She thought all copies had been destroyed, but when Abby emerges online selling it, Erin goes to find her before she destroys her academic career. As a young woman, Erin engaged in psychic research and wrote an impassioned book on the subject with her best friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy).
It's New York, it's now, and physics professional Erin Gilbert (Ms Wiig) is just about to get tenure at Columbia University when an embarrassing episode from her past returns to haunt her. This new version, directed by Paul Feig and starring Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, is at least as good and possibly a little funnier, especially early on, when a handy script and a fine ensemble cast produce some very amusing moments.
I remember seeing the original in the cinema, and being underwhelmed by a trashy and (thanks mainly to Bill Murray) mildly amusing comedy that failed to justify the deafening hype that had preceded it. Secondly, if a remake or reboot is happening, what possible difference does it make whether the ghostbusters are female or male? And thirdly, and I want to underline this point, who cares? Firstly, the outraged speak as though the 1984 original were something perfect and therefore sacrosanct, like 'Battleship Potemkin' or 'Citizen Kane'. I find all this kerfuffle perplexing, for a couple of reasons. How the f*** dare they, lots of people tweeted, posted and blogged, and even the noted film academic Donald Trump got in on the act, saying "and now they're remaking 'Ghostbusters' with all women - what's going on?". Thanks to the gift of social media, outrage now has a 24/7 global platform, and apoplexy levels were off the charts two summers ago when plans were revealed to remake Ghostbusters with an all-female leading cast.