'Light 'em up!' Erin Gilbert screams as she and her new team of spirit chasers face off against the biggest threat New York has ever seen. Earlier this morning, we got our first official look at the Ghostbusters reboot with the exciting new trailer. Now, we get a featurette that goes behind-the-scenes and delves into the real science on display in this reboot of the 1984 classic, starring comedy heavyweights Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, in theaters this summer.
The Ghostbusters trailer actually contains a hidden URL that directs fans to ParanormalStudiesLab.com. This viral site for the movie has debuted with new photos of Ghostbusting equipment. This site also arrives with blueprints and schematics, along with an exclusive sneak peek. About the movie and its science, director Paul Feig had this to say.
"Our film centers on Erin and Abby, who have spent many years together researching and getting into the science of ghosts."
Most of this special preview features resident Particle Physicist James Maxwell. He goes deep into what makes the new Proton Packs work. And he shows off the real science behind bringing these fantastical weapons to life. Technically, everything we are seeing on screen would work in the real world. He explains the methods behind this madness, which pay homage to the original Ghostbusters as much as possible.
"The first thing they asked me was how a proton pack would work. With as few huge leaps of miraculous science as possible. Of course I remembered from the first Ghostbusters that they used the Cyclotron. With the Cyclotron, you have two huge electrodes. Your particle starts in the middle and spirals outward, gaining speed. So i think, this is now. When you use a synchrotron, they are no longer spiraled, you can actually vary the magnetic field in a ring. Well, in order to have a synchrotron, you're probably going to have to be super-conducting, because you are going to need very high magnetic fields. You're going to be compacting, so you will need a super-conducting magnet. Which means you probably have to have some cryogens. So you need a source of liquid helium to keep the magnets cold. Let's put a cryo-cooler in there to get some active cooling. Particle excelerators are real. Super Conducting magnets are real. The big leap of faith is doing it in the space that is allowed. It's generally fun to look at the cool ideas the writers come up with. You have to try and say, 'Okay, that's a cool idea. How about you do this?' And it would sound a little better?"
Watching just the trailer, you will notice an immense amount of detail has gone into creating a realistic world for Ghostbusters 2016. The filmmakers wanted everything grounded in reality. And this meant bringing in some big guns from MIT. James Maxwell further explains all the intense work that went into creating this rebooted universe.
"One of my colleagues at MIT, she's been working with them rather closely to ensure that the blackboards and all the papers that you see strewn around the laboratory are accurate. They did a spectacular job with the set dressing and the props. It's really fun to see."
Such finite detail demands repeat viewing. Which could make Ghostbusters one of the biggest hits at the box office this summer. Check out this special sneak preview, followed by the weapons and blue prints. What do you think? Are you getting more excited for this all-female Ghostbusters? Or are you still against the reboot? Sound off in the comment section below.
