It’s time to let the Ghostbusters franchise rest in peace – a review of Frozen Empire

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The never-ending era of monotony in copyright has been going on for quite some time. The decline of quality in movie franchises is evident, as even once-respected films are now being poorly produced and lacking substance. The latest addition to the Ghostbusters series is a useless and unoriginal film, introducing a ghost with the ability to freeze objects akin to Batman’s villain, Mr. Freeze. This can be considered as Ghostbusters 4, or arguably Ghostbusters 5 if the 2016 female-led, but comical, reboot is counted. However, it is clear that this franchise does not acknowledge the female cast, as they are not included in the latest film’s lineup of familiar faces. Although there are a few amusing moments and an attempt at a same-sex romance, there is not much life portrayed in this movie.

Fortunately, one aspect has been resolved. The previous movie, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was uninterestingly situated in a small town in Oklahoma, instead of the bustling metropolis that is the natural backdrop for this story. However, the family from that film, including Callie (played by Carrie Coon), her new partner Gary (Paul Rudd), and her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), have now relocated to New York, where they have established a ghost-catching business and are seen driving the iconic car and occupying the renowned former firehouse. The older generation of Ghostbusters are still present: Winston (Ernie Hudson) is the owner of the building; Ray (Dan Aykroyd) has his own popular YouTube channel about the supernatural; Janine (Annie Potts) makes an appearance; and so does the iconic Dr. Venkman (played by Bill Murray), whose performance seems to be preoccupied with something else, and not deliberately witty.

Things start to get interesting when a rogue named Nadeem (played by Kumail Nanjiani) tries to sell Ray a valuable orb that once belonged to his late grandmother. This orb holds great power and is the only thing standing in the way of humanity’s enslavement by an ice-powered ghost mentioned earlier. There’s a clever joke referencing the Spin Doctors and a particularly funny one about Mary Todd Lincoln. Grace portrays a sympathetic and caring ghosthunter who finds herself falling for a spirit. We are introduced to new characters, including stand-up comedian James Acaster, who is unfortunately given the mundane role of a scientist named Lars Pinfield and is not able to showcase his natural comedic talents due to the lackluster script. (This is also true for Rudd’s character.) Patton Oswalt tries his best as Dr. Wartzki, a feisty expert on the spirit world.

However, out of the new group, Nanjiani is the only one who brings essential comedic elements. He possesses the right balance of humor and subversion. The younger members are too naïve, while the older generation of 1984 is too disengaged. It’s time for Hollywood to retire the underwhelming Ghostbusters series and come up with fresh and innovative ideas, like they did with Jurassic World and Aquaman.

Source: theguardian.com