SCIFIHISTORY.NET
  • MAINPAGE
  • About
  • Reviews
  • December
  • November
  • October
  • September
  • August
  • July
  • June
  • May
  • April
  • March
  • February
  • January

Stardate 02.14.2022.A: In Memoriam - Ivan Reitman

2/14/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Longtime readers of SciFiHistory.Net will know that I'm always warning about how difficult it is to effectively combine the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy along with Comedy.

Don't get me wrong: I appreciate every attempt (well, for the most part I do).  My point has always been that humor is a difficult concept, that what's funny varies widely from person-to-person, and that sometimes jokes fall flat as audiences are already psychologically working a 'suspension of disbelief' in order to accept whatever premise the genre project deals with.  I'd almost suggest that it's easier to leave the comedy aside and focus on what remains.

But, thankfully, some directors truly have a handle on the two themes working in unison; and I think Ivan Reitman was one of the greats.  He was able to martial the talents of Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray to bring not one but two Ghostbusters projects to cinematic life (sorry, folks, but I gotta be honest and admit that I hated the second one), setting that veritable franchise on the path to greatness that its worldwide fans always knew it could achieve.

​Perhaps some of the man's ease at combining material with humor is owed to the fact that he worked with Murray previously on two comic gems: Meatballs (1979) and Stripes (1981) were definitely crowd-pleasing films, so having those trips to the silver screen in one's tool bag certainly put the man in good stead.  I can't tell you the number of times I've watched both of those -- especially back in the day -- and they're brilliant comedies.

Still, Reitman's contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy don't stop there.

As a producer, he helped no less than Horror master David Cronenberg bring his Shivers (1975) to chilling fruition.  The two followed that curious project up with another, Rabid, in 1977.  In 1981, he produced Heavy Metal, the big screen anthology-style adaptation of the popular comic book of the age, one that combined stories of Horror, SciFi, and Fantasy for audiences hungry for that kind of thing.  In 1983, he turned his eyes toward getting Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone in front of audiences; and those of us who discovered the flick's B-Movie charm still love the tale today.

Last -- but certainly not least -- I think it bears mentioning that he joined forces with his son, Jason Reitman, to bring one of 2021's best silver screen surprises to life with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  The film -- unlike his previous work on the failed 2016 reboot -- returned the franchise to the place it always should've been.  Fans of the franchise owe the man a debt of gratitude that will never be repaid.  What a way to go out on an illustrious career.

Alas, none of us lasts forever; and word reached me this morning of his passing.  Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Ivan Reitman.  May they find a bit of peace knowing what great joy he brought to so many with his time on Earth.

-- EZ
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Reviews
    ​Archive
    ​

    Reviews

    birthdays
    Archive
    ​

    January
    February
    March
    April
    May
    June
    July
    August
    September
    October
    November
    December

    mainpage
    ​ posts

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly