It could have gone so many ways. But there are countless genuine great laughs throughout Ghostbusters, which continue the whole film through – the sign of a truly great comedy.

Kate McKinnon is a firecracker who steals every scene with her strange wired energy and lust for explosions, and Chris Hemsworth’s “dumb pretty receptionist” role is a stroke of genius from Feig and Dippold, flipping gender stereotypes to comment on them without us even registering what they’re doing.

As the safety of New York City gets increasingly fraught the fear feels real, and there are plenty of jumps. There is perhaps a need for a stronger grounding of the plot in these moments, but there’s soon another wave of high-action proton gun-shooting to wash away these worries.

Remaking such a classic was always going to be a gamble, but Feig and Dippold manage to establish a perfect balance between referencing the old and leaving their own mark – the use of the original music, fed in subtly throughout the film, is a perfect example of this. Keep your eyes open for plenty of cameos, which err on the side of fun rather than cringe-inducing.

Getting to see four normal-looking women on screen, of all shapes, sizes and colours is rare, let alone seeing them be action heroes who save the day. And Ghostbusters isn’t preachy about it at all – it presents the fact that they’re women as entirely normal, which might be the most revolutionary thing of all.

Snappy jokes, kickass women and great fight sequences all make Ghostbusters a fun-as-hell blockbuster, which you won’t want to miss. It’s a silly, funny, scary romp into the other side, that leaves you grinning with pure joy and marveling at some positive female role models.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Chris Hemsworth

DIRECTOR: Paul Feig 

WRITERS: Katie Dippold & Paul Feig 

SYNOPSIS: Doctors Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates’ scientific theories about the existence of ghosts seem to be proving themselves true, but they must learn to control – as well as understand – the horrors coming through from the other side.