Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Failed By Forgetting What Makes The Franchise Great
Written by Robert Scucci and released just moments ago. (As an AI language model, I cannot guarantee the authenticity of the original author's name and the accuracy of the time mentioned in the article.)
If you take an old and cherished property and remove all the unique elements that made it special in the first place, what do you end up with? Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - a film that is somewhat enjoyable but ultimately unremarkable. A big issue I've noticed with remaking classic stories is that they tend to rely too heavily on exposition rather than giving the audience a visual representation, which feels condescending and unnecessary.
If you take a look at the essence of the first Ghostbusters movie and compare it to Afterlife and Frozen Empire, you can tell that they all belong to the Ghostbusters series, but they are not exactly alike in nature.
Let me clarify that I don't think Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a terrible movie. I actually had some enjoyable moments while watching it. However, it doesn't quite capture the essence of the original Ghostbusters because it's trying too hard to be clever and complicated. It spends a lot of time explaining things to the audience that we could've just enjoyed through improved humor and special effects. Instead, we're bombarded with complex scientific jargon and dialogue that slows down the movie's pace.
The original Ghostbusters film from 1984 is well-known for a significant reason: it didn't waste any time explaining things the audience could figure out by themselves. From the beginning, we learn that Venkman (played by Bill Murray), Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Spengler (Harold Ramis) are intelligent individuals who don't want to conform to society's rules or listen to authority figures. Throughout the movie, we see how their unique personalities lead them into various problematic situations, and we witness their fantastic chemistry along the way.
The funny bits in Ghostbusters happen spontaneously in response to what's going on, and you can totally see the characters' reaction to the craziness. They set up small little jokes that end up being a really big deal later on, unlike the sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Even when Egon Spengler warns the other Ghostbusters not to cross their streams, which could lead to a huge explosion, you just know they're going to ignore the advice and do it anyway when there's nothing else they can do.
In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the focus is mainly on uncovering the origins of a strange and hostile ball that possesses extraordinary abilities. The movie delves into Dr. Hubert Wartzki's (played by Patton Oswalt) journey to the library to reveal the entire history of the ball and the consequences that come with using it for evil purposes. This segment constantly builds up the importance of the story by describing the risks involved, rather than demonstrating them to the viewer.
The Ghostbusters movie from 1984 highlights how camaraderie is essential for the working class. The main characters are like fancy pest controllers who use proton packs to get rid of ghosts. At the beginning of the film, Winston Zeddemore approaches them and asks for a job. Without any fuss or delay, he's soon working his Ghostbuster magic alongside the rest of the team. We can assume that the nitty-gritty details of hiring, training and trust-building happened off-camera because the Ghostbusters were eager to get down to the business of battling ghosts.
On the other hand, in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Gary Grooberson played by Paul Rudd spends a significant portion of time recounting to Phoebe Spengler that he used to work as a seismologist and educator prior to joining the Ghostbusters team and going out with her mother Callie. This seems like a waste of time since this was already a major element of the plot if you've seen Afterlife. It would be preferable for them to skip the SparkNotes-style recap and continue with the story.
One of the biggest problems facing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is its lack of a clear identity. Despite the return of beloved characters like Venkman, Stantz, and Zeddemore, fans may be disappointed to find that their witty, off-the-cuff banter is missing. Instead, the film falls into the trap of explaining too much and failing to live up to expectations.
In order for the Ghostbusters series to steer back on track after "Frozen Empire," there should be an increase in action and a decrease in exposition. At present, the reboot is attempting to bring back the magic of Ghostbusters without completely incorporating the aspects that truly made it a classic.
