S.O.S. Fantômes : La Menace de glace

It's a big-budget blockbuster with an extensive all-star cast of both legends and rising stars, a menacing other-worldly threat, and it leverages an iconic intellectual property that brings nostalgia to an audience who grew up watching cartoons that bordered on marketing brainwashing, so hypothetically 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' has all of the elements for a great movie. Unfortunately it just isn't one.

It's not awful, but it's definitely not 'great'. The cast is bloated, so it feels like a series of SNL sketches cut together. The main plot thread, Phoebe, is probably the least interesting character they could have chosen for the lead plot line. The handling of her character was heavy-handed and pandering. Yes there were sex jokes in the old movies, but Bill Murray's romance stories in the originals were one of their least interesting aspects, and apparently my distaste for romance stories in Ghostbusters movies has not changed.

The effects, sound, music, cinematography and general production value are of high quality. The acting is across the board because there're a zillion actors.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' snatches defeat from the jaws of victory in an effort to appeal to modern audiences, leading to a forgettable middle entry to what is likely a string of movies that are already declining in quality at a predictable rate.

This film is okay. It's not nearly as good as Ghostbusters Afterlife but it's about what you would expect from a follow up. The new ghosts and elements added to the lore are very cool and some of the visuals are very nice. Some of the jokes are very funny and some aren't. The cast is pretty good here but nothing exceptional performance wise. The action scenes are ok but the final battle is pretty short and a little anti climactic. The original crew is just there to be there with the exception of Dan Aykroyd, who actually has quite a bit of screen time. If you're a Ghostbusters fan you'll probably have a good time with it but don't expect to be blown away.

They could have done so much more with this movie, unfortunately the storyline was only wafer thin, the cast were not used to to produce the same performance that they did in Afterlife and the plot holes were gaping.

If they had only made the connection with Afterlife and built upon the story from the start of the movie, then started introducing the new characters and a more convincing plot, they definitely could have made it better.

I certainly wouldn't rush to watch it again, the special effects were good, some of the comedy value was entertaining, some was just plain silly.

I scored it: 6/10.

I can't get over how good Ghostbusters 2 was. It was one of the rare sequals that surpassed its original. Like Terminator 2. Or Indiana Jones 3.

Ghostbusters had chemistry between the cast, a great story that flowed nicely towards a big finale. It was a pretty awesome movie.

For like 20 years, nothing happened. Then, they revived/rehashed the franchise. I am still waiting for a movie that really works. They all have great individual parts, but they don't make a great movie.

Mckenna's role is cool, if almost a little too stoic. Paul Rudd's character is somewhere between a lead and a sidekick and it doesn't quite work.

Dan Aykroyd is adorable in this movie. He brings the most joy to the screen.

The villain is completely underdevelopped and underused.

And then it's just too repetitive. The mayor is making their lives difficult (again!) for no good reason.

What I need is a Beverly Hills Cop Axel F moment. Now THAT movie re-created the old magic! Still waiting, Ghostbusters writers...

This film is the epitome of okay. It relies on a fairly bland, standard plot with tepid, generation spanning humor. It's an offensively inoffensive product, which takes few risks while attempting to cater to a generic corporate vision of the 'standard audience'.

Most of the performances are adequate. It includes a large and diverse cast of all your favorite new, forgettable characters, played by actors from better films.

Perhaps most importantly, the film overflows with member berries and nostalgia bait for product craving consumers of all ages and backgrounds.

And in a financial sense, the corporate entities and creators behind the film were moderately successful, earning over $200 million dollars on a film with a $100 million dollar budget. Truly, a triumph in generic corporate film-making.