GHOSTBUSTERS: Frozen Empire (2024) Review
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2024
- My thoughts on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
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I feel like Ghostbusters is stuck in the same position as a lot of these franchises like Jurassic Park, Men In Black or Terminator where the sequels often just do the same plot as the first film but struggle to move things forward.
First film was great and unique but what is the next story that needs to be told. Having the Ghostbusters fight a new Gozer type threat isn't a new story, it's the same story with lore changes. We have seen it rehashed four times now and Sony still don't know where to take the story next.
If the grand Ghostbusters franchise arc is just the first film happens again and again in increasingly unsatisfying iterations then that's kind of bleak.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. But the other problem then becomes, what *else* do you do with the Ghostbusters? Specifically if you're trying to stick to the vibe of the original. They're basically a comic book team assembled to fight big baddies like Gozer and Vigo. There's nothing else to them.
This is a franchise that maybe just needs to be retired. Either that, or do a 100% top-to-bottom rework. Like I could maybe see the core concept of "working class supernatural exterminators" working as a mockumentary. But as a film series? It seems like it would be forever trapped in comic book land.
@@jasonblalock4429Well they weren't really a comic book team in the first movie, they weren't altruistically hunting ghosts for the good of society, they were a bunch of almost discredited scientists who upon discovering the existence of ghosts decide to try to exploit the situation for profit by starting a ghost hunting business. Venkman talks about the lucrative possibilities and potential for franchising but none of that is followed up in any of the sequels because they constantly have that despite their business and their theories being proven to be viable every time, the films always reset to the start so they are disbelieved by society and struggling to get by.
I suppose instead of having them constantly reset to being plucky underdogs you could have had a Ghostbusters 2 where their success wasn't undermined and their ghostbusting company is now massively successful and so the sequels begin to deal with a world where ghosts have been proven to be real and can be captured, studied and perhaps even exploited by a capitalistic corporation run by four entertaining and interesting but undoubtedly deeply flawed individuals. In terms of character stuff the four Ghostbusters might now be wealthier than they possibly dreamed but the way they've each dealt with that success might have driven a wedge between them. Venkman would be one to embrace the lucrative opportunities, he would just go all in on the business side and would barely care what they're doing as long as it's making money. Egon would be absorbed in heading up the research and would possibly lose his moral compass with the resources and manpower at his disposal. Winston would probably have the most fulfilling career improvement, I can imagine him being more hands on and running the important day to day business whilst starting a family with his modest income. Ray would probably be the disillusioned one as his passion for the supernatural would make him cynical about the ways the Ghostbusters corporation has now taken the unknown, captured it, analysed it and blandly commoditied the results.
I assume the threat in this sequel would come from some supernatural power that Egon studies and Venkman takes that research and turns the supernatural power into a marketable commercial product to sell to the public but neither of them understands the long term effects that they are unleashing. Something like that, their hubris almost dooms humanity or something and Ray is the protagonist and driving force in convincing the other three that they have to make amends for their misdeeds.
And then a third film can build a new story off the back of that new status quo.
Even Crichton didn't want to write a sequel to Jurassic Park. It was already a complete standalone story.
Nothing wrong with being a fan of something, but leave the franchising to the Disney dumpster.
@@SerenoOunce It's true but I guess Ghostbusters did feel like there was more room for exploring the world that was established (how does the world change once you've established conclusively that ghosts not only exist but that they can be captured and studied), just not in the predictable repetitive ways they went with.
Whereas with Jurassic park all the interesting ideas were pretty much all explored in the first book and film.
Also franchising isn't a Disney exclusive thing, all media companies do it.
Im not propably the only one who thinks this, but Ghostbusters and Men in Black are like sister series.
Think about it:
-Both films are about a group who fight against supernatural foes in a comedy adventure
-Both were huge blockbusters that defined their era (80's for Ghostbuster and 90's for MIB)
-Both have sequels that haven't been doing so well financially or critically but over time have gardenerd some fans.
-Both had a animated series
-Both are owned by Columbia Pictures
Either way, both awesome movie series
Ghostbusters 2. Still the best sequel.
It's the only sequel in my mind.
It’s essentially a remake😝
Bear in mind the video game (2009) can also be considered an unofficial sequel.
Not as good as 2 but far superior to the unoriginal marshmallow fluff they keep churning out.
@@SerenoOunce phenomenal game! I absolutely loved it. Couldn't stop playing back in 2009!
I prefer Afterlife for me 2 is alright but to much of a redo. Afterlife retreads the first again in the 3rd act but it didn't bother me as much because it felt like it was appropriate for a legacy sequel and I liked how they paid tribute to Harold Ramis.
A fair review. I saw it in theaters last week and thought it was great. They do try to stuff a bit too much into the runtime, but I think a lot of the half baked things in this movie are possibly to set up or pay off in another movie.
I thought they balanced all the cast really well. It is impossible to replicate the original because that was an adult movie, and this movie was for the family.
So a family movie jokes about nipple stuff and sex dungeon jokes several times?
For me the issue is that they’re turning this into a kids movie. Let’s drop the kids and go with Rudd, The Fire Master, the Institute guy, and Patton Oswalt.
I agree it needs to be an adult team. They arent fully utilizing Rudd and its sad. Open to idea but I'd do Jack Black, Ken Jeong, Rudd and Najiani. Garaka I assumed would have character and have been released early on.
Ray makes sense and I liked his ark.
The OG movies were family friendly while having the subtext for the adults. That art has been near all forgotten.
As father always said, "If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all."
They have to. How are they gonna keep milking the IP when all the OG members are dead? Now they have these kids who are part of the lore. It's a never ending cycle.
They want to do an expanded universe I think it would be cool if they branched the tones out. Let the main series be more family friendly and then you can do spin offs that have darker or more adult comedic tones like the OG. I like the idea that if your doing expanded universe movies that the tones can vary depending on the stories.
