Ghostbusters (1984) The first 20 minutes or there abouts

Ghostbusters (1984)

I thought I'd take a look at this classic.   It's one of my favorites in this genre.  True, the special effects are looking a little dated.  But the movie can still hold its own against pretty much anything that's made in this genre (comedy/fantasy) today.

We start with the Columbia Pictures logo and the eerie music to start with.

The film FADES IN on an external shot of the New York Public Library and pans down to the lion.  I believe the two lions that sit outside the library are named Patience and Fortitude and they're made out of marble.  From what I gather, if I remember correctly from the DVD commentary, there was some building work going on and that's why there's scaffolding on the outside.

Showing the lion could be seen as some kind of foreshadowing of the two Terror Dogs that appear near the end of the movie.  But I'm jumping way ahead.

At around 40 seconds into the movie.  We see the Librarian collecting books.   At around 1 minute, the Librarian heads downstairs to the basement.  At around 1 minute 20 seconds, the Librarian makes her way along an aisle and the books move from shelf to shelf.  This sets up the tone of the movie and what's to come.  Usually this doesn't happen in libraries as far as I know.

The Librarian goes about her business.  At 1 minute 50 seconds the fun starts with the index cards exploding out of the drawers.  I think they used jets of gas to do this.  It's a neat little effect.

At around 2 minutes, the Librarian notices these cards and decides to run into the aisles.  Not sure why she doesn't run back up the staircase, but anyway.  She pegs it.

At 2 minutes 25 seconds or there abouts, the Ghostbusters logo kicks in and the theme song is sung by Ray Parker Jr. You can't miss it.  Iconic.

At 2 minutes 40 seconds, we're introduced to Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray).  Sets up his character perfectly as a womaniser.   Likes trying it on with the students.

The Blonde can do no wrong.  The guy has no chance.   Even when he gets one right:

After the beautiful female student has guessed 5 out of 5 cards right while he has "none"; actually he has one.

MALE STUDENT
What are you trying to prove here, anyway?

DR. PETER VENKMAN
I'm studying the effects of negative reinforcement on ESP ability.

MALE STUDENT
The effect?  I'll tell you what the effect is, it's pissing me off!

At around 5 minutes 20 seconds we're introduced to Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd).   He storms in and tells Venkman about what's happened at the library.  Venkman isn't really interested, he's more interested in the girl.   Again, sets up his character.  He's supposed to be a scientist.  You'd think he'd be a little more enthusiastic.

At around 7 minutes in, we're introduced to Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) checking out a library table.  He's definitely the geek of the three.

See how the introductions of the characters have been spread out over the course of several minutes.

They go and see the Librarian who explains what happened and Dr. Venkman asks some unorthodox questions.

We get the classic line.

DR. PETER VENKMAN
Back off, man.  I'm a scientist.

At 8 minutes 30 seconds, the intrepid three head down to the basement.  Well, Peter Venkman doesn't seem all that convinced as he laggs behind.

What we have here are more scenes setting up the tone of the movie and what's to come.  At around 8 minutes 50 seconds they find the books stacked on top of each other.

DR. PETER VENKMAN
You're right, no human being would stack books like this.

He's going to need more convincing.

They then head to the index cards and find the ectoplasmic residue.

At around 10 minutes 5 seconds the bookcase falls down behind them as they make their way along an aisle.

Ray and Venkman continue along the aisle following Egon glued to his PKE Meter.  At around 10 minutes 40 seconds they come upon the Old Lady Ghost ( full torso apparition) wearing a purple dress.

This gets Venkman's attention:

In front of the library ghost, their first ghost sighting.

DR. PETER VENKMAN
So... what do we do?

Egon and Ray stare at each other in silence.  Peter grabs Ray's ear.

DR. PETER VENKMAN
Would you come over here, please?  That's it, c'mere
Francine.  What do we do?

Egon pulls out a calculator and starts punching in numbers.  Peter slaps the machine out of Egon's hand.

DR. PETER VENKMAN
STOP THAT!

At around 12 minutes, they try to unsuccessfully capture the ghost.

At around 13 minutes, Venkman asks Egon if he's serious about catching ghosts.

After the university throws them out, Venkman and Ray decide to go into business.  At 15 minutes, they visit the site that will become the headquarters of the Ghostbusters.

DR. RAY STANTZ
Wow.  This place is great.  When can we move in?
You gotta try this pole.  I'm gonna get my stuff.  Hey.
We should stay here.  Tonight.  Sleep here.  You know, to try it out.

At around 17 minutes into the movie, we're introduced to Dana Barett (Sigourney Weaver) as she arrives at her apartment building.

Dana tries to sneak towards her apartment entrance, only to be confronted by Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) haha.   He's a bit of a health nut.

He tells her that her TV has been on.  Which is a little odd as she didn't leave it on.

Around the 18 minute 36 second mark we see the first Ghostbusters TV commercial.  A little foreshadowing here.

A great scene here with the eggs and the foreshadowing of Mr. Stay Puft with the marshmallows on the counter.

Dana hears the growls from the refridgerator and opens it up at around 20 minutes and 10 seconds and sees one of the Terror Dogs.

TERROR DOG
Zuul!

Ray arrives with the soon to be Ectomobile at the Ghostbusters headquarters at around 20 minutes 30 seconds.

We're introduced to Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) at around 21 minutes as Venkman steps into his office.

At around 22 minutes the A and B stories cross as Dana Barett comes to see the Ghostbusters.  She meets Venkman.

And that's where I must leave it.

I've heard a rumor that they're trying hard to get a third one off the ground.  I'm not sure which way they'll take the story.  But it would be great to see the team take on a new or maybe a familiar adversary.  Or both.

Bring back Mr. Stay Puft.

Personally I'd have a new team of university drop outs who get booted out of university because of something one of them does.  This gets them all kicked off campus.  You have your stereotypes, the science geek, the womaniser, rich kid etc.   One of them is the grandson of the Manager of the Sedgewick Hotel where the Ghostbusters first encountered Slimer.  He tells his buddies about the stories his grandfather used to tell him about the Ghostbusters growing up.  How they came to the hotel that night etc.  He's a bit obsessed with the Ghostbusters.

The one that got them booted out of university decides to help them start up their own ghostbusting business.   Probably the rich kid.  He owes them, decides to help them out.  Unfortunately things go wrong when they release a few ghosts and they have to seek out the original Ghostbusters to help them out.  They have to track down the original Ghostbusters who disbanded a long time ago and convince them to get back together. 

The original team trains them in the art of ghostbusting and shows them how it should be done. 

DR. RAY STANTZ
I think we'd better split up.

DR. EGON SPENGLER
Good idea.

DR. PETER VENKMAN
Yeah... we can do more damage that way.

Introduce some new gadgets that Ray and Egon designed but never had the chance to use as they all went their separate ways.  While all this is going on, some badass ghost turns up in The Big Apple and reaks havoc.

Let the fun and games begin.

Something like that.

I just wish that they'd get on with it.

And get the original cast on board.  All of them.  That includes Bill Murray.  Because it won't be the same if the original cast aren't in it.