2019, 9:30 am
droidguy1119 wrote: August 23rd, 2019, 11:28 am Want:
• A connection between Carrie Coon's family and the 1984 movie that isn't just "they're relatives of [1984 cast member's character]!"
• A story that focuses on the new characters with the original characters as supporting
• A balance between honoring the spirit of the originals while primarily breaking new tonal, stylistic, and structural ground
• New ghosts, new threats
• No unwarranted references or tributes to the original films (as someone mentioned, for example, please no Rick just for the sake of having Rick, or Slimer just for the sake of having Slimer)
• Incorporation of Harold as elegantly as possible
• A closing status quo which opens up a world of possibilities beyond just more adventures with this specific cast

Don't Want:
• Original cast stepping in to save the day
• Original cast taking over, even briefly, for the sake of letting them "ride off into the sunset" or something
Bro, do you even Ghostbusters?
Ironically, it's close to what you yourself started out saying in your last comment: I just want more time in this world with this premise. I'm ruling out the stuff I think serves no purpose beyond realizing fanfiction someone's been crafting in their head since 1989.

Sequels are always tricky, because they're inherently a semi-artificial construct -- get the characters back together, find a new obstacle for them to overcome (well, sometimes), and reassemble as much of the cast and crew years later. Some premises lend themselves to sequels better than others (for example, Rocky becoming the Mick to a younger boxer in Creed), but in this case, making sure the (surviving) guys have some big part in this story that takes place almost 40 years later, states away from NYC, sounds like a stretch.

Since the idea came from a guy like Jason (as well as own comments at Fan Fest) tell us that this story grew organically out of a combination of the basic concept and world, with the new characters he was creating. I hope he hasn't conformed that idea around beats that would've made more sense in a movie that came out 20 years ago, just to please a section of the audience that is less important to the future of the franchise than newcomers.

If people want Ghostbusters to survive and prosper, they're inevitably going to have to let it change, and differ from their expectations. Luke being on an island, Han and Leia being apart, that stuff serves the story. That should be the only goal.
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#4923254
That's the thing.
Not all of us want it to go on ad nauseum.

Personally, I would much rather have a well crafted and thoughtful return to form as one last hurrah for the remaining original characters and end it there.
Instead of pulling a sequel trilogy and only have the original cast back in a minor way to get rid of them and move on to endless new, soulless permutations of the franchise.


I don't want it to survive and prosper at the expense of the franchise.
It's better to have quality over quantity with a small number of highly regarded movies thst will stand the test of time as the original has than to just keep churning them out in an attempt to stay relevant to new audiences.

That mistake was already made.
If this really is a love letter to the original as stated then it's the established fan base that's the primary concern.
And if it's good, then the new fans will follow.

#4923258
RedSpecial wrote: August 26th, 2019, 2:10 pm That's the thing.
Not all of us want it to go on ad nauseum.

Personally, I would much rather have a well crafted and thoughtful return to form as one last hurrah for the remaining original characters and end it there.
Instead of pulling a sequel trilogy and only have the original cast back in a minor way to get rid of them and move on to endless new, soulless permutations of the franchise.


I don't want it to survive and prosper at the expense of the franchise.
It's better to have quality over quantity with a small number of highly regarded movies thst will stand the test of time as the original has than to just keep churning them out in an attempt to stay relevant to new audiences.

That mistake was already made.
If this really is a love letter to the original as stated then it's the established fan base that's the primary concern.
And if it's good, then the new fans will follow.
Fair re: it going on and on, but my root opinion is that fan service is the Achilles heel of all sequels. Being a "love letter to the fans" is nice, but it has nothing to do with the quality of a movie, and references, winks, homages, etc. are frequently the worst parts of these sorts of sequels. I enjoyed the 2016 movie, and the constant hat-tips are among the worst aspects.

The hope should be that fans love the movie, but not at the expense of an audience member who is just watching this film, whether they end up going back to the others or not. Even as a fan myself, I absolutely hope Jason Reitman follows his own ideas and passions imstead of thinking about what someone like me thinks the movie needs. Like it or not, we can be backseat drivers. That's never a recipe for success. You gotta find what you enjoy and is thrilling to you as a fan in what you get. Maybe you won't be able to get into some of what gets made, but artists, who are compelled by theme and story and character over IP (which any hardcore fan is going to know way more about than even someone like Aykroyd) should not be constricted to a vision that not all fans are even going to agree with.

My earliest memory of anything is Ghostbusters-related. I've been a fan for life! Yet, as we call already see, my wish list and your wish list are drastically different, and I don't think our distance is even that pronounced -- there are no doubt people who think it shouldn't be made at all without Harold, or that nothing less than the three living gys suiting up and putting on the packs will be good enough, etc. Which is fine...but it proves that "the fans" aren't a hive mind.
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#4923263
I completely agree that fan service and call backs for the sake of it are the bane of a franchises existence and one of the main causes of sequelitis.

I'm sure there will be some call backs, it's inevitable but that's not of interest really.

Jason is an extremely competent filmmaker and I'm sure with the guidance of Ivan, Dan and team he has assembled it will be a well crafted movie in its own right, without having to rely on callbacks to bolster it.

The crux of the issue and basis of a lot of people's concern and scepticism is that the other movies only worked as they did because of the characters.
The chemistry the original cast and the director had was the number one reason for the films sucess.

You could have thrown anyone else in there with the same script, fantastic production values and supporting props and it would not have worked the way that it did.
They were the anchor that brought all of it together and made it what it became.

Without that essencial element as the driving force in the movie, no matter how well crafted it is, it simply won't capture the audience in the same way.
To have them as ancillary character there to bolster a new cast would be both a wasted opportunity and a big risk to the sucess of the movie or the franchise at large going forward.

By all means have it as a passing of the torch, but it would be better to end the current teams involvement strongly with them as the focus, interspersed with some character development for a new team to allow the audience to warm to them, then pass the torch and have future iterations focus on the new guys going forward in subsequent stories rather than get them out of the way as soon as possible just to focus on shoe horning in a new team that we don't particularly care about or have the time to develop any real interest in.
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#4923266
RedSpecial wrote: August 26th, 2019, 3:04 pmThe crux of the issue and basis of a lot of people's concern and scepticism is that the other movies only worked as they did because of the characters.
The chemistry the original cast and the director had was the number one reason for the films sucess.

Without that essencial element as the driving force in the movie, no matter how well crafted it is, it simply won't capture the audience in the same way.
To have them as ancillary character there to bolster a new cast would be both a wasted opportunity and a big risk to the sucess of the movie or the franchise at large going forward.

By all means have it as a passing of the torch, but it would be better to end the current teams involvement strongly with them as the focus, interspersed with some character development for a new team to allow the audience to warm to them, then pass the torch and have future iterations focus on the new guys going forward in subsequent stories rather than get them out of the way as soon as possible just to focus on shoe horning in a new team that we don't particularly care about or have the time to develop any real interest in.
If the first thing you say is true, why should this movie, which appears to star different people and has a different director, sacrifice the possibility of creating that magic with an entirely new team in favor of an incomplete reunion of the original cast with a different filmmaker?

It also plainly makes no sense to argue that focusing on the new characters instead of the returning cast is somehow not enough time to get to know those characters, yet the film can be a successful passing of the torch by...containing even less of them?
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#4923278
WANT: Compelling, interesting, character focused story set in the original universe. A bit funny, a bit scary and entirely rewatchable.

NO WANT: Story primarily focused on the original characters that is simply another rehash of the old crew. The original characters should support the story in some important way but not drive the story.
#4923279
Wow droidguy1919 and RedSpecial you guys have a nice back and forth discussion going on there. ;)

You guys are both bringing up some excellent points. I am one of those that would actually want to have the original characters back in more than just supporting roles, but I can totally see where droidguy1919 is coming from. I know that if this film does real well the franchise will just keep moving forward and grow. I am leaning more into Redspecial's mindset of wanting this movie to be the closing chapter for the originals. I really don't want the movie to be to open ended as if to say, "Yeah these kids can carry the franchise for another 6 movies." I want the movie to do well and I want the franchise to thrive, but I would much rather it thrive in this manner. Say this movie really knocks it out of the park and satisfies the old fans and brings in some new fans, at that point the studio could actually develop Ecto Force. It shouldn’t really matter if the stories in that series are canon with the films. Since the proposed timeline for that show is set way in the future. That gives the studio and Ghost Corps the option to not have to reference any events from any of the movies since the show could be either in it's own reality like ATC or the events are so far in the future that events from the films don't ever need to be brought up. They could just run with the Ghostbusters concept with fresh characters and new stories. :):):)

I also wouldn't mind if they moved forward with that feature length animated movie. I have no idea what characters they wanted to use in that movie, but the whole story through the perspective of a ghost seems interesting. The Spiderverse film shows that Sony can get good results when putting a spin on a property. :):):)

