I’ve already lost a couple of subscribers for this, that’s how you know I’m committed to THE TRUTH!

Just came here to acknowledge the strangely good James Acaster impression lol

Afterlife was a reset. Ghostbusters had to get out of New York to address all the years that has passed and characters that had passed. Afterlife had a lot of heavy lifting to do in order for us to get Frozen Empire. As a consequence, new film is free to do what it wants, and I thought it was great.

Good review. I saw it this weekend and absolutely loved it. Finally, it seemed like a bit of fresh air with the story. The character moments were spot on. People were rolling with laughter and after we left the show, everyone was grinning and had a smile on their faces. I'll definitely be seeing this again.

19:12 I think the name Frozen Empire is just supposed to refer to how the movie's all about New York freezing over, and New York is also known as the Empire State. Could've probably come up with a better title, but I think it makes a modicum of sense.

Personally I think I'd watch another one, i really enjoyed this movie. Ray proudly smiling when podcast and phoebe act in a way the old ghostbusters would have done and his acknowledgement that ghostbusting is what he ACTUALLY wants to do with his golden years is heartwarming. Some of my favourite bits for sure. It's a good way to show an older version of a character without having them repeat their past glories.

From what I could see from the trailer, they were throwing anything they had at the wall to see what would stick. It appears that something stuck.

I love the new format, Joe! It turns out my fears of your weekly schedule being interrupted by the lack of Star Wars releases was unfounded. You surprise me each week with a new topic that I could never anticipate. Keep it up!

That James Acaster impression was flawless

Frozen Empire really batted away the gloom from afterlife

Came for a doctor who video, stayed for a bafflingly good Acaster impression 😂

I have just seen this. It does have its flaws, like Phoebe going in the spirit separator, I did enjoy it. It not only referenced the movies, but the games, and animated series as well. I think that is what the negative critics don't get. Not perfect, but enjoyable. This is from a fan who collects the Haslab Ghostbusters. P.S. There is a comic coming out that bridges Afterlife, and Frozen Empire.

Really cool to see sony give money to a small creator like this

"No one likes it" it how most things seem to be nowadays, regardless of quality.

One thing I believe people need to consider: in the first film, Winston didn’t really have “anything to do” except be the Everyman and had some iconic lines. The only consequential scene he had was when he and Ray are in the car and having the dialogue about the end of the world and the dead rising from the grave. Yet, we (almost) all love him in the film. Hell, he’s my favorite Ghostbuster. Trevor didn’t have a consequential scene in this film, but he was that role of the Everyman who just wants to be apart of the team. And I like that.

Okay thanks. Your thoughts on Frozen Empire is more aligned with what im thinking too. My buddy and I had a lot of fun. Lots of negative reviews about no new ideas but I really felt they made an effort to try new things in his movie. I think what we'll continue to see is the fact that the rottentomatoes critic scores remain low but the actual audiences scores will continue to stay strong.

I don't remember why I subscribed but I'm very glad I did. You should broaden your scope beyond star wars, as I really like hearing your opinions and delivery.

I adored Afterlife, and I adored Frozen Empire even more. Great review my man!

I'm going to be seeing this tomorrow and I can't wait! I also think that it's awesome that Janine (Annie Potts) gets to be a Ghostbuster finally! I personally enjoyed Afterlife though I can definitely see your issues with it and I do agree with your criticisms.

Gotta say I don't much agree with most of your gripes with Afterlife. I as a fan of the series felt it was a very well done continuation/jumping off point movie. I for the most part agree with your assessment of the Frozen Empire. Afterlife was a nod to fans of the original that they have listened this time, and are giving them what they asked for. A true sequel. (Not the slap in the face "Answer the Call" was) It was full of references and nods to the original (and yes it ignored Ghostbusters 2, but at least 2 was referenced in Frozen Throne) to hammer that point home. Maybe they went a little too hard on the nostalgia, but I for one enjoyed seeing the references while enjoying the continuation. Gozer as the villain in Afterlife does a good job of closing out that chapter completely. A sendoff and bridge from the old, to the new going forward. On your assessment of Ray I have to point out. Yes he was the quirky excited true believer in the first two movies. The reason that was absent in Afterlife was that so much time had passed since he was able to do something he loved. He was running an occult bookstore that wasn't profitable and by all accounts was failing. He felt that Egon had betrayed them and he hadn't actively done any ghost related stuff in years. He'd settled into a disappointing life away from what he enjoyed. In Frozen Empire the Ghostbusters have been back for two years, he's actively helping out with identifying and collecting haunted artifacts, and his store has patrons and attention. He's back in his element. That's why he seemed so different in Afterlife compared to this movie.

