Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Screened at Regal Cinemas 9, Palm Springs, California.

Fan service. Generally that's a problem for me. Not in theory, but in execution it usually doesn't play very well, bordering on both frustrating and nauseating. So, the criticisms I've heard about this, the fifth film now in the Ghostbusters franchise, I can definitely understand, and I do have to say it wasn't very subtle here. It feels extremely intentional, perhaps to satisfy the desires of both the fans and casual viewers who exited 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' feeling like it wasn't the kind of entry one would have expected or hoped for, especially since the 2021 film was the first direct sequel in over 30 years.

However, I felt differently. I was so eager to be back in that world of the original 1984 classic, that while 'Afterlife' was a good and decent film (I gave it four stars at the time, and would be three-and-a-half today), I did feel very underwhelmed. And a lot of that feeling is going on here as well, especially the opening scene which had me starting to dread the next two hours. Once past that though, it started to click for me. The music cues, the returning cast members, the numerous references to the original like for instance the title card, which looked just like the original. New takes/approaches to familiar characters and settings also added to the fun, instead of distracting from it. That feeling I wanted was back, and I was more than pleased as it helped balance out the rest of the film which is basically a family film take on the franchise. The original had an edge to it, while these new entries don't really. So in my view, the references - the "fan service" - was essential.

It's a mixed bag overall. I was entertained and enjoyed it, despite the problems these new films have had transitioning into modern day, and the brief yet plenty of shout-outs to the original, and even the 1989 sequel, really worked for me. But I have to acknowledge I can see how it may not do much for the younger crowd especially, or even the older crowd who don't remember. In conclusion, I can see and feel how this is normally a film I would highly disapprove of, but I have a love and bias for the original that is so strong that the moments I was looking for and got, outweighed the obvious and clear faults they've had in trying to recapture that original lightning in a bottle.