I happened to have a lot of fun when I went to see Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. I thought it was hilarious, and I left the theater bouncing. That said, I understand it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But there’s a huge difference between legitimately not liking the film, and hating on it furiously without ever having watched it, forcing it to justify its mere existence. Honest Trailers does a great job of navigating the murky waters between the two. Check it out in the above video!
Clearly the folks at Honest Trailers weren’t thrilled about the film, calling it Paul Feig’s “B” material. At the same time, they acknowledge that the movie was…okay, and certainly no more or less offensive than the unnecessary Jason Bourne sequel, the Tarzan reboot, or Independence Day: Resurgence — films that were also middling. Yet, those duds didn’t get the vehement fan hate this new Ghostbusters film did. Honest Trailers rightfully points out, “Girls can make middle-of-the-road, studio-mandated franchise bait just as well as the boys!”
And that’s really what any of us who’ve been defending Ghostbusters really wants acknowledged. We’re not saying that you have to like this movie or else you’re sexist. We’re saying that what’s sexist is the double standard of the response to the film. The fact that this film, that stars all women, has to work twice as hard for approval and acceptance, whereas male-led projects get a pass even when they’re bad. People are totally willing to wait until something like Independence Day: Resurgence comes out, see it, call it bad maybe once or twice on the Internet, and move on.
For this film? The cast members were harassed, there was an active campaign against the first trailer for the film to make it “the most hated trailer in YouTube history,” and people were throwing out terms like “feminazi” and “SJW” as if they were candy at a Halloween party.
In any case, thank you to Honest Trailers for being, well, honest while still maintaining a sense of integrity and kindness. And humor, because this shizz was hilarious.
(via Uproxx, featured image via screenshot)
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