One of us is a hardcore and religious fan of the beloved franchise. And the other has yet to see any of the films but wore licensed Ghostbusters socks they got off ASOS. So yeah, we’re both equally qualified to dissect this film.

While we were incredibly excited to see the reboot, there was definitely a level of nervousness. Before the film was even released, there was an explosive reaction to the all-female lead cast – presumably from sweaty misogynist fans. To this incredibly vocal minority, the number of female characters is what made a movie with vomiting ghosts unrealistic, inauthentic and the final PC straw that was going to break their gatekeeping camel backs. We wanted this film to be good, not just for us but for the representation of women and feminism.

And it did not disappoint. The film itself was incredible. Funny, light, well-paced, well-plotted and just a solid rollercoaster of fun. If we really wanted to, we could probably find the odd flaw and have a go at a few jokes that fell flat; but honestly, those flawed moments didn’t matter because of how enjoyable the big picture was.

But the film itself isn’t the reason why we loved the film. Don’t get us wrong, it was such a good film, but what we got out of it wasn’t just a great story. We left the cinema feeling warm inside. We felt empowered. Here was not just a female cast but a strong female cast. These characters were real people; not just stereotypes. These women excelled in science. There was no forced romantic interest; in fact, there was no romance in it. Yes, they had the token hot guy character in Chris Hemsworth but even he is a real person with hopes, dreams and aspirations. Even though Kirstin Wiig’s character playfully flirts with him, he never flirts back. Every character in the film is written with respect. Even the villain, who is funnily enough personifying all of the meninists that threw shade at the film, is treated with some respect.

Now, we can’t write a review about the new Ghostbusters without talking about the old. The contemporary Ghostbusters pays the right amount to the old, but to be honest, they’re not comparable. The original Ghostbusters is a cult classic that can never be recreated. The new Ghostbusters is a worthy adversary. Rather than waste time thinking about “which is better”, instead see that they’re both incredible comedic masterpieces aimed at different audiences.

To all the butt hurt men who hate on this film, we’re going to say this to you. You don’t own this franchise. The original two films still exist. You can still access them. Your childhood isn’t being ruined, your childhood is over. Deal with it. You are not entitled to a reboot. If you’re pissed off because the new Ghostbusters are women, it’s not because of your loyalty to the original franchise – you just hate women.

The image below encapsulates the reason why this film is so important and why we admire everyone involved with its creation for sticking to their guns.

Look at the love and devotion in those girls’ eyes. Representation matters – they get to look up at a screen and see themselves reflected. That is worth every angry tweet in the world.

We can’t wait for Ghostbusters to be released in cinemas so that we can see it three or four more times. A brilliant piece of feminist comedy art. All the characters are memorable, the film on a whole is seriously enjoyable and we can’t think of a single bad thing to say about it. The only thing better than this movie is the fact that some nerd somewhere (probably named Kevin) is denying themselves of a great experience because they’re definitely afraid of women busting ghosts.

Ghostbusters (2016) will be out July 15.