It’s strange that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire even exists. The franchise spearheaded by Ivan Reitman got an (unfairly) ill-received, all-female reboot in 2016 from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) that made only $226 million on a $144 million budget. Caving to the pressure from toxic trolls who “boycotted” 2016’s Ghostbusters, Sony greenlit a legacy sequel to the original two films from Ivan’s son, writer-director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air). But Ghostbusters: Afterlife made even less than the 2016 movie, $200 million approximately!
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was not without its major flaws, namely a CGI ghost of the late Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler. Despite these hard-to-ignore setbacks, Sony’s legacy sequel still wasn’t too shabby, thanks to its lively cast of newcomers. But because of its $75 million budget, that was apparently enough to make another one. This, at last, brings us to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which is easily the worst of the series. Anything that worked in Afterlife is diluted in a tidal wave of dull nostalgia bait.
Directed by Gil Kennan (2015’s Poltergeist remake) from a screenplay by Kennan and Jason Reitman, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire wants to remind us at every turn that it is, in fact, related to the ’80s Ghostbusters films. The title font is the same. Constant callbacks abound. It’s practically made for adults with fond childhood memories to shout “Look, there’s Slimer! There’s the Mayor from the original! Oh, did they just reference the library ghost? Oh yeah, we’re back in the iconic New York City firehouse.” It’s as shameless and cynical as it gets. Bringing back the surviving original Ghostbusters — Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, and even Annie Potts — is just the cherry on top of a very transparent smoothie.
The story gets constantly hijacked by the need to check back in with the original gang. There’s a way to do this where the classic Ghostbusters have aged into their old roles. But Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), and Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) are practically the exact same characters they were back then. They’re nostalgia bots, here to spit out classic lines and remind the audience of the good old days. Only, they just look tired. Or worse, like they don’t want to be there at all. More than even Spider-Man: No Way Home, the need to tie this movie so firmly to the past comes off as plain sad.
At least we get some cool multi-generational, ghost-busting action, right? Nope. Outside of a few fun comedy moments with a returning Slimer and the mini Staypuft marshmallow men (the less said about the hasty inclusion of the original Library Ghost, the better), Frozen Empire is an ugly movie. Abandoning the tactile, damn-near grounded action of Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the typical CG blockbuster slop moviegoers have come to expect from the Marvel Studios house style that pervades the industry. And to make it worse, it’s done by the same cinematographer who made Afterlife so visually rich, Eric Steelberg. By the time we hit a third act with all sorts of lasers, ghouls, and ice, none of the excitement of any of those elements materializes. It’s entertainment to make the eyes glaze over.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is symbolic of the state of the modern blockbuster. As we hit a transition point where big-budget epics like Dune: Part Two, studio comedies like The Fall Guy, and even nostalgic legacy sequels to ’80s hits like Top Gun: Maverick gain mass appeal, something like this just doesn’t cut it anymore. An unbecoming plea for the attention of a fanbase that really might not be that big (Ghostbuster fans), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire resorts to jingling keys in front of viewers’ faces instead of honing its more vital elements. If this is what the Ghostbusters franchise, or any other for that matter, has to do to stay relevant, then good riddance.
I’m looking forward to seeing this movie, and I’m just glad it’s not yet another “reimagining“ of the original story. We may not like how the story extends… But at least it’s not just a repeat!
Why are they making so many of these movies so close together?
God, Afterlife was already fan service bait to start with, how can this be worse!?
2016 had bad comedy. And these one’s barely even attempt comedy and instead go for a sad heavy coating of nostalgia. It seems that no on in Hollywood can come close to capturing the comedic tone of the original.
What a damn shame. I enjoyed afterlife.
I enjoyed Afterlife so I’ll watch Frozen Empire too.
So just like the other one. Why is anyone surprised by this?
I genuinely haven’t seen any promotional material for this film, nor the previous entry but this seemed pretty obvious from the get-go right?
Does anyone really think they got Murray, Ackroyd or Hudson back because of an amazing script?
Ghostbusters has been creatively bankrupt for years.
Ghostbusters is one of those franchises that perplex me. I know folks adore it and by all means, they are allowed to. I just don’t get the appeal to keep it going this long. The first movie seemed like lightning in a bottle while the rest, while not as good, felt like that eagerness to optimize profits. I guess it has floundered to a new low.
la la la i’m not listening to youuuu
i will love it.
Yeah I don’t know about this one but the all female reboot being ill received was completely deserved. Even though I didn’t love Afterlife, it was a masterpiece compared to that.
Still crazy to me that the newest ghostbusters movies villain is Lissandra from League of Legends
‘Writer-director Gil Kennan also has the gall to try and introduce a new member to the team, Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), who essentially does nothing.”
Acaster deserves better.
Probably the same critics that were praising the awful 2016 movie
People talking about fan service like it’s a bad thing…. I’m a fan, serve me!
I want to know who out there is asking for more ghostbusters? Not once in my childhood, adolescence, or adulthood did i ever once consider this a viable IP worth paying the price of a movie ticket.
Naked gun remake with Liam Neeson (no joke). But I wonder if OJ will be reprising his role?
Critic hates something. Other breaking news: water wet.
Kkkkkkkkooooooookokkkkooooooooop
The title suggests the movie sucks but the article makes it sound rather enjoyable with some issues. I enjoyed Afterlife. I hope this builds nicely upon it
Good thing I never listen to the critics. I always watch all the movies to form my own opinion
I’ll say it, the most interesting modern Ghostbusters was 2016 Ghostbusters.
Although I did like Afterlife
I had a bad feeling about this one.
Yeah, I’m still gonna watch it.
From what I’ve read, reviewers think it’s “too serious, not funny enough for a Ghostbusters movie.”
Whoever thought it was smart to release a snow/ice themed Ghostbusters movie in the end of March needs to be fired.
Can’t wait to see it
All of the sudden sequels are bad?
Why is fan service a bad thing? Isn’t the point of making a movie of a popular franchise to service the fans with what they would want to see?
Would that be like criticizing Batman Returns, Empire Strikes Back, or any Avengers movie because “it makes the fans happy”
Still looking forward to the movie.
I don’t get why any Ghostbusters fans are excited about this one (or the last one). The first movie is one of my favorite comedies. (The second one not so much.) When the trailers for Afterlife were out, it looked like the Ghostbusters iconography and objects shoehorned into a family film with heavy doses of nostalgia bait thrown in. Oh boy! Terror dogs again! Yay! Mini Stay Pufts! And then the samples of the score went up and soooooo many of the cues were just new arrangements of Elmer Bernstein’s music from the original. Oy.
Could it have been more obvious what they were doing? I don’t think so. This just looks like more of the same. I’d much rather it had just died after the second one. Well, in an ideal world, we could’ve gotten one more decent one in the ’90s, but that wasn’t in the cards since Murray and Ramis weren’t on good terms and Murray seemed so over it… which makes his presence in these latest ones even more perplexing!
I’ll stick to watching the original.
I like nostalgia and fan service. Sign me up!
The Ghostbusters with Wiig was complete garbage but I actually somewhat enjoyed Afterlife. I didn’t think it needed another movie but I did think it would have been a great idea for them to venture off into a series that centered around McKenna Grace. I thought she was phenomenal in Afterlife and loved her comedic awkwardness she brought to the table. They could have done it with her and the boy she made friends with, just something geared toward the younger audience. I think they really missed the boat on that option because this movie is going to flop and then it’ll be a wrap for these guys.
I heard they are so bad I don’t even wanna watch the 1st one
I had no idea there was even a ghostbusters movie coming out lol wtf… I didn’t see a single ad for it u til this post now, literally
> The franchise spearheaded by Ivan Reitman got an (unfairly) ill-received, all-female reboot in 2016 from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) that made only $226 million on a $144 million budget. Caving to the pressure from toxic trolls who “boycotted” 2016’s Ghostbusters…
This is some Disney-level gaslighting as to why that film didn’t go over.
They should make an Austin powers movie with the overly reverent tone of these ghostbusters movies
Good grief. Not *another* one. Please, someone make it stop.
Looks like trash
I’m at that age where they are remaking and destroying every film I loved as a child. I’m nervous about the new Beetlejuice as well.
41 comments
It’s strange that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire even exists. The franchise spearheaded by Ivan Reitman got an (unfairly) ill-received, all-female reboot in 2016 from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) that made only $226 million on a $144 million budget. Caving to the pressure from toxic trolls who “boycotted” 2016’s Ghostbusters, Sony greenlit a legacy sequel to the original two films from Ivan’s son, writer-director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air). But Ghostbusters: Afterlife made even less than the 2016 movie, $200 million approximately!
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was not without its major flaws, namely a CGI ghost of the late Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler. Despite these hard-to-ignore setbacks, Sony’s legacy sequel still wasn’t too shabby, thanks to its lively cast of newcomers. But because of its $75 million budget, that was apparently enough to make another one. This, at last, brings us to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which is easily the worst of the series. Anything that worked in Afterlife is diluted in a tidal wave of dull nostalgia bait.
Directed by Gil Kennan (2015’s Poltergeist remake) from a screenplay by Kennan and Jason Reitman, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire wants to remind us at every turn that it is, in fact, related to the ’80s Ghostbusters films. The title font is the same. Constant callbacks abound. It’s practically made for adults with fond childhood memories to shout “Look, there’s Slimer! There’s the Mayor from the original! Oh, did they just reference the library ghost? Oh yeah, we’re back in the iconic New York City firehouse.” It’s as shameless and cynical as it gets. Bringing back the surviving original Ghostbusters — Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, and even Annie Potts — is just the cherry on top of a very transparent smoothie.
The story gets constantly hijacked by the need to check back in with the original gang. There’s a way to do this where the classic Ghostbusters have aged into their old roles. But Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), and Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) are practically the exact same characters they were back then. They’re nostalgia bots, here to spit out classic lines and remind the audience of the good old days. Only, they just look tired. Or worse, like they don’t want to be there at all. More than even Spider-Man: No Way Home, the need to tie this movie so firmly to the past comes off as plain sad.
At least we get some cool multi-generational, ghost-busting action, right? Nope. Outside of a few fun comedy moments with a returning Slimer and the mini Staypuft marshmallow men (the less said about the hasty inclusion of the original Library Ghost, the better), Frozen Empire is an ugly movie. Abandoning the tactile, damn-near grounded action of Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the typical CG blockbuster slop moviegoers have come to expect from the Marvel Studios house style that pervades the industry. And to make it worse, it’s done by the same cinematographer who made Afterlife so visually rich, Eric Steelberg. By the time we hit a third act with all sorts of lasers, ghouls, and ice, none of the excitement of any of those elements materializes. It’s entertainment to make the eyes glaze over.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is symbolic of the state of the modern blockbuster. As we hit a transition point where big-budget epics like Dune: Part Two, studio comedies like The Fall Guy, and even nostalgic legacy sequels to ’80s hits like Top Gun: Maverick gain mass appeal, something like this just doesn’t cut it anymore. An unbecoming plea for the attention of a fanbase that really might not be that big (Ghostbuster fans), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire resorts to jingling keys in front of viewers’ faces instead of honing its more vital elements. If this is what the Ghostbusters franchise, or any other for that matter, has to do to stay relevant, then good riddance.
I’m looking forward to seeing this movie, and I’m just glad it’s not yet another “reimagining“ of the original story. We may not like how the story extends… But at least it’s not just a repeat!
Why are they making so many of these movies so close together?
God, Afterlife was already fan service bait to start with, how can this be worse!?
2016 had bad comedy. And these one’s barely even attempt comedy and instead go for a sad heavy coating of nostalgia. It seems that no on in Hollywood can come close to capturing the comedic tone of the original.
What a damn shame. I enjoyed afterlife.
I enjoyed Afterlife so I’ll watch Frozen Empire too.
So just like the other one. Why is anyone surprised by this?
I genuinely haven’t seen any promotional material for this film, nor the previous entry but this seemed pretty obvious from the get-go right?
Does anyone really think they got Murray, Ackroyd or Hudson back because of an amazing script?
Ghostbusters has been creatively bankrupt for years.
Ghostbusters is one of those franchises that perplex me. I know folks adore it and by all means, they are allowed to. I just don’t get the appeal to keep it going this long. The first movie seemed like lightning in a bottle while the rest, while not as good, felt like that eagerness to optimize profits. I guess it has floundered to a new low.
la la la i’m not listening to youuuu
i will love it.
Yeah I don’t know about this one but the all female reboot being ill received was completely deserved. Even though I didn’t love Afterlife, it was a masterpiece compared to that.
Still crazy to me that the newest ghostbusters movies villain is Lissandra from League of Legends
‘Writer-director Gil Kennan also has the gall to try and introduce a new member to the team, Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), who essentially does nothing.”
Acaster deserves better.
Probably the same critics that were praising the awful 2016 movie
People talking about fan service like it’s a bad thing…. I’m a fan, serve me!
I want to know who out there is asking for more ghostbusters? Not once in my childhood, adolescence, or adulthood did i ever once consider this a viable IP worth paying the price of a movie ticket.
Naked gun remake with Liam Neeson (no joke). But I wonder if OJ will be reprising his role?
Critic hates something. Other breaking news: water wet.
Kkkkkkkkooooooookokkkkooooooooop
The title suggests the movie sucks but the article makes it sound rather enjoyable with some issues. I enjoyed Afterlife. I hope this builds nicely upon it
Good thing I never listen to the critics. I always watch all the movies to form my own opinion
I’ll say it, the most interesting modern Ghostbusters was 2016 Ghostbusters.
Although I did like Afterlife
I had a bad feeling about this one.
Yeah, I’m still gonna watch it.
From what I’ve read, reviewers think it’s “too serious, not funny enough for a Ghostbusters movie.”
Whoever thought it was smart to release a snow/ice themed Ghostbusters movie in the end of March needs to be fired.
Can’t wait to see it
All of the sudden sequels are bad?
Why is fan service a bad thing? Isn’t the point of making a movie of a popular franchise to service the fans with what they would want to see?
Would that be like criticizing Batman Returns, Empire Strikes Back, or any Avengers movie because “it makes the fans happy”
Still looking forward to the movie.
I don’t get why any Ghostbusters fans are excited about this one (or the last one). The first movie is one of my favorite comedies. (The second one not so much.) When the trailers for Afterlife were out, it looked like the Ghostbusters iconography and objects shoehorned into a family film with heavy doses of nostalgia bait thrown in. Oh boy! Terror dogs again! Yay! Mini Stay Pufts! And then the samples of the score went up and soooooo many of the cues were just new arrangements of Elmer Bernstein’s music from the original. Oy.
Could it have been more obvious what they were doing? I don’t think so. This just looks like more of the same. I’d much rather it had just died after the second one. Well, in an ideal world, we could’ve gotten one more decent one in the ’90s, but that wasn’t in the cards since Murray and Ramis weren’t on good terms and Murray seemed so over it… which makes his presence in these latest ones even more perplexing!
I’ll stick to watching the original.
I like nostalgia and fan service. Sign me up!
The Ghostbusters with Wiig was complete garbage but I actually somewhat enjoyed Afterlife. I didn’t think it needed another movie but I did think it would have been a great idea for them to venture off into a series that centered around McKenna Grace. I thought she was phenomenal in Afterlife and loved her comedic awkwardness she brought to the table. They could have done it with her and the boy she made friends with, just something geared toward the younger audience. I think they really missed the boat on that option because this movie is going to flop and then it’ll be a wrap for these guys.
I heard they are so bad I don’t even wanna watch the 1st one
I had no idea there was even a ghostbusters movie coming out lol wtf… I didn’t see a single ad for it u til this post now, literally
> The franchise spearheaded by Ivan Reitman got an (unfairly) ill-received, all-female reboot in 2016 from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) that made only $226 million on a $144 million budget. Caving to the pressure from toxic trolls who “boycotted” 2016’s Ghostbusters…
This is some Disney-level gaslighting as to why that film didn’t go over.
They should make an Austin powers movie with the overly reverent tone of these ghostbusters movies
Good grief. Not *another* one. Please, someone make it stop.
Looks like trash
I’m at that age where they are remaking and destroying every film I loved as a child. I’m nervous about the new Beetlejuice as well.