A huge swing and miss that fails to conjure laughs or spook up scares, Ghostbusters is unable to live up to the expectations that its talented cast and filmmaker bring with them.

Let’s put aside that Ghostbusters is a remake/reboot of a beloved classic. From Ben-Hur to The Departed, remakes have been around for a long time and will continue to be made no matter the backlash.

No, let’s focus on what’s important here: during this time when American comedy has hit its lowest point, writer/director Paul Feig has constantly brought the funny. From Bridesmaids, to The Heat, to Spy, the spectacled suit wearing Michigan native and Freaks and Geeks creator has yet to deliver a dud… until now. It’s hard to put a finger on what went wrong with Ghostbusters, but there is no doubting that this attempt at rebooting the classic 1984 supernatural comedy is all kinds of bad, neither funny, scary, or in any way memorable save for its capacity to bring on cringes at a record rate.

It truly is a shame. Outside of Feig, Ghostbusters is a film that stars a talented assemblage of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as three scientists and one streetwise subway worker (think of that what you will), who team up to take on a scourge of unwelcome paranormal agitators wreaking havoc on New York City.

Much like the 1984 original, Ghostbusters has a strong connection to Saturday Night Live, with Wiig, Jones and McKinnon (the current MVP of the series) all prime players. Usually such background would be a strength, yet lacking is any sense of camaraderie or (surprisingly, frustratingly) the improvisational comedy skills needed to elevate Feig and Katie Dippold’s script filled with tacky, lowbrow gags saved for an Adam Sandler movie.

Indeed, tone is the enemy living within Ghostbusters. From its tech babble filled dialogue, to its artificial environment (New York City never felt so fake), to its gaudy use of colour in key VFX scenes that would make Joel Shcumacher’s Batman films look like gothic masterworks, a tacky feeling resides all over Ghostbusters much like the slime that coats the characters on screen.

Worst yet is the lack of stakes at play. Here are a group of heroes eager to save the world, yet the threat they face is an oddity in casting and motive. Never once is there a moment of intrigue nor an inkling of concernment for the characters or their predicament.

Combined with a concerning lack of laughs and a chemistry so non-existent that its practically a spectre itself, and Ghosbusters is one bust of a reboot.