Finally I would really love for the IDW comics to keep on going. GB 2020 may be where the OG Ghostbusters story ends, but that doesn't mean we can't get more stories from familiar characters in that medium. ;)

That is how I hope Ghostbusters continues post GB 2020, time will tell. I am sure there are some teriffic ideas that Ghost Corps has cooked up that Have not occurred to anybody. :):):)
#4924762
I think it would be fantastic if they made the events of Ghostbusters: The Video Game canon for this movie. I mean, the events of the game took place in 1991, while Ghostbusters 3 takes place in present day, right? So theoretically the events of the game could still very well have happened in the movie canon.
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#4924778
SockableClaw wrote: September 26th, 2019, 7:51 am I think it would be fantastic if they made the events of Ghostbusters: The Video Game canon for this movie. I mean, the events of the game took place in 1991, while Ghostbusters 3 takes place in present day, right? So theoretically the events of the game could still very well have happened in the movie canon.
I'm thinking the game will be broadly canon in that this movie will leave space for it in the timeline, and avoid contradicting the events of the game, but that it will not explicitly reference it other than as an Easter egg.
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#4924784
droidguy1119 wrote: September 26th, 2019, 12:11 pm
SockableClaw wrote: September 26th, 2019, 7:51 am I think it would be fantastic if they made the events of Ghostbusters: The Video Game canon for this movie. I mean, the events of the game took place in 1991, while Ghostbusters 3 takes place in present day, right? So theoretically the events of the game could still very well have happened in the movie canon.
I'm thinking the game will be broadly canon in that this movie will leave space for it in the timeline, and avoid contradicting the events of the game, but that it will not explicitly reference it other than as an Easter egg.
That'd be fine with me. :D
#4926377
I also had this other idea for it. I'm not sure if you all would like it or not but here it is.

What if this new movie took a cue from The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man returned, but this time as a GOOD guy? Good idea? Bad idea? What's your opinion? :)
#4927894
DON'T WANT:

-This to be Stranger Things: The Movie.
-Egon's death to be handled like Jake's death in Blues Brothers 2000, meaning nothing is said about it. Confront it head on with respect and no ghostly CGI Harold Ramis for f*** sake!
-The events of GB1 to be the only ones that matter. Draw material from both movies.
-The OGB's to be just background characters.
-This to be a "back in business" movie. We already had that in GB2.
-Everyone maintaining what happened in 1984 and 1989 to be a hoax. There was too much media coverage to deny it all. The mayor publicly thanked the GB's for their services!
-Any mention of Feigbusters. That thing is not canon and never will be.
-This to be called anything but Ghostbusters III. Guess it's too late for that.
-This movie at all. Sorry to say it but GB3 should have been made in the 90's when everyone was alive and in good enough shape to make another sequel. With how much time has passed, this movie is going to feel far removed no matter what. Ramis' death and Murray's intentional meandering sealed a proper GB3's fate a long time ago.

WANT:
-People to appreciate GB2 more now that it's the last of its kind.
-Winston to be part of the plot as he was in The Video Game.
-Dana's son Oscar to be a GB.
-The original GB song.
-The slime blowers to be used or seen.
-More than one ghost busting scene.
-This to be directed by Ivan. Too late for that too.
-A lot more...
#4931743
Want: Winston to actually use the proton pack to capture a ghost. There was not a single scene in either movie with him partaking in the capturing of a ghost. The second movie didn't even have him use a proton pack...that court room scene was a huge missed opportunity. I mean he showed up at the beginning of the hearing and then randomly disappears.
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#4931758
I'd like to see a great score that rings true of the original. Maybe Elmer's son could do it? Similar to Michael Giachino who did the Rogue One score and I felt he really tapped into early John Williams and his OT score. I'd like to see that as well here. I'd also like to see Paul Rudd become a GB. I had hoped this would occur in the casting news but after learning who his character is and what he does and what I've seen in the trailer...not sure we're gonna get him becoming a GB. Obviously the connection to Egon and the original cast being done well. I'm not saying they need to be in full time but I also don't want a small cameo either. They should be worked into the story, be part of it, guide it and then allow others to go from there. I'd like to see a set up for a sequel with either new teams or finally company franchises getting set up at the end.