First time watching. But I'm really happy to see a movie reviewer actually be positive for the new Ghostbusters movie. It's nice. I've been a fan since I was a kid. And I hated 2016. I was so excited when I saw a new one was in the works and it was dog shit bad. Then Afterlife came out. Not gonna lie I had to watch it a couple of times to understand it. And it's 100% times better than 2016's. I've not been able to watch Frozen Empire yet due to a hectic life. But I intend to watch it this week. Obviously being a massive fan of the franchise I've looked at some KZfaq reviews and all were hurtfully negative like they could do better. So honestly it's really nice to see someone like you that's honest and positive towards it. Without people like you. We'll never get another Ghostbusters movie. So yeah just watched your video and I thank you as a devoted Ghostbusters fan for pushing out positive thoughts on this next installment. 😁

This review was super refreshing. I appreciate your transparency and willingness to stand apart

Bustin makes me feel good

Great review! I had a good time with Frozen Empire. Liked Afterlife till the last act. I'd say both AL and FE aren't flawless, but I dig the family dynamic of both films and I'm down for seeing more of them!

Just come across your channel for the first time (now subscribed). I'm a massive Ghostbusters fan and am pleased to hear that someone who isn't actually enjoyed this film. Its been ravaged by the critics and, though its probably my least favourite GB film, it has been unfairly treated. Good work sir, even if you are wrong about Afterlife.

My biggest problem with frozen empire is undercooked characters Melody and Phoebes story the main one takes a backseat for the fire bender stuff

I think “Answer the call” is a tagline.

I thought this was miles better than Afterlife but still has a load of issues like it does that thing that a lot of superheroes films do were the threat they save everyone from is something they cause in the first place (I know there was a bit more to it than that but don't want to go spoilery other than saying the thing that let Phoebe do the thing just came out of nowhere with zero explanation that you could do that thing with the thing).

New York : The Empire State. Now it's being Frozen. Hope that cleared up the title for you.

I went in expecting the worst but I really enjoyed it...liked it far more than Afterlife thats for sure.

Your voice has a Barry Normanesque quality to it. Keep up the good work.

good review well said, and the james Acaster impression ... brilliant ..... think alot of negative reviews have already decided it crap before seeing it , i been twice and the audience laughed and jumped at he right places and walked out saying they enjoyed it. I do think afterlife was the film that was needed after answer the call and the 40 years since the first one they had to rebuild the franchise without rebooting it

I had the same experience as you! I took my nephews to see it today and was trying to convince them to go see Dune 2 again instead cause I was not excited for this movie 😆….was pleasantly surprised! I liked it so much more than I thought I would, better than afterlife for sure

I've never much cared for ghostbusters but I love your videos, enjoyed this one a lot. Keep bustin'

Watched da movie today and while I personally think the original Ghostbusters is just ok, I liked Afterlife and I liked this one. Most of the callbacks go over my head because I just don't remember the original film that well, which maybe helps with my opinion of the new ones? But yeah my favourite part was the relationship between Phoebe and Melody, I would have loved to see more of them just hanging out. I'll also watch anything with James Acaster in, so that helps.

I'm curious about the business side of it going forward. These movies are made relatively cheap and not a one of them has made over $300M at the box office. But they do great business on DVDs, VODs and merchandise. Do they roll the dice on another movie or do a TV show? For all the critics I see saying the franchise should "just die", I'm afraid it's not going to.

I loved Afterlife and I really like Frozen Empire. I don't get the hate for Frozen empire though it has a quick ending but the rest is really good!

