04/01/2024
This is Neo Zodiack speaking... and man, does it feel weird/good to be back. Unlike Jesus, who just needed a 3 day weekend to come back from the dead, I needed a longer hiatus to feel the urge again. It has been roughly 1 year, 1 month, and some odd days since last I posted a review here. It's been so long that the name changed, the format changed, and there have officially been two Easters counting today. But hey, I'm back, and that's sort of what counts, I suppose.
With all that being said, welcome to the latest edition of and it's gonna be a doozy... maybe? With this edition, I'm going to talk about a newer film. One that currently is only available in theaters. It's part of a franchise that I hold near and dear to my heart... good ol' Ghostbusters! With this newest installment, let's see what's up with our friends from the fire house and the growing editions from the last film. Hashtags you ask?
Premise: The SpenGoober family has moved away from their humble little dirt farm into the ol' firehouse in New York of yesteryear. Of course when one is in the presence of ghost busting equipment, one is likely to go about busting ghosts. This lil family then finds themselves in the midst of the latest apocalyptic event when an extremely powerful entity is unleashed and aims to destroy the world. But our team has old friends, new allies, and some reimagined equipment to take down this baddie. But will it be enough?
So, rumblings online have their opinions all over the place for this one. Some people despise it, some love it, some see it the way I do, and others still are just kind of meh. Here's my take on it with a little background...
I've been a fan of this franchise since I became aware of it as a wee little lad. Movies, games, food tie-ins, figures, comics, and collectibles... you name it. Two of the most unpopular opinions I have are...
1) Answer The Call was a fun and decent movie that could have easily extended the universe and the franchise. This was ruined by some of those involved in the film and a strong public outcry that both felt completely unwarranted.
2) Ghostbusters 2 is my favorite.
If either of those offend you or upset you, buckle up buttercup because this is going to get a lot worse for you. In my personal opinion, Afterlife and Frozen Empire served two vastly different purposes. Afterlife attempted to give us fans closure to a franchise that we always felted a bit jilted by. We begged and pleaded for a 3rd film that was promised several times and just never happened... until it did. It came a little later than what we wanted and after a major loss to the series, but it finally showed up. It was fun, filled in some gaps, gave us a peak into Egon's brain, and took us on a nostalgia filled feels trip. I still shed a tear or two when I watch it and I've seen it around a dozen times.
That film also gave us new characters to lead us into Frozen Empire. This addition... it wasn't for us... entirely. You get the originals and the newbies working together a bit more prominently than the previous, but it's honestly for that next generation of fans. It's for the youngins. We get nods for 1 and 2, but the main focus is Egon's grandkids. In particular, there's a lot going on with Phoebe. It was still enjoyable and I'll inevitably own it and continue to support the franchise, but I know this film wasn't made for me.
The plot itself focuses more on the family aspect and comes across as a family film rather than a comedy like the others. There could have been some more focus on the new additions and ghost busting in general, but you have to let some of these things simmer from time to time. They needed to build up the next generation and that's honestly what this film felt like it was for. Its that awkward space after a haircut when you're waiting on it to grow in just a little to get to the perfect place you want it.
Special effects were up to par with what you'd expect from the previous movie. There is a fun collection of ghosts, both old and new. Slimer, of course, makes an appearance as was previously shown through articles and what not. Mini Staypufts are back for cuteness factor. The new editions are also welcome among the myriad of the collection. All of them looked great with only one of them being kind of meh because it's kind of just a spark. But, the interactions with said spark are what brings it up a few places in the rankings.
Scripting and tone, as I mentioned previously, were fine but fell into the family category with some bits of funny thrown in. Struggling of an unpopular/weird teenager, step parent dynamic, and old people understanding technology are among the normal tropes that you'll see here.
Overall, if Afterlife was a love letter to the franchise then Frozen Empire is its family friendly predecessor to build on the franchise. It's an enjoyable movie that I will love taking my kids to watch. This will serve to plant the seed for a new crop of Ghostbusters fans. Is everyone going to like it? No. Should everyone love it? Also no. Nostalgia is a hard nut to crack and some purists will never accept anything outside of the original and, sometimes, the sequel. It's a worthy addition to the franchise and I truly hope we get to continue to see it grow in a positive way.
That's it for now, folks! Thanks for reading and I hope you join me again soon for the review... which hopefully won't take me a year and change to write. Until next time, friends and fiends...
Keep waiting...
But hopefully not for a year.
