10 telling freeze-frames from the new 'Ghostbusters' trailer
Have you been watching the debut trailer for director Paul Feig's Ghostbusters on repeat since it first surfaced online? We sure have.
There's not much there in the way of plot revelations -- which is a good thing -- but a closer look reveals lots of details tucked away in each scene. We've picked out 10 moments to zero in on here, but let us know what else you spot in the comments below.
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The firehouse is back...
The original Ghostbusters' iconic base of operations is a creaky, old firehouse in downtown Manhattan. It's the same one that appears in the opening moments of the trailer.
Why is it here? Do the new Ghostbusters eventually make Hook & Ladder 8 their home, just like their predecessors? That could be the case, though it seems they don't initially start out there.
...but the new 'Busters are in a Chinese restaurant?
The trailer certainly gives the impression that the Hook & Ladder 8 firehouse plays a role in this reboot, but it also makes clear that the new foursome is, at some point, based in a Chinese restaurant.
You might recall that the original Ghostbusters have a connection to Chinese food as well. In the original movie, Ray, Egon and Pete celebrate their first job when they spend petty cash -- "the last of the petty cash" -- on a magnificent Chinese feast.
Ecto-1 is for the dead
The first crew of Ghostbusters rode around in an old-timey ambulance that Ray foolishly purchased for too much money. The new Ghostbusters ride around in an old-timey Cadillac hearse that Patty (Leslie Jones) borrowed from her uncle.
The hearse actually makes a more sense, when you think about it.
Shared first ghost problems
The memorable opening scene of the original Ghostbusters took the then-unofficial spook hunters to the New York Public Library, where a phantom was haunting the stacks underground.
The above scene from the trailer seems to mirror that first encounter. For one, it looks like to be the first run-in Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon have with a specter. And while the incident seems to play out in some kind of museum, there are similarities in the way Wiig's character -- the reboot's Ray Stantz stand-in -- and Ray approach the situation.
Janky, homemade proton packs
We've seen the reboot's proton packs before in promo images, but the one pictured in the trailer really drives home the origin story nature of Feig's reboots. This looks like something McKinnon's character cobbled together out of spare parts she found in the garage.
Is that a new kind of trap?
The shoebox-shaped trap that the original Ghostbusters used is easily recognizable, with its yellow-and-black-striped opening and a trailer cord that leads to the activation foot pedal.
We haven't caught a glimpse of those old traps in the reboot yet, but this clip from the trailer shows what appears to be a new trap, complete with a hinged jaw that closes like a bear trap.
And there's a proton chain gun?!
Look at the table in the shot above. Is the long, multi-barrel apparatus sitting right next to the suspected new trap some sort of proton chain gun?
This Ghostbusters reboot seems like it'll have a wider range of ghost-busting toys than the originals did.
We'll never forget you, Louis Tully
Rick Moranis opted against coming back for a Ghostbusters reboot cameo, but his spirit lives on in the funky, wired-up helmet that McCarthy wears in the trailer. It's similar to the one a Vinz Clortho-fied Tully wore in the original, though the older one is much more obviously a colander with wires attached to it.
Hopefully Moranis sees the reboot and gets nostalgic enough to return for a cameo in the seemingly inevitable reboot sequel.
Slimer. Is. Back.
The lovable spook that so memorably slimed Venkman in the original film makes a return in this reboot. Get hyped, 'Busters.
Janine Melnitz is back, too (OK, not really)
Annie Potts memorably played Ghostbusters receptionist Janine Melnitz in the original film. Feig's gender-bending reboot also gives the team's 2016 receptionist a Y chromosome, with Marvel hero Chris Hemsworth fielding calls.
He also seems to suit up and break into a sealed crime scene at some point, as his only appearance in the trailer suggests.
What happened to Times Square?
Watch this scene carefully. Forget about the ghosts, and note the billboards in the background instead. See how Times Square transforms, seemingly venturing back in time?
It looks like the reboot's time stream might get all messed up. Billboards for Taxi Driver, The Who's Tommy and Isle of the Snake People advertise movies released in 1976, 1975 and 1971, respectively. The Tommy billboard could be for a Broadway production, but that show didn't come to Broadway until 1993.
What does it all mean? The debut trailer is blessedly short on details. Let's hope Feig and his crew can keep it that way until Ghostbusters hits theaters on July 15.
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Topics Film
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