Frozen Empire doesn't live up to the huge franchise expectation... That said, I did like it more than After Life. It's a step in the right direction after After Life. I hope they keep improving and that the next one can be good enough to be a modern classic.

I find it telling that this whole weekend all I've seen pushed were negative reviews and now that the weekend is over, I see two positive reviews in a row. Review bombed

What life is like for a more human ghost-hey wait a minute. Great review all the same.

Not to say studios should always be making legacy sequels and reboots, I'd be VERY happy to see more original stories, but the filmmakers that DO make legacy sequels are fucked either way. This guy hates ghost Egon, I thought it was the best part. You didn't like the reverence for the original but I grew up with the original and have a LOT of reverence for it. So I loved seeing the callbacks and the tone resonated with me and a lot of other Ghostbusters fans. We spent 30 years hearing about a Ghostbusters 3 that never came. So when Afterlife happened, it was hard to believe it was real. Glad you enjoyed this one more. Also, in America we do call mayors "your honor" so that wasn't really a joke in the original or a callback in this one.

I liked it, the inclusion of previous characters made sense and was in no way fan/nostalgia-baiting, hell even the movie prior was more akin to that. I felt like it fell flat at the end though with all the characters coming together.. to do preeetty much nothing. Very anticlimactic fight and underwhelming villain. Other than that it was pretty good.

2:30 to be fair, that bit of music IS the Ghostbuster’s theme. I’d have been disappointed if that wasn’t in the movie.

I enjoyed Frozen Empire. I think I preferred Afterlife overall, but then I’m a lifelong GB fan and a sucker for the nostalgia. Frozen Empire was fun though, and it was great to be back in New York. If I’m being critical I’d say there’s a bit too much going on, and it could have been a bit tighter, but overall I had a good time (and I LOVED the opening sequence in 1904) I also enjoyed Acaster’s character Pinfold and would like to see him in a follow up.

I thought that Frozen Empire was really good too. I suppose that I did not see any of the trailers. I was burnt by trailers before, especially the Stranger Things season 4 Hopper trailer. I would have liked to be surprised by how the episodes unfolded. I really liked the family saga. I liked the Melody subplot, and was sad when she passed over. I liked Phoebe, Trevor and the rest of the Spengler family, Gary included. Podcast, Lucky, and the classic crew. I liked the jokes that were scattered throughout, like those two police wondering whether to call it in or not. I liked the new Indian guy, the Fire Master, but I thought that he was going to be funnier than what he was. And I wish that Phoebe was more like what she was in Afterlife, because she wasn't as "Egon-y" as she was in that movie. But, apart from those two minor issues, I really enjoyed the movie, but I do like GB1, and Afterlife just a smidge better.

Idrc about GB, but I care about you and you look good Joe!

I think Afterlife is a decent bridge to something new. I think Frozen Empire is a lot of fun and is probably my second favorite now after the first. It leaves me wanting more like it. Saw it twice and the first time I liked it but felt a bit underwhelmed. The second time I was much more into it. Think my first viewing, I was taking it all in and overthinking it.

Did the Doccy Who video get pushed until March 31st 😂. Maybe not a lot to talk about a week after the trailer, but honestly as of right now the trailer on the Disney+ channel has almost 4 mil views. That's mind blowing especially since it puts it in the top 15 videos by views on the Disney+ channel. I am really optimistic this week that this Disney+ push will push the popularity of the show here in the US to a new level.

It was less nostalgia overload than Afterlife by miles. The nostalgia, like the library ghost, felt more like a sequel callback than "remember this" which was ok. The criticism this movie is getting is baffling, but we are in the age of nostalgia still. Going on nearly a decade now....

This is like the X-Men Apocalypse or Muppets Most Wanted of sequels- after they've reintroduced the characters in the legacy film, this is the true to form sequel that feels more in line with the franchise. It was good enjoyable fun that built upon the lore of the original movie with a fun monster ghost and that's all I was asking for.

I think I’m on a similar page. I didn’t hate Afterlife, though I think the nostalgia/“let’s do the end of Ghostbusters again!” let it down. For this one, I liked pretty much all of the stuff it was doing, but there was too much of it. It felt like a streaming series, only ever moving in tiny increments. It needed weeding. Sadly I think the “gotta have our new characters AND keep all the old ones!” is holding them back in that department.