I really didn't want to see a 12 year old kid using a full sized pack but that's already been done. I can accept that scene as a one off and maybe she realizes it's simply too much power to stand with so the car seat with straps was a nice solution there. I'm not keen on kids using packs but I'm also not ready to let that ruin the film I've hopefully waited for this long to be ruined by it either.
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#4953084
How about this real-life backstory for Egon's kid? The nerdy guy from Head of the Class recently found out he had a long lost daughter. He gets his girlfriend pregnant around 1980, they break up, she never tells him and puts the baby up for adoption, then 40 years later he finds out about it via a DNA testing web site.

Egon could've passed away, then his estate did DNA testing to look for heirs and they found out this adoption happened. The daughter/grandkids in the movie don't seem to have known Egon, so that would explain why.

https://www.looper.com/369243/the-surpr ... exclusive/

A cousin of his had taken the 23andMe ancestry test, discovered that he had found a previously unknown first cousin via the DNA test, and was following up to learn who it was. That's when the story took a startling turn.

"The email said, 'Dan, you don't know me but when you were much younger you had a brief relationship with...' — she named the birth mother — 'and it produced a child and that is me.' It was a mind-blowing moment." The news got even more stunning for Frischman: his daughter had a 1-year-old son. Arvid from Head of the Class had just discovered he had a child and a grandchild.

"She and I dated for three months," Frischman explains. "After a couple of months she had enough of me...But when she realized she was pregnant, she moved up to her parents' house in upstate California where she had the baby and put it up for adoption to two wonderful parents in Santa Clara. And that baby grew up to be my now 39-year-old daughter Emily."
#4953086
jonogunn wrote: February 27th, 2020, 2:45 pm Want: Winston to actually use the proton pack to capture a ghost. There was not a single scene in either movie with him partaking in the capturing of a ghost. The second movie didn't even have him use a proton pack...that court room scene was a huge missed opportunity. I mean he showed up at the beginning of the hearing and then randomly disappears.
The second movie didn’t have him use a proton pack? All four GB’s hit the slime mould with their proton packs before going to Lady Liberty.

I wonder what Ernie Hudson thought when he first read the Ghostbusters 2 shooting script! “Oh cool! I’m in this movie from the beginning! Ray & I doing kids parties? That must mean I’m 100% one of the guys now & part of the team. Ok let’s turn the page and..ok. No Winston there. Next page. Oh look! Ray’s Occult book store. Awesome I bet I’m in ther…oh. Ok well that’s fine I’m sure they’ll invite Winston along to the investigation. Ok. Ok. So he doesn’t go to Dana’s apartment, that’s fine he didn’t really know her. But when they dig in the street surely Winst—“ 5 pages later. “Here’s Winston! Big court room scene! Here comes the action. The big Ghostbusting set piece—F@!#ING MOTHER F@!#”

It is pretty messed up that he’s not one of the guys in GB2. I get it from the story point of view, Winston is an employee. But come on. Just from the optics alone you’d think they’d know better. It’s like that great shot in GB1 after Ray says the line about overtime and we get that famous dolly in moving camera shot on the GB’s…except Winston is blocked by Ray’s neutrona wand because he’s standing behind the three guys. What were they thinking? Forget the racial implications, just from a shot composition stand point you’d think they’d have Winston stand beside Ray, getting the 4 GB’s in that money shot. But no. Poor Winston is framed out. But the racial issue is important & we as GB fans need to admit that the first two movies really don’t handle it well. And frankly, even behind the scenes it feels like Ernie isn’t part of the team. Remember that article he wrote? When the reboot was announced?

Then there’s the Real Ghostbusters casting issue. They made him audition! And he doesn’t get the part? Can you imagine how embarrassed he must have been? Like the saying goes: it isn’t called “Show Friends” it’s called “show business”.
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#4953095
It's all about star power. If it had been Eddie Murphy, he would've been in all the scenes and shots. Ernie just didn't have any exposure anywhere else at the time like the others to be a box office draw. I need to look at GB1 again while trying to figure out why they added Winston at all. Does he have any important lines or things he does that the other busters couldn't have taken over? He gets to tell the mayor what he's learned as a new employee, and gets to be there as the newbie to justify Ray and Egon explaining a few things about ghostbusting. Janine gets to give the great job interview and get his great comeback, which would have been bad to lose.

I can't recall, but I guess they had a script with 4 ghostbusters in it from the beginning, and probably pushed the introduction of the fourth one back just to be able to streamline it, and give a 25% cut to the first half's dialogue time. Which could be the same reason they cut his time down in part 2. Because if you just have him standing in the scene without any lines, it's worse than not having him there at all. Like Chris Rock said about Franklin in Peanuts, 25 years and not one line.

