It definitely will not be Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott ever again to revamp the theme song for the 2016 remake of the 1980’s classic Ghostbusters.
It has always proven to be a challenge to remake a successful film, especially one that has so strongly resonated in popular culture. This is the case for Ghostbusters, which does not seem to have impressed the myriad of fans of the original. In fact, the film received more negative than positive reviews, making the first trailer one of the most disliked ever to be released on Youtube.
Who you gonna call?
Why all the hate? Firstly, it is debatable whether or not the classic should have been rebooted in the first place. Keeping the golden principle “never change a winning team” in mind, perhaps the blockbuster hit should have remained untouched. Secondly, the all-female cast starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon has shocked and angered numerous fans. Many feel that the new ‘girl power’ aspect unnecessarily indulges the Feminist movement, compromising the loyalty to the original. They have even gone as far to pull the (counter) sexism card, feeling that men were excluded from the main cast only because they were men.
The controversy and significant hate was not limited to the movie itself but spilled into its theme song that has left many feeling utterly horrified. According to the Sunday Morning Herald, Oregon Live described the song as “painful as a karate kick”. If there were any aspirations that it would compete with the Ray Parker Jr. version, which topped the US charts for three weeks and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, those dreams have long since been put to bed. If they have not already, as far as Consequences of Sound is concerned, they definitely should be.
The song was torn to shreds on the New York Times’ The Playlist, which scrutinized every aspect from the producers, Fallout Boy’s performance, Missy Elliott’s lyrics to the hodge-podge transition from rock to hip-hop that left critics feeling rather unsettled.
It is still too early to tell how the film will do at the box office as it has yet to be released. What can be said is that all the publicity it is generating will have people talking about it for a while and may even influence more movie watchers to buy their ticket to the July release. According to Tom Rothman, the chairperson of Hollywood studio Sony Pictures Entertainment’s motion picture group, the national debates the film has stirred is one of the best things that could have happened.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald