380: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

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[00:00:30] Hey everybody, it's Henry with the Film Buds podcast.

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[00:00:43] Let's get to the new film, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire.

[00:00:48] This one is now on digital purchase and rent.

[00:00:52] And it's directed by Gil Keenan, who also co-wrote it and co-wrote Afterlife.

[00:00:58] It stars Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Ben Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O'Connor, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, all the usual old cast.

[00:01:11] And the synopsis is, 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.

[00:01:24] So, I re-reviewed Ghostbusters Afterlife a couple weeks ago, which you can check that out on the regular feed.

[00:01:33] And, in case you haven't heard it yet, I was not a fan of it. I love Ghostbusters though.

[00:01:38] I will always be excited when they have new movies, shows, whatever. I'm just a Ghostbusters head all the way around. Always will be, I think.

[00:01:47] And so, when they were doing another one after Afterlife, even though I didn't really like Afterlife, I was like, cool, it's another Ghostbusters movie. I'm there.

[00:01:55] And I just got around to seeing it now. I didn't see it in theaters, unfortunately. Had heard so, so things about it. Some people liked it more than Afterlife, some people liked it less.

[00:02:04] So, wasn't really sure exactly what to expect.

[00:02:07] And, overall, I think it's okay. I think I liked it slightly more than Afterlife. I think they're in the same sort of level, star rating wise, but I think I did enjoy this one a little bit more.

[00:02:20] And I'll try not to repeat myself too much from the review a few weeks ago.

[00:02:25] But, I think the biggest issue, by far, with these new movies is they are so absurdly self-serious at times.

[00:02:35] Like, the original, of course, very much a comedy. It's short, it's sweet, it's incredibly funny, and there's very little, not to say it's a bad thing, but there's not a lot of deep emotion or serious drama.

[00:02:50] And, I think that's what makes it so much better for the better, really.

[00:02:54] And that's why, as I've said, I've liked the Paul Feig all-female reboot better, because that one, even though it's not a masterpiece, it's at least trying to be an actual comedy.

[00:03:05] Because it's dealing with catching ghosts, it's already absurd and ridiculous, it's kind of hard for us to take it really seriously, and that's why that one works so much better than these two.

[00:03:15] That's how I feel.

[00:03:17] So this one, I just feel like everyone in the original cast, very off-the-cuff, fun, just very lighthearted throughout this whole thing.

[00:03:25] And then, the moment it would cut to the new cast, like Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon and everybody, it's like this serious, straight-faced sort of demeanor most of the time.

[00:03:37] And the comedy does not work with them. The writing is really lame, like the comedy falls flat 99% of the time.

[00:03:46] I think, really, the only person I got laughs out of was Kumail Nanjiani, who I didn't even realize was in this.

[00:03:52] And I love him across the board, but he is very, very funny in this. Thankfully, he's kind of a saving grace.

[00:03:57] And so, comedy-wise, terrible, I think, for the most part. It's not horrible, there's nothing offensively wrong with it, but I think that tone, that weird, I don't know if it's trying to be like, stranger things, or if it's trying to take from things like Marvel and attempting to make something more serious.

[00:04:15] But, in this case, it does not work. It does not need to be dramatic and super emotional and dark. Just have it be a fun, adventurous time. And it gets that occasionally, but not enough.

[00:04:28] So, a little disappointing. I want to love every Ghostbusters movie that comes out. I want to give them 5 out of 5 and say, this movie is amazing, underrated, misunderstood, and maybe Afterlife and this one will grow on me over time.

[00:04:42] I'll still go back and rewatch it. They're still fun to be had, and I still like just being in that world, even if I don't love these new movies. But, it would be towards the bottom of the franchise, of the 5 films.

[00:04:54] I think overall, the cast is good though. Like, McKenna Grace, she's very good. Paul Rudd, underused for sure. I like having him be in Ghostbusters, but there's not much for him to do.

[00:05:05] Oh, and then also, one thing I mentioned in the Afterlife Revisited review is, I love the original cast, but they need to find a way to move on from them. I love Bill Murray and everybody. That goes without saying, I think, for Ghostbusters fans.

[00:05:22] There are other things, other characters, other concepts and groups that you can incorporate without always having to bring the original people back. Because that's what really feels the laziest and the most, alright, this franchise is basically dead in the water.

[00:05:38] If these old cast members were not there, probably no one would want to go see this thing. Which, maybe in some ways that's true with some groups of audiences, but not for me. But, I'm so tired of seeing these people pop up.

[00:05:52] There are so many other franchises out there like this that find new ways of rebooting it, moving on from the originals, but still calling back a little bit certain scenes and situations and etc. But this one just feels like, alright, let's call on somebody else please.

[00:06:11] Because there's only so much that you can do with those original cast members and the nostalgia and all that. So, I'm hoping if they do another one, which I don't think this one did all that well financially, not surprisingly, but I hope they do another one either way. I'm hoping that they can find a way to reinvent that and just say, alright, y'all have been in five movies, thank you, but we're going to go in a different direction.

[00:06:33] Otherwise, it looks pretty good. The direction is okay. I think the writing is kind of awkward, not really in a good way. I do like their relationship with, not to spoil it too much, McKenna Grace and this other character that pops up. I like that relationship. That's pretty interesting and new and visually I think it's very good.

[00:06:52] Kamal Nanjiani, one other thing is, even though for the most part I liked his performance, the stuff at the end, not to spoil the ending, the costumes and things with him that develop kind of lame at the end. Like he looks goofy. It doesn't really work in any way. Like it feels very unnecessary to have that character be what he is. So, not a fan of that but still really like the performance overall.

[00:07:19] So, check it out if you like Ghostbusters. Do see it. I know some people did really like it. I know some people are trashing it but I think it's alright. It's watchable. You know, it's hard to be that mad at a Ghostbusters movie. So, that one is a light three out of five.

[00:07:49] We go beyond to protect more than borders. From ship to shore, air to ground, cities to local communities, CBP agents and officers are keeping people safe. Join U.S. Customs and Border Protection and go beyond for something far greater than yourself. Learn more at cbp.gov slash careers.