The premiere of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot is still a month and a half away, but one person who has already received a look at the film — original Ghostbusters co-writer and star (and reboot producer) Dan Aykroyd — showered it with praise.
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Aykroyd, who has been championing a reboot of the franchise he helped create for years now, recently shared some of his reactions to a test screening of the new Ghostbusters. While his comments fall in line with what one might expect from someone with a financial stake in the reboot’s success, it’s still interesting to see how far he goes in praising the film — particularly when it comes to comparing it to the beloved 1984 movie that inspired it.
Aykroyd posted his thoughts on the test screening on Facebook in an update published over the weekend.
“As originator of the original: Saw test screening of new movie,” wrote Aykroyd, who serves as an executive producer on the film. “Apart from brilliant, genuine performances from the cast both female and male, it has more laughs and more scares than the first 2 films plus Bill Murray is in it! As one of millions of man-fans and Ray Stantz, I’m paying to see that and bringing all my friends!”
The reboot remains a polarizing project among fans of the original film, so it’s interesting to see Aykroyd fan those flames by suggesting that the upcoming movie is better than the original. At this point, there’s a good chance that a significant portion of the film’s opening weekend audience could be made up of people who want to see for themselves what all the fuss is about — and that might not be a bad thing for the film.
Directed by Feig, the reboot kick-starts a new chapter in the Ghostbusters franchise, with actresses Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Leslie Jones portraying the team or paranormal investigators tasked with saving New York City from a supernatural threat. Thor franchise star Chris Hemsworth plays a supporting role in the film, which is also expected to feature cameos from several original cast members, including Murray and Aykroyd.
Ghostbusters hits theaters July 15.