But there's also the problem in part 2 of what purpose does he serve? In part 1 he had the newbie angle, and the layman everyman angle. But by part 2, you have to assume he's learned a lot about ghostbusting, and can't keep playing the freshman newbie role. But he still wouldn't have the background to be a ghost research expert, especially since the busters had disbanded and he had no incentive to study ghosts. So that made him even more difficult to write in part 2. Given how out-of-shape the others were, he got to fill the role of the "muscle" a little bit, breaking into the darkroom. Muscle is a good complement to the other guys' heart, brains and mouth, but the script wasn't quite action-oriented enough to have a lot of use for muscle. Unfortunately, like everybody else in part 2, he didn't have many memorable lines to further justify his presence. Compared to part 1, where he could've stolen every scene except for the fact that everybody else had great lines too.

There's also a chance that not everyone saw a need for his character in the first place, and just like Ramis wrote out the Janine/Egon love story, he might've wanted to write out Winston if he was allowed to. Given that, as I understand, he was even less in the earlier drafts of GB2. I'm assuming since Dan was all about expanding the Ghostbusters into an interdimensional franchise, he would not have wanted to drop anyone from the meager team he already had. But, ultimately, it comes down to can you find a meaningful purpose for him in the movie, either in the story, or because he's a box office draw that will sell tickets based on his presence alone. Ultimately, in GB2, I was more disappointed that Venkman was disconnected from some of the main action. The fact that he seemed like such a reluctant Ghostbuster this time made him less likable to me.
#4953142
JediJones wrote: August 2nd, 2021, 11:01 am It's all about star power. If it had been Eddie Murphy, he would've been in all the scenes and shots. Ernie just didn't have any exposure anywhere else at the time like the others to be a box office draw. I need to look at GB1 again while trying to figure out why they added Winston at all. Does he have any important lines or things he does that the other busters couldn't have taken over? He gets to tell the mayor what he's learned as a new employee, and gets to be there as the newbie to justify Ray and Egon explaining a few things about ghostbusting. Janine gets to give the great job interview and get his great comeback, which would have been bad to lose.

I can't recall, but I guess they had a script with 4 ghostbusters in it from the beginning, and probably pushed the introduction of the fourth one back just to be able to streamline it, and give a 25% cut to the first half's dialogue time. Which could be the same reason they cut his time down in part 2. Because if you just have him standing in the scene without any lines, it's worse than not having him there at all. Like Chris Rock said about Franklin in Peanuts, 25 years and not one line.

But there's also the problem in part 2 of what purpose does he serve? In part 1 he had the newbie angle, and the layman everyman angle. But by part 2, you have to assume he's learned a lot about ghostbusting, and can't keep playing the freshman newbie role. But he still wouldn't have the background to be a ghost research expert, especially since the busters had disbanded and he had no incentive to study ghosts. So that made him even more difficult to write in part 2. Given how out-of-shape the others were, he got to fill the role of the "muscle" a little bit, breaking into the darkroom. Muscle is a good complement to the other guys' heart, brains and mouth, but the script wasn't quite action-oriented enough to have a lot of use for muscle. Unfortunately, like everybody else in part 2, he didn't have many memorable lines to further justify his presence. Compared to part 1, where he could've stolen every scene except for the fact that everybody else had great lines too.

There's also a chance that not everyone saw a need for his character in the first place, and just like Ramis wrote out the Janine/Egon love story, he might've wanted to write out Winston if he was allowed to. Given that, as I understand, he was even less in the earlier drafts of GB2. I'm assuming since Dan was all about expanding the Ghostbusters into an interdimensional franchise, he would not have wanted to drop anyone from the meager team he already had. But, ultimately, it comes down to can you find a meaningful purpose for him in the movie, either in the story, or because he's a box office draw that will sell tickets based on his presence alone. Ultimately, in GB2, I was more disappointed that Venkman was disconnected from some of the main action. The fact that he seemed like such a reluctant Ghostbuster this time made him less likable to me.
They added Winston so he could be the every man and have things explained to him. Like I said, he’s the audience surrogate.

The star power thing might be true for the first film, but not the 2ND. The 2nd film, The Ghostbusters themselves are the star power. I don’t think there’s any justification for not including him in Dana’s early investigation other than it adds another character to the scenes and the GB’s aren’t back in business, so Winston isn’t an employee. Which I have a bit of an issue with. It makes sense, the guys are doing this as a favour to Dana. Winston works for them.

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