'Ghostbusters' had a long road to be resurrected. The 2016 film was a broad comedy and the negative aftermath I think led the creative forces at Sony to overthink themselves and remove almost all comedy from the future installments. 'Afterlife' is a movie I think works but I don't know if it has a single laugh in it. Instead Jason Reitman wanted to use as much Spielbergian whimsy and wonder and that never was the appeal to 'Ghostbusters'. I think it worked in the end for a self contained story about the family but nothing can be self contained anymore. That of course was never going to be in the cards. 'Frozen Empire' is a sequel and tries to outdo the other entries in terms of scale. It's bigger, has more fan service, and ostensibly a larger threat looming over the Ghostbusters. It becomes sensory and story overload especially when the film tries to exhibit some of the humor it was supposed to have.
The strongest thing about 'Afterlife' was the family dynamic. As I mentioned earlier it tried to invoke a 'Close Encounters' Spielberg vibe. It doesn't work for a comedy but I was engaged with it for that film. The best performance in the film comes from Carrie Coon. The character as written could have been a shrew but Coon had a vulnerability and warmth where I really could see a developed character. The biggest difference between 'Afterlife' and 'Frozen Empire' is that Coon and Rudd play their roles for ditsy comic relief. Rudd has a line where he flirts with Coon about 'busting making him feel good'. I don't think I've heard a more cringe inducing line in a tent pole film in a good decade.
The humor isn't funny because the movie thinks all its jokes are derived from winking at Ghostbusters iconography as if liking Ghostbusters is an inside joke. This is a problem that a lot of nostalgic reboots have but 'Frozen Empire' might be the most irritating if you are not a 'Ghostbusters' fanatic. I mean in what world does William Atherton's Walter Peck become Mayor other than a sequel attempting a cheap attempt at nostalgic titillation?
Yes, we get the original Ghostbuster cast and it's a treat to see them. I love Ernie Hudson who is always charismatic and actually gets a chance to be the leader of the remaining crew. Bill Murray can barely conceal his contempt for the material but it is good to see him.
This is a crowded film however with too many characters and too many plot threads. The idea of Kumail Nanjiani and his character being an ancient warrior is a good one and Nanjiani is very funny but it doesn't quite work . Logan Kim's Podcast and. Celeste O'Connor's Lucky are brought back inexplicably and have nothing to do. The only new idea that sort of works is Emily Alyn Linds' melody but even then the execution is very heavy handed.
I like 'Ghostbusters' too much to hate an entry. This is disappointing and the worst one but even so the set pieces are fun. I need to build up my defenses a little bit more . Slimer is my guy though and he is always going to make me smile.
The strongest thing about 'Afterlife' was the family dynamic. As I mentioned earlier it tried to invoke a 'Close Encounters' Spielberg vibe. It doesn't work for a comedy but I was engaged with it for that film. The best performance in the film comes from Carrie Coon. The character as written could have been a shrew but Coon had a vulnerability and warmth where I really could see a developed character. The biggest difference between 'Afterlife' and 'Frozen Empire' is that Coon and Rudd play their roles for ditsy comic relief. Rudd has a line where he flirts with Coon about 'busting making him feel good'. I don't think I've heard a more cringe inducing line in a tent pole film in a good decade.
The humor isn't funny because the movie thinks all its jokes are derived from winking at Ghostbusters iconography as if liking Ghostbusters is an inside joke. This is a problem that a lot of nostalgic reboots have but 'Frozen Empire' might be the most irritating if you are not a 'Ghostbusters' fanatic. I mean in what world does William Atherton's Walter Peck become Mayor other than a sequel attempting a cheap attempt at nostalgic titillation?
Yes, we get the original Ghostbuster cast and it's a treat to see them. I love Ernie Hudson who is always charismatic and actually gets a chance to be the leader of the remaining crew. Bill Murray can barely conceal his contempt for the material but it is good to see him.
This is a crowded film however with too many characters and too many plot threads. The idea of Kumail Nanjiani and his character being an ancient warrior is a good one and Nanjiani is very funny but it doesn't quite work . Logan Kim's Podcast and. Celeste O'Connor's Lucky are brought back inexplicably and have nothing to do. The only new idea that sort of works is Emily Alyn Linds' melody but even then the execution is very heavy handed.
I like 'Ghostbusters' too much to hate an entry. This is disappointing and the worst one but even so the set pieces are fun. I need to build up my defenses a little bit more . Slimer is my guy though and he is always going to make me smile.