7:41 as a 46 year old who loves the franchise after seeing the original back in the 80's I agree. It's time to complete the switchover to the new young team and have the original ghostbusters only show up as cameos whenever the story calls for it. I genuinely think those young actors are entertaining enough to carry things forward on their own with the right script.
So true. As much as I like seeing the old guard on screen, I would prefer them to focus completely on the new cast. Afterlife was the nostalgia farewell sequel, and seeing Bill Murray dragged begrudgingly to the screen again for five minutes just makes me sigh angrily more than give a happy cheer of reunion.
This may be a heretic opinion, but I'd rather watch a miniseries with an unknown cast, that would still give proper time to the cool Ghostbusters lore and setting.
Would be interested in watching a sequel that stars only Ray, Winston & Peter which seems them unknowingly paranormally trapped in the Firehouse. Playing out more as straight horror film the guys think they are spending the night playing cards & chatting the old days but spooky goings on start to slow happening? Ecto 1 vanishes, objects move, walking out the door only sees them reappear randomly in another room of the building etc. Basically something has triggered the containment unit to engulf the firehouse meaning that the whole building now resides within it allowing ghost free reign to enter the building. While looking out windows/doors the guys only see blackness, to outsiders all looks as normal. Throughout their time trapped viewers learn of the guys life’s, family etc since 1989 and see them work together one final time as they rig up temporary new gadgets a solve the mystery they have found themselves in. After an exhausting night busting and restoring the firehouse, they finally walkout the front doors into the street to learn that only 2 hours have passed - the exact runtime of the film. Film would be mainly practical effects, Classic soundtrack & modest budget & a loosely “12 Angry Men” setup.
Get started on that screenplay!
@@CapitanJusticia Just waiting on a call back from Mr Reitman. 👍😂
I’d watch that I’m not watching any of these sequels
I thought the world building was fascinating. Explaining the why and how ghosts exist, and how they are trapped. How ancient ghosts have inhabit items and who locked them in there. It’s exactly the kind of thing I love from sequels.
I agree; world-building was definitely the best part of the Frozen Empire. So much cool lore stuff left and right that unfortunately didn't get the screen time it deserved as we were already cartwheeling into the next scene.
It's probably poisonous to the Sony executives as a species, but this movie should have been 15 minutes or even 30 minutes over that precious two-hour runtime.
Or sacrifice those Slimer scenes to save holy runtime. As much as I love Green Butt, those scenes could easily face the guillotine.
I really enjoyed the movie when I saw it, but there is one thing that did not hit the mark for me, and I now realise what it is, the personality of Phoebe. The way she was in Afterlife felt like a completely different person to what she was in this one. She started out the same in the Sewer Dragon chase, but after that, something changed. She wasn't the same neurodivergent character that she was in Afterlife, and in a lot of ways, lost the "Egon-ness" that she had in that movie. I'm hoping in future installments they can rectify the personality.
She did show that ‘Egon ness’ when she incorporated the brass into the proton pack.
@@CapitanJusticia Yes, there was a little bit, but not as much as there was in Afterlife.
Very fair review. I'm in agreement that's it's a mess but an enjoyable mess. Much more of a comedy than Afterlife and I thought Akroyd was great throughout. I'd happily watch a third!
Akroyd was the saving grace,The heart of the GhostBusters carried this picture:)
Agree
Haven't seen it, but this review gives me hope. I might actually watch it now.
(And, speaking of hated sequels, I say this as someone who will defend Rise of Skywalker with those exact words, "It's a mess, but it's a fun mess." So I respect Oliver for understanding that distinction.)
All I can say is, despite of it's obvious faults, I really enjoyed this movie.
Cool
The next installment should take place in Scotland (🏴), based on a scrapped idea.
And during that installment, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), should be dead and become a ghost and it should bring back Dana Barrett and her son, Oscar, now already, grown up.
Id actually like to see that happen
It can only take place in real countries though… lol I’m so edgy tee hee.
No cringe. Am I right, guys? Tee hee
Yeah. Sounds alright.
Is that for real about Ghostbusters 2? That movie is awesome and definitely a Worthy sequel. If they only saw the future of films, they would have awarded Ghostbusters 2 at least three stars. Vigo is freaking awesome.
Critics hate anything that isn’t Oscar bait.
Or LGBTQ+MA$E#YEET
??? It is junk!
@@RumourdProd exit left please
I have a soft spot for Ghostbusters 2, but I can imagine it garnering disappointment at the time given it was following up what was already considered one of the landmark movies of the decade and making people wait a whole five years for it to boot with what I’d say is a pretty good but less tight and markedly formulaic sequel. That being said, it is certainly a downright class act compared to a lot of what is coming out nowadays.
@@petersmithyy4556 no I'll stick around and continue to emphasize how terrible a movie this is
I'm a hardcore fan and I know what I want. I want a well-crafted story that grows the characters. I don't need the mini-pufts or the Librarian/Library or even, Slimer, but he's fun for being in it. Let the new Ghostbusters be the main focus, but keep the originals as supporting cast, who, only when its needed, decide to step up. The final confrontation did it, but we didn't get to earn it.
It should have just been the new team trying to do the whole investigation, and coming back to Ray to chip in and offer insight.
He'd do some digging, and really, get to do some Ghostbusting at the end to fulfill his desires to bust.
Winston should have been fighting Peck.
Peter should have come in to give Trevor and Mr. Grooberson some wisdom on handling romance and family (respectively).
Let the original team be some kind of guidance when needed, but let the new team who we want to succeed. I thought Melody and Pheobe's plot should have been the heart, and given a case about can ghosts and humans co-exist, while those entities that are evil-world-destroyers or mischievous and violent like beings be handled by the Ghostbusters.
Dude why don't you just make your own film and directed if you have so many freaking demands LOL
I feel like this movie has two ratings. As a Ghostbusters film its about an 8, but as a film its about a 6 and its honestly quite worse than Afterlife in terms of its story and script. I'd say its definitely the weakest Reitman Ghostbusters movie in the franchise, but that doesn't mean its horrible tho like the thing that shall not be named. Still hopefully in a sequel they take the criticisms and improve on what didn't work so this series can get back on its feet.
Also GB2 is so underrated that it hurts. Still love that movie to this day
Alright, suck in the guts boys, we're the Ghostbusters.
I agree 100% it wasn't as good as the others but it was still overall a good movie. Does anyone else get the vibes that it was rushed though?
After 40 years we still await another great Ghostbusters movie...
Sometimes good is good enough. And Ghostbusters 2 and Ghostbusters Afterlife are good. It's hard to be as great as the first one. Look at Blues Brothers 2000...
Ghostbusters 2, 3/Afterlife and even 4/Frozen Empire, are all Schindler's List level compared to the reboot.
Personally. I really enjoyed this film
Opinions are like assholes - everyone has one and they all stink 😊 including mines. It’s all about our own experiences with movies. I’m a massive GB fan and really enjoyed this. There were too many plots going on and the fan service was a bit overpowering - but I loved seeing the old and the new together and I’m hoping that we get a chance to see what they do next. An honourable attempt at trying to progress the overall story with a bit too much packed in - still awesome in my book
Same here, been a Ghostbusters fan since my childhood in the 1980's. Really looking forward to what Ghost Corps and Sony has planned in the near future. I am especially interested in the new Ghostbusters animated series that is in development for Netflix.
I liked it quite a lot, i took my sons and we got popcorn and had fun.
The beginning of the movie was more of what i wanted to see but i had fun overall
It feels alot like the Real Ghostbusters cartoon and the Slimer spinoff at times.
That was the inspiration for the movie ironically enough lol
I heard RLM say that, too ;)
Nothing wrong with that. The cartoon is awesome
You know what? I went in wanting a blast, and that's what I got! Nostalgic? Yes. But I'm not looking for a reinvention of the wheel. That's what Paul Feig tried to do in 2016, but failed miserably. Sometimes, a franchise has a concept that is so enticing that you can overlook the flaws of their bad movies. For me, that's the Predator franchise and Ghostbusters.
When I first saw the "Ghost Corps." logo back in 2016 (before trailers for the reboot were released), I had imagined the PERFECT way for Ghostbusters to go.
I had pictured it as a live-action Netflix series with about 6, or 8 episodes. Every episode would follow a different team of Ghostbusters from a different part of the world. You could respect the folklore, and culture of the different countries to provide different kinds of ghosts to confront. For example, imagine a team of Ghostbusters in Scotland investigating a haunted castle! You could even shoot the episode like a UK horror film from the early 80s. Same with Japan. Imagine a team of Japanese Ghostbusters fighting a spirit like Samara, or The Grudge, and shoot the episode like a 90s Japanese horror movie!
See, this way, you get keep things fresh, while having plenty of time to introduce new characters, and concepts, and really flesh-out the world, instead of it always taking place in New York. Ghosts DO exist outside of America. I mean, COME ON... what better way to really, and truly make Ghostbusters a GLOBAL thing!
So, yeah... about eight episodes, eight different teams, all with their own unique ghostbusting equipment & vehicles, going on local adventures.... then... coming next summer, the supernatural, apocalyptic event occurs that requires all the Ghostbuster teams to ASSEMBLE happens... only at a theater near you...
But, oh well... that was way back in 2016. I don't think anyone would care now.
Get working on that screenplay!
Ghostbusters come back into action after a long time in shut down and then they start to franchise across the USA and other parts of the world would have been a good idea. Yes lol imagine Ghostbusters in UK, Japan, Australia, Russia, France etc..
A fair review. I saw it in theaters last week and thought it was great. They do try to stuff a bit too much into the runtime, but I think a lot of the half-baked things in this movie are possible to set up or pay off in another movie. franchise after seeing the original back in the 80's I agree. It's time to complete the switchover to the new young team and have the original Ghostbusters only show up as cameos whenever the story calls for it. I genuinely think those young actors are entertaining enough to carry things forward on their own with the right script. I liked it quite a lot, I took my sons and we got popcorn and had fun. The beginning of the movie was more of what I wanted to see but I had fun overall You know what? I went in wanting a blast, and that's what I got! Nostalgic? Yes. But I'm not looking for a reinvention of the wheel. That's what Paul Feig tried to do in 2016, but failed miserably. Sometimes, a franchise has a concept that is so enticing that you can overlook the flaws of their bad movies. For me, that's the Predator franchise and Ghostbusters.
