Ghosts in New York cause great fear.

Why did they suddenly appear?

Will four ghostbusters solve this case?     

Or is the danger too much to face?   

Ghosts must beware of women now.

At least of four who take a bow

for fighting ghosts with few flusters,

showing courage in Ghostbusters.

These ladies take charge of the screen

and perform tricks we’ve never seen.

But I wanted more laughs, poor me,

along with ghostly sights to see.

Hemsworth provides the most fun

and steals the show when he is done.

His presence makes this movie shine;

more than special effects, he’s fine.   

What a treat to watch a remake that’s almost as good as the original film!  Ghostbusters (2016) is one of those movies. Now fans of the 1984 offering can breathe a little easier. Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones make a wonderful Ghostbusters quartet. They project such fabulous energy -- and definitely convince us of the group’s close friendship bond.

Although I expected their acting to evoke more loud laughter, it pleased me to see these talented women working together so well. McCarthy does a great job as the paranormal “scientist” holding the group together; Wiig delivers a more sober turn as a professor in trouble; McKinnon wows us with the physicality of her nuclear engineering genius; and Jones is delightful as an enthusiastic subway worker who knows a lot about The Big Apple’s history.

Surprisingly, it’s Chris Hemsworth (Thor) who gets most of the laughs. Who knew he could be so funny? He plays Kevin, an eye-candy secretary to the Ghostbusters. “Kevin is like a Ken doll with everything inside scooped out,” McKinnon says in a Kevin Featurette. Kevin has trouble with the phones and wears glasses with no lenses (because “they always get dirty”). But he’s handsome and fun, so no one wants to fire him. And just wait till you see his dancing as the end credits roll! That’s my favorite part of this Ghostbusters romp. I wish Hemsworth did more dancing throughout the film.

Now, about those ghosts. They probably look better in 3-D, but my husband and I saw the digital version because my eyes don’t adjust to 3-D. There are awesome ghosts of all shapes and sizes -- scary ones, silly ones, puffy ones, beautiful ones, ugly ones, slimy ones. And the apocalyptical finale comes across like a special effects extravaganza, which -- sorry to say -- goes on a bit too long.             

Thanks to director Paul Feig (Spy, Bridesmaids) for staying true to the spirit of the original Ghostbusters and for including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver in welcome cameos. Have fun, dear reader, looking for those actors from the 1984 blockbuster! I also appreciate the remake’s dedication to the late Harold Ramis.    

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated “PG-13”for supernatural action and some crude humor.)

For more information about Ghostbusters, go to the IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes website.