How Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Forgets Its Roots

comingsoon.net:

Why can’t Hollywood make a proper sequel to Ghostbusters? That was the only running through my brain following Frozen Empire last weekend. After 40 years, three sequels, a remake, and a slew of animated TV projects, the best and brightest artists have yet to capture the magic of 1984’s classic comedy.

Is Ghostbusters simply too perfect to replicate? Has the concept proven too thin to carry a franchise? Or was the cast a unique amalgamation of gifted up-and-comers that is nearly impossible to replicate?

I still can’t find a satisfying answer nearly a week later, but I have a few theories.

Ghostbusters was an astronomical success when it hit theaters on June 8, 1984. A novel concept, sharp script, crafty special effects, and a star-making performance by the legendary Bill Murray blasted audiences with enough cinematic goodwill they rewarded with an incredible $295 million worth of tickets sold domestically or roughly $722M adjusted to inflation. Remember how wildly Top Gun: Maverick was two years ago? Yeah, that was the fervor behind Ghostbusters, which remains the highest-grossing comedy of all time, narrowly outgrossing Beverly Hills Cop and Home Alone. Reitman “essentially kickstarted a genre that delivered everything to everyone — a steroidal blockbuster mash-up of everything playing at your local multiplex in a single package,” wrote Rolling Stone in 2016.

Indeed, Ghostbusters remains a pitch-perfect production that makes few (if any) missteps throughout its swift 105-minute runtime. The razor-sharp script produced endlessly quotable lines; the story evolves enough to keep even the shortest attention spans engaged, and the film effortlessly blends smart-ass comedy with the right amount of horror to satisfy fans of each genre. Older audiences appreciated the crass, adult humor, while the endless array of ghouls and goblins captured youngsters’ imaginations.

This isn’t nostalgia talking. Ghostbusters is a damn fine film and the ideal example of a Hollywood