Wasnt filmed at Pinewood Studios Different studios in the UK Now playing The ONLY Time Darth Vader Fought Darth Maul (INSANE) Retney's Holocron On His 13th Birthday, He Discovers That He Has Superpowers & His Real Mother Is A Mermaid. Fox Recaps Would be interested in watching a sequel that stars only Ray, Winston & Peter who seem them unknowingly paranormally trapped in the Firehouse. Playing out more as a straight horror film the guys think they are spending the night playing cards & chatting the old days but spooky goings on start to happen? Ecto 1 vanishes, objects move, walking out the door only sees them reappear randomly in another room of the building, etc. Basically, something has triggered the containment unit to engulf the firehouse meaning that the whole building now resides within it allowing ghost-free reign to enter the building. While looking out windows/doors the guys only see blackness, to outsiders all look normal. Throughout their time trapped viewers learn of the guys ’ lives, family, etc since 1989 and see them work together one final time as they rig up temporary new gadgets a solve the mystery they have found themselves in. After an exhausting night busting and restoring the firehouse, they finally walk out the front doors into the street to learn that only 2 hours have passed - the exact runtime of the film. The film would be mainly practical effects, a Classic soundtrack & a modest budget & a loosely “12 Angry Men” setup. I thought the world-building was fascinating. Explaining why and how ghosts exist, and how they are trapped. How ancient ghosts have inhabited items and who locked them in there. It’s exactly the kind of thing I love from sequels. I agree; world-building was definitely the best part of the Frozen Empire. So much cool lore stuff left and right that unfortunately didn't get the screen time it deserved as we were already cartwheeling into the next scene. It's probably poisonous to the Sony executives as a species, but this movie should have been episodes 4 and 5 or 6. 7 minutes an hour a year ago even 30 minutes over that precious two-hour runtime. Or sacrifice those Slimer scenes to save holy runtime. As much as I love that dogs are in 1988 those scenes could easily face the guillotine. the last teaser is upcoming is time to check on you in the spotlight in live-action the 80s is done last time in a dance move first look at the Ghostbusters 2. sequel I really enjoyed the movie when I saw it, but there is one thing that did not hit the mark for me, and I now realize what it is, the personality of Phoebe. The way she was in Afterlife felt like a completely different person to what she was in this one. She started out the same in the Sewer Dragon chase, but after that, something changed. She wasn't the same neurodivergent character that she was in Afterlife, and in a lot of ways, lost the "Egon-ness" that she had in that movie. I'm hoping in future installments they can rectify the personality.
Is that for real about Ghostbusters 2? That movie is awesome and definitely a Worthy sequel. If they only saw the future of films, they would have awarded Ghostbusters 2 at least three stars. Vigo is freaking awesome. Critics hate anything that isn’t Oscar bait. Or LGBTQ+MA$E#YEET
??? It is junk! exit left, please I have a soft spot for Ghostbusters 2, but I can imagine it garnering disappointment at the time given it was following up what was already considered one of the landmark movies of the decade and making people wait a whole five years for it to boot with what I’d say is a pretty good but less tight and markedly formulaic sequel. That being said, it is certainly a downright class act compared to a lot of what is coming out nowadays. no, I'll stick around and continue to emphasize how terrible a movie this is 4567 It wasn't a disappointment at all, it was considered pretty dreadful by the fans 2 months ago I thought the world-building was fascinating. Explaining why and how ghosts exist, and how they are trapped. How ancient ghosts have inhabited items and who locked them in there. It’s exactly the kind of thing I love from sequels.
One recurring sentiment I've seen expressed across multiple reviews is that this film seems to be compromised for the sake of a manageable runtime. This makes me curious as to what a home release of the film might be. If an extended cut is in the offering, I would be all for that. I enjoyed Frozen Empire for what it was, and wouldn't mind seeing another film minus the legacy cast. I love the old cast, but I'm curious if the new cast could support a third installment on their own. On an entirely unrelated note, Ernie Hudson appears to have decided he just wasn't going to age past a certain point in his life. That guy looks great!
I'm personally yet to see the movie, but it seems like fun enough. I did listen to the score album a day before release, and I find it leagues better than Afterlife's music, even with the lack of clear new themes overall.
By all means see it and come to your own conclusions, a lot of people are making the mistake of actually listening to critics and whiney ass fans
One of the biggest problems is that it doesn't stick to canon, because Egon said that proton packs aren't meant for kids, and here we have loads of kids using them.
Also, you mentioned our poor weather in the UK (which you know mainly happens in the autumn and winter). Well, New York has far worst weather than we'll ever have, with the place regularly being cold and rainy, and often becoming snowbound in the winter.
the apple has fallen for from the tree ..back in the day we used to talk about dissapointing sequels and now they talk about 'franchises" that milk nostalgia
I thought the movie was fun, even though I still don't know how I feel about the whole fire bender thing.
Thought it was silly and out of place. I liked him in it I would make him a part of the adult GB squad same with Rudd.
Love everything about your Channel Oliver . Especially the retrospective reviews and the audio commentary . You deserve more subscribers.
Great review as always Oliver. Would you consider doing a discussion video with Paul for this film? The discussions for the last two films were excellent!
There wasn’t much gas to this franchise to begin with. Ghostbusters 2 is a good example of going out on a cross country trip on a quarter tank, which explains why there were no movies in the 90s and 2000s. A series would have made more sense like the cartoons but dredging up the cast as Nostalgia Bait is literally getting old.
Your reviews are really the only ones I care about these days.
@@ZXSPEXhate to break it to you, kid but everything is political. You’re just too ignorant to realize it.
@@ZXSPEX I mean, he's not wrong; the original GB film was full of Reagan-era politics, which the script aptly used for the basis of its whole story.
@@ZXSPEX you’re so very sad.
@@ZXSPEX you clearly have no real thoughts going on in your head. At all.
@@orwellianson Exactly, it's just ectoplasm!
Wasnt filmed at Pinewood Studios
Different studio in the UK
Phoebe should've mentioned Egon "Grandpa" 2 Walter Peck saying that "If Grandfather was still around he would hunt ur ass."
Let's face it. I never got the third movie I wanted, and with Harold Ramis' passing the story feels incomplete. I did like Afterlife, but I so wanted to see more of the original Busters before I got to a new series like this.
This film was okay. It was kinda silly, and it had way too many characters. Walter Peck, and Jeannie don't really add anything to the story although it was nice to see them again. Once again, there is no mention of Dana, Oscar, or Luis Tully.
Bill Murray is really nothing more than a cameo. Those actors don't have anything going on that I know of, and they could have been added or done more in the film. We are thrown into the new family, and it's been flash forwarded so we kinda have to fill in the blanks of what happened and why they are interested in busting ghosts in the first place.
