The Biggest Plot Holes In Ghostbusters
It was only inevitable that fans and critics would have their claws at the ready when the new Ghostbusters film hit theaters, but most people still seem to have enjoyed the film. That said, no one is claiming that it's without its share of problems, and we've rounded up a few of them for you here. Oh, and just in case you didn't already know: there will be spoilers.
Why didn't everyone already know that Erin wrote a book about paranormal phenomena?
When we first meet Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), she's teaching at Columbia University, but within seconds of her introduction, we find out that she once wrote a book about the existence of paranormal phenomena. When confronted with it, she initially tries to deny that she's the author but begrudgingly concedes the point, and upon finding out that the book has found its way back into print, promptly sets off to get her co-author, Dr. Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), to yank it from any further publication, fearing that her academic reputation might be damaged.
Setting aside the question of how quickly Erin did her 180-degree turn from "ghosts are real" to "just kidding," does this new Ghostbusters movie take place in a universe that doesn't have the internet? Even if the book had been out of print for awhile, it's not like its existence was completely erased, so it's hard to imagine no one had ever approached Erin—who clearly hadn't changed her name—about it at any point prior to when Ed Mulgrave (Ed Begley, Jr.) stops by to ask for her help. Similarly, what are the odds that Columbia wouldn't have done some sort of background check and found out about it? Pretty slim, we're thinking.
How did Rowan North build his gigantic ghost machine?
First of all, meet Neil Casey, a very funny guy who gets a chance to be super creepy as the film's resident villain, Rowan North. Now, as to the question at hand, it's actually twofold. First of all, you'd think that anyone in the building would've been at least a little bit concerned about the highly disconcerting dude who we can only presume must've been constantly carrying weird stuff down into the basement. After he got everything down there, he had to put all the pieces together, which couldn't have been a quiet process. Did no one hear anything? Plus, the thing is enormous, and it's not exactly what you'd call inconspicuous, so how did no one stumble onto it at any point? But let's not gloss over the other part of the question: what were the mechanics involved in building this behemoth? Big surprise: that's never really clarified.
How is it possible that only one person applied for the receptionist job?
Don't get us wrong, Chris Hemsworth is pretty hilarious as Kevin, the Ghostbusters' incredibly dumb receptionist, but we're still a little startled by Abby's offhanded remark that he was the only person to apply for the job. Wait, what? A receptionist job in New York City and the only person to apply is a guy we're not even 100% convinced was able to read the ad in the first place? It's a film revolving around the busting of ghosts, and yet this might be the least plausible thing in it.
When exactly did Holtzmann have time to come up with all of her wonderful toys?
It's obvious Holtzmann is one smart cookie, but there's "smart," and then there's "suddenly producing an arsenal of weapons." Thing is, we know she hadn't planned for any ghostbusting, and we also never saw her disappear for any extended period of time, so when could she possibly have whipped up this weaponry?
Where did the Ghostbusters get the money to rent their headquarters or build their equipment?
Yes, we know Abby and Holtzmann stole some of the equipment from their previous employer, and we'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they're responsible adults who had some money squirreled away in a savings account just in case they might someday need to rent a place over a Chinese restaurant, but...well, look, we've tried really hard not to throw the original Ghostbusters back in their face, but at least that film took the time to offer a scene where Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) put a third mortgage on the house his parents left him in order to get the business started.
So the NYPD is just going to give the Ghostbusters a pass on the death of Dr. Martin Heiss, then?
The studio has played things remarkably close to the vest in terms of the original Ghostbusters cast members and how they're cameoing in the new flim, so this is the closest we're choosing to come in regards to a photo of Bill Murray's character, Dr. Martin Heiss—the ghost debunker who gets proof that ghosts really do exist, only to have one send him hurtling out a window to his death. Ouch! But now what? The guy's dead, they know that he died as a result of flying out of a window in the Ghostbusters' headquarters, and it's not like they can prove that a ghost did it. Plus, we're led to believe that Heiss was a pretty high-profile guy. How exactly is that going to be swept under the rug?
So are we seeing the ghosts of Times Square Ads Past?
While it admittedly looks pretty cool during the big battle in Times Square to see billboards for Taxi Driver and The Snake People as well as various shops and products that haven't been around for ages, we weren't quite clear on what was happening there. Was it time displacement? Were the ads ghosts of their former selves? We know sometimes you're supposed to just shut up and enjoy the way something looks without having to have an explanation for why it looks that way, but still.
Most convenient rescue line ever
We'll close with this one, because we still can't believe it. In the final minutes of the film, when Rowan snatches Abby and drags her into the portal with him, Erin grabs a conveniently located rescue line and jumps in to save her. She's falling like Butch Patrick in the opening credits of Lidsville, but she finally manages to make her way to Abby and clutches her hand just as the line conveniently reaches the end of its length. Great news, right? And here's even better news: despite the speed at which the portal is closing, they conveniently manage to be pulled back through just before it snaps shut. We understand the need for a dramatic climax and a callback to the fact that Erin left Abby behind earlier in their lives, but at least try to construct something that feels vaguely plausible, huh?