I'm gonna get this first part done and dusted, so it's well and truly out of the way.
I really don't need, or want, a new Ghostbusters movie in any way, shape or form. It has nothing to do with an all-female cast (full gender-swap would be a more accurate phrasing). In fact, the idea of gender reversal is quite an interesting gimmick and could spawn something unique.
So...
The original Ghoatbusters was, and remains a classic supernatural comedy, lead by a great ensemble cast. Then the second movie came out and was focused on being a more family-friendly fare; and it suffered for it critically and commercially. By no means a failure, but another piece of evidence for the "sequels are never as good" argument.
Then in comes a new Ghostbusters movie. We learn that it's gonna be an all-female cast and that its gonna be in a completely different universe to the original movies.
Aside from not needing or wanting a new Ghostbusters movie, the early information sounded intriguing and a potentially exciting idea.
Then we learned things that quickly turned me off the project more; chief among them was that Melissa McCartney was one of the roles. I'm sorry but I don't find her funny in the slightest. I know I'm in the minority but that's personal taste for ya.
(Incidentally, as this is a Ghostbusters opinion piece, I'm gonna use "gonna" and "ya" because it's funny and kinda fitting, so there).
We then learned that many of the original Ghostbusters would be making cameos. More warning signs.
Finally they released their first trailer. Major issues erupt.
What is this movie? We've been hearing from the beginning of film production that they are not making it as a sequel and it's a fresh start. But the very first thing they show us in a poorly produced trailer with sub-par CGI effects is a huge nostalgia bomb. "30 Years Ago...". What? That's directly against what the production has been spouting from the start. They have set it in the original universe apparently.
Then we get the firehouse and shots of the Ghostbusters logo graffitied in a subway.
Plus a jazzed up version of the original theme.
This leads to many questions which will hopefully be suitably answered in the movie.
1) Why are they leaning so heavily into nostalgia?
2) Why get so many of the original cast back, and not have them reprise their roles?
3) Who is this movie targeted at?
4) What is the reason for the gender-swap casting?
So what should this movie be or how should it tell its story to satisfy the audience, or more accurately satisfy me?
Sinply put, this movie should be about the "changing of the guard".
Why haven't they positioned this movie in a similar way to Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
The Force Awakens needed to be a hit to bring the Star Wars brand back into the good books of the audience after a trilogy of disappointment.
Well Ghostbusters hasn't exactly been a "thing" for a long time. Certainly in the live-action environment and even then, it's last outing was a disappointment.
So, how to make Ghostbusters a thing again and for a new audience?
A soft relaunch of the brand where the focus is on the new crew, but you have the old guard there to effectively do the heavy-lifting when it comes to world-building. There's a certain amount of grace given in these instances. For example, Han Solo simply saying, "The Force, the Jedi, it's true. All of it" is enough and you accept what comes.
There doesn't seem to be that in Ghostbusters. Granted this is their first trailer and I'm certain now that this movie is not tailored for me as a target consumer. But it's disappointing so many people that there is now an even bigger mountain of negativity for this movie to climb.
They should have gone balls to the walls, brazen statement trailer of, "This is us! We're doing something new and awesome! Deal with it!". Then when it got people talking and positively questioning what the movie is about rather than who the movie is for, that's when you drop a nostalgia trailer. "We showed you why this movie needed to be made. Now we're showing you that we haven't forgotten the roots of this franchise.".
This movie is not for original Ghostbusters fans. 100% guaranteed at this point. So why not own that and carve a new audience?
I never want to see movies fail because I love great entertainment and success breeds success. But this movie is being butchered by poor production marketing management and it's only making the sell that much harder.
Similar things happened to John Carter. The trailers for that movie were not great (and I admit that even though I loved everything I saw and am a huge fan of the source material - it's a hugely underrated movie too). The. A fan-made trailer came out and it pointed out why the movie was relevant and it helped slowly change audience perception.
A fan-cut version of Ghostbusters released quickly after and it was a much better "first trailer" for the movie.
You only get one first impression and they bumbled this one.
UPDATE: The international trailer dropped today and there is a heavier focus on Chris Hemsworth and I will honestly say that there were two moments in the new trailer that made me laugh. But I'm still not sold on the movie.