It would have been nice to see Pheobe and her mom discover the headquarters for the first time and find a desire to follow in Egon's footsteps. I like the character of Melody, but it just feels too much like a re-do of Egon's character from the previous film, and it really would have been nice to know what it's like to be a ghost, they talk about the physics of it, but not about the feeling of it.
But this film did do some good stuff, it explored more of the history of NYC, and how the ghostbusters have been around in one form or another, further making the priest right in the 1st movie, when he said they are a sign from God. Just would have been nice to seen more.
Part 2 left me wanting more of the 4 guys. Back in the 90s I heard great things like Egon and Ray were gonna be in the film with Ben Stiller, Chris Farley, and Chris Rock, and I so wish that had happened, that would have been spectacular. Then a sequel like Afterlife would have been good and well fitted at the proper time years later. Heck, imagine if they made that film, you could have had Ben Stiller alongside them in this film with Paul Rudd, that would be great.
This sounded like a fair review. I found Afterlife fairly entertaining, maybe a 7/10. I'll watch Frozen Empire when it's released on digital and approach it as an entertaining 'popcorn' film that's not bad but not great either.
The only things that should remain from the past are the Ecto-1, the Firehouse & that sweet Ray Parker Jr. theme. And I've been saying it: the movie should have broken the franchise formula (I didn't see 2016) & had Garraka get out of his prison by the beginning of the 2nd act, freeze NYC & had the ghosts released. That way, the rest of the movie would have been the GB teams trying to undo Garraka's actions & prevent the end of the world. Plus, it could have led to more ghostbusting & action sequences. Imagine the Possessor taking control of Ecto-1 earlier & Lucky & Lars firing up the Ecto-2 from TRGB to chase after it as it rampages on the Upper East Side. Maybe have the OG GBs take a pounding from Garraka &/or some ghosts, prompting them to question why they came back to it in their golden years (expanding upon that 1 conversation). And maybe give Peck more dimension, seeing the need for the GBs & forcing him to either stick with his rule against Phoebe taking up a proton pack until she's 18 or looking the other way for this emergency.
I'll give a 8/10.
I hope for one last movie with Peter, Ray, Winston and Janine(with Dana and Louis returning too), along with Slimer of course, but in the form of Extreme Ghostbusters, where the new team totally take over(with maybe a adult Oscar finally being in the movies), and have Peter, Ray and Winston as mentors, like Egon in Extreme GB. Maybe have Vigo return(i know no one wants him again, and someone new, but Garaka wasn't that great tbh, and i feel Vigo could be done in a epic way, where he manipulates a vast amount of people to do his bidding, a bit like Janosz in GB2 but on a far bigger scale), and have the OG's team up with the new cast one last time in a epic battle with Vigo and his possessed followers in the finale(maybe put a real spin on it, by having Dana and Louis fall for his spell, meaning Peter struggles to maybe busting his own wife, even though they are only possessed not actual ghosts, a bit like how Vigo possessed Ray at the end of GB2). I feel a Extreme adaptation with Vigo as the baddie, stretching him out as a even cooler villain(my dream casting for a new Vigo has to be Christoph Waltz), would make for a awesome Ghostbusters 5(its five guys, the game and the crappy reboot are their own thing ok)and the perfect send off for Dr's Venkman, Stantz and Zeddemore. But that is just my idea.
Totally agree they should never have brought kids into the movies. They were, to me, the weakest parts of Afterlife and now Frozen Empire. I mean I know why they did it, to get a younger fan base on board as us oldies who were there for the original movie are dying off, or at least thats how Alex Kurtzman described Star Trek fans who loved the original series and as an excuse for why he messed with the winning formula for the new Trek shows.
Didn't see this movie in the Theater. Did just watch it on Blu-Ray with my Dad, Brother and his Girlfriend. I ended up really enjoying it, yeah they could've handled the nostalgia elements a bit better, but I wound up having a good time with it.
I have to say, you are one of my fav reviewers out there. You can be critical with the need to dunk on a movie. I agree the movie is mess but damn if i don't love it. Also love Part 2, so that might be telling. haha
Accurate review.
This is the kind of film that NEEDS an extended cut, and especially all of the deleted scenes and shots included.
I think this was mostly filmed at Leavesden Studios, and a bit at Reading Studios. I think the only Pinewood filming was at the Atlanta Pinewood, and only for a few days.
Absolutely bang on review!! 6/10 for me. You articulated exactly what was good and what wasn’t
I’m surprised Oliver didn’t mention the Real Ghostbusters cartoon and that this movie feels like a live action long episode of that great cartoon. I hope they bring back some of the great villains from the cartoon in future movies such as the Sandmam, Boogeyman and Samhain.
Excellent review. I saw it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it and was interested to see what you had to say . As usual you're on the money. I really liked the fire master guy, he was brilliant!
Here's the thing. Any installment that have come after the original will never duplicate the original. But the fact that we have 4 of movies now to enjoy and to introduce new generations of fans too is quite rewarding . This movie isn’t made for critics, but for the fans. Nothing more, nothing less. There's more to Ghostbusters than just going around blasting ghosts. Sometimes they do detective work to look into what they're up against, Sometimes their equipment is ineffective against the foe and therefore would have to develop new equipment to combat it. So it's not as good as the original film but does it have to be? No, of course not. So a lot of the negativity is unwarranted. I have been a Ghostbusters fan all my life and consider the first film as my all time favorite movie. I enjoyed Frozen Empire so much It's my second favorite film in the series after the first film. It's a live-action cartoon. That's what I loved about it.
