Ghostbusters musings
As you can probably tell, Ghostbusters is a franchise that's near and dear to my heart. It's been around for as long as I have, and this year's an important anniversary year, at the same time I have a landmark birthday.
So now, after Frozen Empire, I just wonder where the hell it all went wrong, as the franchise is now nothing but a nostalgic cash-grab (and yet some have the audacity to claim Frozen Empire is a better movie than Ghostbusters 2).
Ghostbusters musings
I guess the real problems can be traced back to the absolute waste of oxygen that was the "debate" over Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, something so toxic that people I know still can't stand to think about it or the franchise in general now (the reason I've put these musings behind content warnings).
A bunch of sexist shite-arses latching onto the movie (which, in its theatrical cut, is only average at best) to scream their hateful bigotry from the rooftops.
Ghostbusters musings
In my experiences with the Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed community, things have settled down since then and the movie has found a lot more fans. However, the damage to the franchise had well and truly been done, as Sony took the wrong lessons from Answer the Call's release and leaned fully into nostalgic pandering henceforth.
Which is how we've got to where we are today with Frozen Empire.
Ghostbusters musings
I mean, I didn't like Afterlife as it was basically a lame retread of the first film with massive dollops of Stranger Things on top, but at least it had a point as a passing-the-torch story.
Frozen Empire is just a whole load of nothing; too many characters, too much plot and no reason to give a damn about either, with none of the visual gags, screwball comedy or even effective scares that made the original so beloved.
Ghostbusters musings
The only good thing about these movies now is McKenna Grace, who gives such a powerhouse performance in both films.
But yeah, for me at least, the best thing to come out of Ghostbusters now is the IDW comics, which did a fantastic job of telling entertaining stories while adding more depth to the Ghostbusters world and its characters.
If nothing else, I definitely recommend everyone read Ghostbusters 101, the crossover with Answer the Call which is a brilliant story.
Ghostbusters musings
Anyway, that's the end of that. I love Ghostbusters, or at least I want to love it, but as we reach the 40th anniversary of the first film, it feels like Sony have no interest in doing anything with the franchise beyond appealing to the nostalgia of some of the most emotionally-stunted people imaginable.
Kinda like Hollywood in general, really.
Ghostbusters musings
@renbymon It really is, and of course he's there just to be an arsehole.
It was especially gutting for me as, in the comics, they added more layers to him and actually made him a surprisingly shrewd character; while he still didn't like the Ghostbusters and was often frustrated by their activities, he did look out for them and kept them safe from unnecessary interference.
To see them haul him out in Frozen Empire, with none of that cleverness, was a travesty.
Ghostbusters musings
@Bowsette Hack writing. Boring uninspired hack writing.
The smarter more fun thing would be for Walter to have been proven RIGHT in this film and turn his character around, maybe he’s a little more mature and he’s like “Look, I get what you’re doing but this NEEDS to be licensed and approved.”
I’ll never forget when I realised that the problem in GB wasn’t Walter but Peter; It’s Peter’s fault, and more inspired writing would explore that.
Ghostbusters musings
@renbymon It certainly would. Hell, PCOC was actually a great idea. The fact that Peck was now the liaison between the Ghostbusters and the mayor's office opened up all manner of fun opportunities.
They really should've kept that concept.
Ghostbusters musings
@renbymon One of my favourite Peck moments in the comic (aside from when he straps on a Proton Pack himself when he has a personal stake on one job) is when it's revealed he's been running interference for the 'busters so government agents don't haul off or try to replicate their equipment, saying it's too dangerous for anyone other than the 'busters to handle.
Amusingly he even says "No one argued the point with "the idiot who forcefully shut down the containment unit"."
Ghostbusters musings
@avon_deer @Bowsette In hindsight (looking at him outside of how the movie frames him) he’s doing his job and he is in the right.
The Ghostbusters strap “unlicensed nuclear accelerators” to their backs on the daily, of course the EPA would want to know what the hell they’re doing and with good reason.
Ghostbusters musings
@Bowsette Oh my god I just read that WALTER PECK is in it. That’s so pathetic.