Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy, Freaks and Geeks) takes the helm of this reboot of the beloved 1980’s Sony comedy franchise. Despite some pre-release controversy, this new version of Ghostbusters scares up some really great laughs and delivers a great cast and story.

Let’s just get this out of the way from the start, Ghostbusters (2016) is a really good and funny movie. Paul Feig succeeds in crafting a new franchise of ghostbusters that I want to see have a lot more adventures on the big screen. The existence of this film in no way invalidates the previous Ghostbusters franchise or make it less relevant. The big difficulty with rebooting a beloved film franchise like Ghostbusters lies in approaching the material being adapted with respect to those who love it, but still bringing something new to the table to make the reboot worthy of production. Sony has had some practice in this area; they’re currently in production on the 3rd reboot of Marvel’s Spider-Man because the first two iterations of their webbed hero didn’t quite hit the mark with audiences or critics to varying degrees. Ghostbusters (2016) reinvents the wheel with the franchise in many respects. This is a complete reboot; we have all new characters, a new roster of ghostbusters with a new origin story and a new villain. All of these aspects greatly help this film find its own unique voice and succeed as its own entity.

As the film begins, we are introduced to Kristin Wiig’s character Erin Gilbert. Gilbert is a former paranormal researcher who is on her way to a tenure path as a professor of physics at Columbia University. Gilbert’s path to job security is put into peril when she learns her former partner in paranormal studies Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) has republished a book they wrote on the subject of ghosts and put it up on Amazon.com where its the first thing that comes up on a Google search of her name. Erin confronts Abby, who has set-up a paranormal studies program with eccentric engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). Abby and Jillian are building the types of ghost hunting devices Erin and Abby only theorized about and those devices are put to the test when Erin tells Abby and Jillian of the haunting of a local house museum that first alerted her of Abby’s republishing of her book. The trio encounter an otherworldly presence here that convinces Erin that their previous work in exploring the paranormal is real and worth exploring and the three form of a nascent version of what later becomes the Ghostbusters. Subway worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) looks up their services after she encounters a subway ghost and then throws herself into helping the three as a partner with her knowledge of the city and her uncle’s hearse as the main means of transport for the team, which faces a large and looming threat as laylines of psychic and paranormal energy through the city are being activated by an unknown threat.

Ghostbusters (2016) is a different movie than the 1984 original or its 1989 sequel. While Jillian, Abby, and Patty might be seen as following the archetype of Egon, Ray, and Winston on the surface; that doesn’t prove to be the case. The film subverts the idea of using the previous films as a blueprint. We have a film here where we have 4 characters trying to establish themselves and their field as legitimate, with comedic results. Kate McKinnon is hilarious as Jillian Holtzmann and is undeniably this film’s breakout character. Melissa McCarthy also does a great job as Abby Yates, restraining the physical comedy she is known for primarily to a great fight scene in the 3rd act of the film. Wiig serves as the film’s heart and anchors the film well and Leslie Jones is a great utility player and rounds out this great ensemble with some solid comedy work throughout the film.

But the film’s greatest discovery is that of the comedic chops of Chris Hemsworth. Hemsworth, primarily known as Thor in the Marvel series of films, is the film’s greatest secret weapon in terms of generating laughs. Hemsworth plays Kevin, the Ghostbusters’ receptionist, who becomes a walking, talking punchline making light of bros, hipsters, and how easy good looking people have it in the world. Hemsworth has definitely found a new calling in film; much like Jon Hamm and Jason Statham acquitted themselves as comedic wellsprings in director Paul Feig’s previous films.

There are going to be lots of people who grumble that this isn’t the 3rd Ghostbusters film they envisioned in their brain. For those people, no movie would ever measure up to their expectations and there aren’t any real examples of films where the old crew literally hands over the torch to a new group. Sony was wise to take this approach and free this version of the franchise from any baggage of being tied to the original version. That being said, while the film doesn’t necessarily replicate characters, setpieces, or scares from the original film; it does provide a lot of fan service to fans of the franchise. Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man make prominent appearances in the film in new ways that should please fans of those characters. All FOUR of the original Ghostbusters are present in the film in some way (Bill Murray’s role being the most prominent; while Harold Ramis’ very brief cameo is very touching and respectful of his passing). The ghost designs and special effects in this film are truly amazing, reminiscent in some ways of a cross between Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners by way of Disneyland’s The Haunted Mansion. The realization of some fan favorites like Slimer is also well-done by emulating the style of his popular cartoon version as much as possible while still giving it some CGI texture to make it fit this world. The only thing stopping the film from being truly great are some issues in the film’s final act, where it becomes a little too reminiscent of films like Beetlejuice and tries to emulate the ending of the first Ghostbusters by way of Big Hero 6 to some mixed results. The film really soars when it is playing to its comedy strengths; when it turns into an action film it becomes something that neither the original nor this reboot ever were to its detriment.

Ghostbusters is one of the best comedies of the summer, regardless of its pedigree. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable and hopefully this Ghostbusting crew will be who we’re gonna call for years of adventures to come.