It's not made for the critics or fans, it's made to make money. These movies seem to be for fans on the surface, but that's because they are cynically and unimaginatively rehashing the orginals inc, characters, and plots. Is that to give the fans what they want, yes and no. It's really just a safe bet, and a pretty uncreative one. I am in two minds. It's nice to get to see something you loved back in the cinema again, but it's at the expense of other films getting sidelined to make way for them.
ATC doesn’t exist.
@@largefries123 What’s wrong with giving the fans what they want?
right@@largefries123
Nope we still only have 1, 2 tops. The others are trash
tbh I thought that beginning with afterlife that they were going to treat it like they did with the extreme ghostbusters, except I was thinking winston would have been the main one mentoring the new team. Eventually after afterlife there would be a sequel, or a third movie and with the third movie they would bring back the og cast - much like in extreme ghostbusters when they brought in the original characters from the real ghostbusters in one episode.
It came as a surprise to me to see egon at the beginning and then bringing back gozer and so on. I felt that afterlife could have been better introducing a new villain, perhaps one that was too hard to defeat even by egon and that villain would carry over into another movie and a trilogy would be made with this villain causing trouble throughout.
With frozen empire, for me it looks like an episode straight from the cartoon like if you went from the og movies into the first episode of the cartoon, (which takes off directly from the end of the first film, in its own way).
Frozen Empire got off to a great start, creepy gramophone and all, busting ghosts in the city, really great stuff. When pheobe was put in her place and taken off the team I thought this would be the beginning of her creating some new tech, meeting slimer and being the real brains of it all, when she went to play chess in the park I literally thought they were going to bring egons spirit into it again, just playing chess and showing some sort of hint as to what she should do next, my son watching this in the cinema with me says "!!! EGON!!" to me and then this new ghost appears, and it made us think... why is she not scary, why is this ghost able to talk like a normal person etc etc...
the story took one sharp turn.
As I thought it was going to go right back to the orb, make melody an evil ghost that transforms or something into a gruesome spirit like the library ghost... they dragged this story out, then went on a separate adventure with the ones at the lab (where phoebe SHOULD have been) and then keep doing this until the finale, where she goes completely out of character to trigger the last event.
I was hoping it would be a frozen empire for half the movie, phoebe would be this really strong character that would drive the story with trevor and slimer bringing the laughs, og cast filling in some lore, ecto 1 with a flamethrower and so on.
So many concepts but not enough time on them.
I just hope they make enough money to do another one, the franchise still has life in it, imo frozen empire would have been a much better series than a movie, perhaps movies arent enough to tell a full story these days.
Im not sure how i feel about "letting go of the past". I actually like that the legacy characters are there to help out and I think they should use them while they are still alive. Crazy to think but they all might be dead in 10 years with how old they are and seeing grandpa ghostbusters pass down knowledge is interesting.
I wholeheartedly agree with this review. Though as a big fan of the originals, if you dare even criticise it, fans will just trash you for not been a fan, My biggest problem with this film and most certainly with how the franchise seems to be going is that it needs to be less relent of the original, let the new ghostbusters take the spotlight and time for older cast members to disappear . It worked well in Afterlife but now it's time to let go of the nostalgia,
A fair review Good Sir 😁 (Nes Manga)
It was a mess. But I enjoyed it. Had fun. That’s what matters.
now that you explain it... shades of GB2 in this movie
Agree with all you said. I was entertained enough, enjoyed it more than afterlife.
At 5:29, is this character supposed to look like Egon from the real ghostbusters?
Wow, you liked the film, Oliver. Ok, right on. I liked it too. I hope we get another, but will see. Cool!!
💯 agree with everything in this video. Saw this in the theater and boy. What a mess, especially with all the unnecessary characters and subplots. Kumail Najiana was the only person who got any laughs out of me.
OMG I LOVE the Superboy outro in this video!
I do have to agree with most of what you said in this review. I loved Afterlife and wanted to love this one but it’s just not a good follow up. I didn’t enjoy it very much. Should this franchise just be put on ice?
I don't think the problem is it being old school. The problem, is that a bad movie is a bad movie.
Yes. They need to forget about nostalgia. I thought that previous movie would be bridge to new original movies. But Sony afraid to make something new.
And why Paul Rudd is center figure on the movie poster?) I even watch the movie because Mckenna Grace character.
I think Finn/trevor and his girlfriend Celeste/lucky shouldn’t have been in it really, a line could have explained where they are. I actually like podcast and glad he was in the squeal and him and Ray was petty funny, I think just cutting out them too charters and more time to the core charters left would of been better, but I enjoyed the film and really hope there an extended version of it.
Thanks Oliver to add your expertise review ! . from my part I didn't like this movies as the previous one
Oliver, please interview your friend Paul Gannon on what he thinks. I still have the interview you did with him for Ghostbusters Afterlife on my IPod. Still makes me laugh how much it annoyed him. Love to know what he thinks of this one!
You'll find out soon!
Saw it. I laughed a bit. Was entertained for the most part. Liked it better than Afterlife.
*Secures armor, holds up riot shield, takes a deep breath:
I ENJOYED IT!
I do the same thing with Afterlife.
I liked it too 😊
They ran out of ideas after the first one. They all miss the point after that because it’s not really about the ghosts. It’s about the interaction between the leads. One of which is dead and the other three are old men. It doesn’t work anymore. And no one cares about the other ghostbusters.
I saw the original 2 films in the theater, but I’m not such a huge Ghostbusters “fan” that I am overprotective of the franchise. I really liked the 2016 version, and thought Afterlife was overall pretty boring. I don’t have much confidence in this new installment.
Haven't seen anything other than the first two and never will. In a perfect world there are only 3 Star Wars films, 3 Indiana Jones movies, and 2 Ghostbusters.
