
I’m a sucker for the original Ghostbusters. Much like everyone on the planet, it’s one of my favorite movies. I didn’t care for the sequel, or the all-female version. Afterlife was decent enough, especially when it tugged on the heartstrings with the Harold Ramis stuff near the end. I am excited and trepidatious to see this one, as I have heard mixed reactions to it. But the kids are excited, so I am, too.
Synopsis:
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
IMDb: 6.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
Tagline: Every ghost they’ve ever caught… is about to be unleashed.
Gil Kenan (Poltergeist, Monster House) directed this movie, with a slew of returning and well-known actors. There is no need to list the credits for Ghostbusters vets such as Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Paul Rudd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Finn Wolfhard, and William Atherton. Patton Oswalt and Kumail Nanjiani would be added as new characters. Reportedly, neither Rick Moranis nor Sigourney Weaver were approached about reprising their roles in the film.
Under the working titles of both Firehouse and Ghostbusters: The Frozen World, this would be the first in a new proposed trilogy of films featuring the veteran actors. It would heavily draw inspiration from the cartoon series, The Real Ghostbusters.
The special effects are amazing, per the expectation of any huge summer blockbuster. I do fully realize that the times they are a changin’, but I was surprised that, a). The budget was only $100M, and b). It only grossed $165M (thus far). That hurts my heart a little bit, since I had been waiting for a Ghostbusters sequel for so many years, and when we finally start getting them in rapid succession, they under perform at the box office. Let’s face it, Murray, Aykroyd, and Hudson aren’t getting any younger. And if we’re getting a retired Rick Moranis back or a Sigourney Weaver, we better hurry on them, too.
I am going to complain about all the high-tech gadgets. We could have a compelling story without the drone stuff, which kind of takes me out of the whole thing. Just bust some damn ghosts, already! Do we need to race through town at a high speed with the whole damn family doing all that shit? I mean, who busts ghosts with their kids? Leave their asses at home. They should have homework. They should be enjoying after-school activities. It’s just a little TOO kid friendly. And it feels like someone broke into the Ghostbusters’ firehouse and started playing with all their shit. Who TF are these people? They aren’t as compelling OR as fun as the OGs.
OK, I’m gonna say it. Fuck Paul Rudd. He doesn’t age. He’s a goblin or a warlock or something. Dude is 55. It’s a little late in your career to become an action star. First Ant-Man, now this? And Ernie hasn’t aged a damn day, either! He’s 78! Now, Aykroyd looks the best he’s looked in years. He was as big as a house there for a while, but he seems to have slimmed down. But poor Bill Murray looks like death warmed over.
I’m not saying the first film was scary, but it was scarier than this one. It was also more fun. That’s not to say this is bad, because it isn’t. It’s just a little like Halloween Ends. It was a good MOVIE. But it was a bad HALLOWEEN movie. This is a good MOVIE. But a not-so-great GHOSTBUSTERS movie.
That being said, the soundtrack is great and has some great callbacks in its cues, harkening back to the original films. But again, it’s like the Nightmare on Elm Street theme playing when Jackie Earle Haley is on-screen. I miss the “core four.” It just doesn’t fit these bobos.
Unrelated Sidebar #1: Melody kind of reminds me of what Elsa from Frozen’s ghost would look like.
And we get all this catchup on the storyline before we even get to the plot of the movie. What has Winston been up to since the last movie? How about Ray? The new “core four?” Phoebe makes friends with a ghost! Ok, great. But what about the plot of THIS film? I feel like it just meanders. It’s 108 minutes long (thank God it’s not one of those 3-hour Marvel movies) but it takes over 50 minutes before we get anything remotely resembling a “Frozen Empire.”
Unrelated Sidebar #2: Kumail Nanjiani is the male equivalent of Awkwafina. Annoyingly unfunny.
I almost think continuing this series in cartoon form might be better. It worked for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I think it could work here. Ret-con the last two movies and just do a Real Ghostbusters big screen full length. Then our old friends can continue their adventures forever. Cuz this is just average. And I expect my Ghostbusters to be better than average.