HelixVindictusI hope the Spectral Salmon of Central Park doesn't slime my ass before I cap it, sap it, and trap it!
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was director Jason Reitman’s heartfelt thank-you to and celebration of the legacies of his father and the late Harold Ramis. The tale of the Spengler grandchildren discovering who Grandpa Egon was, and what he lived and died for, was more touching than it had any right to be. Getting the original actors back was the icing on a cake that Jason has spent many years putting together.
How in the hell do you follow that?
Such are the big shoes that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire attempts to fill. For the most part, it manages to do so pretty well by trying to capture (pardon the pun) the mood and tone of the first two films: action comedies with raunchy humour, spooky moments, and great writing and performances from hilarious people.
Frozen Empire is a tale about family, and not just the Spenglers or the Reitmans this time around. Family is also about belonging. Paul Rudd’s character of Gary isn’t a Spengler. He’s not the kids’ father or Phoebe’s teacher anymore. What is he to them, to the family? When a mishap has Phoebe taken off the active duty roster, and she once again butts heads with her mom, she loses her sense of belonging. Who is she if she can’t live up to her family name, her duty as a Spengler, as a Ghostbuster?
One of the new characters is a comic relief shyster; a shady brown dude trying to make a quick buck selling off family heirlooms. In doing so, he turns his back on his own family legacy – which makes it easy for it to bite him in the ass. Among his recently-pawned heirlooms is the key to releasing an ancient spirit with ice-based abilities. This big bad guy feels similar to Gozer (both in 1 and Afterlife) in that he isn’t physically seen until the final act, but his presence is felt through the entire movie.
For the most part, it works, but I felt the pacing and focus were off. A subplot involving Phoebe befriending a ghostly girl is particularly poor. Yes, Phoebe is sad about her life, but she is too smart to act as stupid as she does, and the ghost girl’s dialogue and mannerisms are far too contemporary for someone who died many years ago. Some of the wink-and-nod elements for older fans feel a bit too forced, a bit too milked, a bit too overstayed-welcome. I appreciate the efforts to pay tribute to the brand’s history, and I love the nostalgia, but that doesn’t mean they were good ideas. Ivan Reitman made the tough choices to cut content from both of his Ghostbusters movies that didn’t help the story and slowed the pacing – this director could’ve learned from him.
With content for the older fans but more than enough for new viewers, humour the grown-ups will remember from comedies of the ‘80s but still an overall family-friendly-enough picture for the kids to dig into, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is better than it has any right to be, despite its shortcomings and rough edges.
2024-03-22 07:24:23 +0000