Analyzing a movie like Ghostbusters (the original) is actually not difficult. Some say it's lightning in a bottle that can never be re-created. I believe that is wrong. Frozen Empire failed because it had no identity, direction, characters, or plot for an audience to invest in. The original Ghostbusters had a very consistent personality/identity. It was about an ensemble cast (a family if you will), each bringing something to the table. The consistent tone is maintained with sharp and often dry wit and humor. ALL of the major players come from the north/north east and/or Canada, with the exception of Annie Potts who was raised in Nashville and Kentucky, but she emulated that 'New York' attitude perfectly. They were trained in a hard knock style of comedic acting with a lot of often confrontational yet light hearted and complex humor. Most of it is 'working man's' humor that anyone can understand. Put those types of characters in a setting like New York, and the city itself feels like home for a very special group of people. New York becomes a character all on it's own. It becomes a setting for sharp dry wit with elements of slap stick and even horror (because it's a ghost story). Backdrop it all with 'nerd culture' and jargon (science vs ghost stories) in the form of Ray and Egon and you have a cultural phenomenon that speaks to many people and stands the test of time. So there is a lot of unhidden magic in the original Ghostbusters. A ton of establishing characters that we grow to love (or at least get invested in) rather quickly, and a ton of world/lore building.
Fast forward 40 years to our present time and basic story telling and movie making has really lost its way. There is no world building. There are no characters to establish. No offense to the 'new' characters in this story, but I don't even remember their names or what they do. I know there was nerd guy, and token black girl, and other smart talking nerd kid. i had less than zero investment in them. In fact they seemed to clutter up the screen and be a nuisance more than anything.
Also, the city no longer feels like a character. New York feels like nothing at all. Where once the focus was on the brash and sometimes harsh, yet loving and devoted and caring nature of a big city like New York (the identity of the city as shown through the people), now New York feels empty and lifeless. It feels less than a sound stage.
And having the story center around one character such a Phoebe was a tremendous mistake. Ghostbusters is magic when the entire ensemble is represented and involved with no singular character commanding the focus. Having the focus on the ensemble offers endless opportunity for comedy, action, one-liners, meaningful events and just basic plot devices and plot points to happen.
'Ghostbusters, what do ya want?' Janine Melnitz after arguing with Peter Venkman about working conditions and pay. Harsh, dry, confrontational....complete accessible by an audience of any age. Speaks to the identity of the characters and the world they live in.
'Dropping off or picking up.' 'Dropping off.' Cop to Janine. It's New York and this is the Ghostbusters. Completely dry, routine, yet hilarious.
'Are you a god?' 'No'. 'Then die.' 'When someone asks if you are a god, you say YES!'
'We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass!' Peter Venkman after their first successful capture of a ghost.
Totally agree. And I have been saying in the original films NYC is its own character that FE doesnt take advantage of. I'd have an adult cast I Rudd is way underused and should be one of them also think Najiani should be part of that squad instead of a firebender from Avatar. I wanted see what ghost jobs the Spenglers were leaving to go do instead of follow Phoebe around moping and seeing here ghost pal. The original music is also absent here and adds a ton to the old movies. Garaka is not only a boring character but should have frozen NYC in the early part of the film with the GB having to deal with traveling thru the town.
I said nearly the same thing, just not as eloquently! The idea of NYC in the 80’s being a dark, dirty, rough town are all part of the first films charm. The fact that they keep using NY as a backdrop is silly. Still driving the same car FROM 1984! Still in the same old firehouse (are you telling me a developer wouldn’t have made them a crazy offer for the real estate?) it’s just silly. Same 75 year old guys doing the same jobs after all these years, please! The ghostbusters not being believed AFTER THEY SAVED THE CITY TWICE! It all gets a bit much, and I’m not even a big fan of ghostbusters anyway!
@@jcollins1305 That's another great point. The original Ghostbusters really zeroed in on the energy and attitude of the 80s quite perfectly. Modern writers, directors, and movie makers should try to identify our spirit in this modern age. Unless we are just dead inside as a people now.
Another great point was made in a different video, but the first film was about 3 guys going into business. They had skin in the game, one of them mortgaged his parents house to get the business off the ground. And when their first call comes in, it’s exciting! But then, like every other job that requires off hours responses, it’s gets old quick! The reality of the business hits you. Only when a major catastrophe threatens NY do we see them getting excited again. This, and each character had a motivation to want to open the business. Money, ego, research, etc. and at the end of the day, they’re exterminators running a (albeit unusual) business.
@@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles Good points. I always thought a passing of the torch movie would have benefitted this franchise. Give us one last great ride, so the boys can either die or ride of in the sunset, but they are passing the torch to a new franchise. I have often thought of the cast. Paul Rudd is an excellent choice. Other names that comes to mind; Jack Black, Kevin Hart, maybe even Dave Chappelle, Bradley Cooper.
So there’s a character called Podcast?
I agree Mr. Harper the film has "too many" sub plots going all at once instantly .
as for Callie , Lucky ,Podcast, Trevor. those characters need a lot of time and work to get flushed out eternally .
i hope they do that in the next movie and Cartoon series as well .
Similar situation where we got the terrible Batman forever and Batman and robin to eventually get the amazing dark knight film.
will this film make sense if you've never seen Afterlife?
"...Instead of the often miserable backdrop of the UK."
Geez, Oliver.
Fun movie
I saw it last friday with some other gb fans and we all kind of agreed it was an alright film. Id honestly give it a 6.5 or a 7 out of 10, im not sure what people were expecting out of this movie or what they thought it was gonna be but its not the pile of shit people are making it out to be. Its definitely not a perfect movie and nor is it the best ghostbusters film, but it definitely was enjoyable and somewhat fun (to me at least) i liked it more than afterlife
Good Analysis!
bill murray never wanted to do a ghostbusters sequel again after ghostbusters 2 and that should have been the warning sign
Doesnt matter when a studio is pushing for it and throwing lots of money everywhere. I remember reading a story about someone talking to harold on the set of groundhog day about the tone and direction of the 2nd one, apparently harolds response was “the studio wanted a second movie”
@@knightfall9394 he is almost at his retiring age , guess he is not that picky anymore
3rd best in the series. But after the original first 2, it’s a pretty steep drop off after so it’s not saying much
The producers nailed casting with afterlife…. why not double down on that instead of adding even more characters ? Makes no sense to me. Plus they know audiences want more time with the OG cast.
It's Fun🤩GhostBusters Movie!
👍👍
The problem with these franchise sequels is that while the world has moved on, the characters are frozen in amber. All still doing the same jobs, in the same places, driving the same car?! From 1984 until now, there’s no effort to show growth or movement of characters, just shoehorn in as many recognizable characters as possible to get the nostalgia effect. How many people that you knew 20-30 years ago are doing the same things as they were then? Why is it that there’s only one group of scientists in the world that can fight the paranormal? Does nobody retire in this universe? At the end of the day, fans are endlessly chasing the high of the original, and like drug addicts will always pay to try and get near that first euphoric high.
"juggles the franchise like a drunk, that finally gets sober at the end" - hahahaha!
Look at The Omen franchise.
The final fight felt so rushed, it ruined the slow build up. They could have used the opportunity to kill off some of the side characters at least but at one point it felt like there were 20 people with proton packs.
That barely used them.
Well this being from Sony at least the 4k will look good 👍.
It's not great or anything, but calling it garbage is harsh.
Still better than 2016 ghostbusters
Not even close. Frozen Empire is a bloated mess of a film. Better than Afterlife, but still dog shit. 1, 2 and 2016 are superior.
Some of th best scenes are with Phoebe and Melody, the whole thing about being a Ghostbuster and become close friend with a ghost, now *THAT* could have been in interesting movie. But Frozen Empire have the same problem as all the other Franchises like Jurrasic Park, Star Wars, Terminator etc. they rely way to much on the nostalia factor and less on the actual story. There are *SO* many plotholes, so much overacting, so much bad comedy, no stakes at all for any of them invovled you know that none of them are gonna die or get hurt. I actually liked After Life i thought it was a good idea to take the Ghostbuster to a small town and give it a more "indie" like feel, that worked pretty well....this one didn't Forgettable villain, silly dialogue, unfunny comedy and a hot mess of a story Frozen Empire 2/5 1 for Phoebe and one for Melody. Now we can only hope that Beetlejuice Beelejuice can break the franchise sequels curse.
dont you get it? these studios dont care as long they have a fanbase they can throw shit on , because nostalgia fans still gonna see their beloved movie franchise and the money is in the pocket
One movie franchise, that's just a fact, like RoboCop and Jurassic Park. Ghostbusters 2 is good but even i admit you can't manage to match anywhere near the quality of the original, never going to happen.
Can't watch a Hollywood film with James Accaster! What a stupid choice smh
I actually liked the 2016 one better than these last two. 😊
Thats a hot take.
@@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles I guess. It’s what I liked. Not pushing anyone to feel the same. These last two were boring to me. To be fair I like the originals but I’ve never been a big fan of the franchise as a whole. They are decent movies but not even close to being 80s classics to me.
The biggest problem is that these "reviewers" are so self absorbed in what they think WE the viewer want when in fact, leave it to the viewer to make up their own decision on ANY movie. IMO we dont want to hear the reviewer yay or nay it because they had high or low expectations.
I give it a 2 1/2 out of 4. Had some good elements, but the movie does drag, and I thought the new characters of Melody and Fire (whatever his name) were uninteresting. After watching your review, I can agree that there were too many characters in this entry. We didn't need Podcast and Finn Wolfhards' girlfriend. Lastly, it took itself to seriously and wasn't funny! Go revisit the first two films for a good time!
My theater laughed multiple times, 7/10. I loved it
My theater laughed constantly, 11/10.
As a fan it pains me to say this but I have to be honest; Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a bad movie. The film is a mess. It's boring, poorly paced, confusing, convoluted and overly complicated. Too many characters, many of which have been needlessly shoehorned into the story. It's overstuffed with unnecessary dialogue, subplots, characters and scenes which go on for far too long. It's not funny either. I didn't laugh once during the movie, and neither did the audience I was watching it with. Neither is it scary. Laughs and scares are the two things you expect from a Ghostbusters film but this film doesn't provide any.
Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan may be talented directors, but they're the wrong people to be writing these films.
With a heavy heart, I rate this film 3 out of 10.
I feel a lot of fans are in denial about just how bad this film is.
The best joke is when the Fire Master asks "who is that?" when Podcast comes in with an unnecessary opinion. It's mostly funny as it works, I presume unintentionally, as a meta comment on how overstuffed the movie is.
i fully agree...and those scenes with that ghost girl..my god,soo bad and cringey
@@IgorsDen At least someone found it funny.
Lifelong GB fan here, I agree. Although I did laugh a few times, it was more at some absurdity like the ad roll for ghosbusters toys thrown in at one point along with the statue of liberty walking footage.
Movie was a mess...concepts and execution. It seemed like a lot of "show don't tell" nonsense that goes in the wrong direction from the mantra in that it shows Waaaay Too much. The ghost labs were kinda ridiculous, with some neat elements. The legend story told by patton oswalt had to be done with an animated hyroglph instead of just letting actors emote and tell the story that way. Stuff like that. The Casper plot seemed out of place as well, with the girl being way too "aware" and nonchalant about even being a ghost.
@@bryan81584 I agree. That animated sequence was so unnecessary, and it was boring.
Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan should not be writing these movies. They're just not good enough.
What a sad, pathetic era of movies, television, and general media content we live in now.
rarely something good and original pops up
2016 GB isnt so bad after all