It's a wonderful, live-action episode of The Real Ghostbusters... for better or worse. WAY better than Afterlife, and the... other one... I really enjoyed it. I can totally see all of the things many people are complaining about, (felt rushed, overcrowded, etc.) but it's still going into my collection. It reminded me of when I was a kid, playing Ghostbusters with my buddies. It was simple and fun. If you're expecting any of the sequels to live up to the original, well... not gonna happen. My biggest upset in this whole thing is the fact that this year is the 40th anniversary of the original, and this movie deserved to be released at the end of June/ early July.

I also thought Frozen was much better than Afterlife. Afterlife was not Ghostbusters but more a "coming of age" movie. Now they are more back to scary and funny. They could have used Murray more.

I have o disagree about Murray. he has some strong screen presence - the voice, the attitude, it is still there. When he annoyed the guy he experimented on he was actually quite funny and in the he had cool lines. I would love the get more Venkman.

no gorilla, no ghostbusters

Im also glad we finally got trailers that dont give you half the movie

The only reason I watch these remakes is for the nostalgia. Unfortunately, lately with your Snow Whites and Charlie in the chocolate factories and things like that. The nostalgia is murdered. Now I'm just waiting for the new beetlejuice, hoping for major nostalgia.

GHOSTBUSTERS THE VIDEO GAME Is considered by many people including myself the third movie come on people let’s not forget about this gem!!!!

why do you have Rian Johnson's disembodied head plastered on your wall?

So for me - I love the original, it's part sketch comedy, part horror and there's not a moment on screen that I am not entertained. Did it always make sense? No - I frequently complained that most of the "ghosts" they were busting seemed nothing of the kind. We had the library ghost - cool, and slimer, but the terror dogs, the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man and Gozer - most of the baddies in the film felt pretty substantial and less ghostly. But I LOVED the film anyways. The first sequel, was a guilty pleasure for me, it introduced something new, possessed painted and emotionally charged smile. Cool. The reboot was a misfire, because though they had 4 supremely funny gals in it, and a good setup - that opening haunting is still great - the movie overall wasn't funny for me, and it felt like a retread we didn't ask for. Not awful, still a ghostbuster film, but uneven. Leslie Jones was underused and should have been the anchor of the film, she should have been the scientist no one believed, instead of being the street level character. But they all did the best they could with a well meaning script that just didn't land. Afterlife - I completely disagree with you - I LOVED it. I loved that we spent so much time away from NY, discovering Egon's long overlooked family. A mystery in a rundown forgotten town that is suddenly the apex of a major ghost event that harkens back to the original film. I loved that it not only focused on this new generation of characters, but that is also finally justified calling Gozer and the terror dogs any all the manifestations of Gozer - ghosts. Seeing them manifest from thin air - finally fixed this long overlooked complaint I had in the original film. The Terror Dogs really were ghosts. Gozer was a ghost. It showed us the original team at their worst, when they had failed to believe one of their own, and turned away from each other, and how even in his death, Egon was not only able to heal the wounds in his own famiily - he got his brothers back together again to finish what they started. AND it was funny. I loved Afterlife. SPOILERS for those that haven't seen Frozen Empire yet.....Ok you've been warned....... The new film had a lot to prove for me. Could it chart a new course, avoid repeating and relying on the story beats from the OG, II, and Afterlife? Could they add to the franchise in a meaningful way, and hopefully build not just a narrative but do some world building - something that had been largely overlooked in II, Answer the call and only just touched upon in Afterlife? YES! They treated the OGs appropriately considering their advancing age, gave Janine something to do in front of the desk, acknowledged that the containment system has a finite capacity, redeemed Ray and showed he still had that childlike sparkle even though he should also probably act his age all things considered. It was a fun action film, it was a Ghostbusters film. Fun more than funny, but not humorless. I love that it was Phoebe's film, but gave some great beats to Ray, Winston, Melody, and Gary. I love that we got a seriously menacing villain, and some fun call backs. Especially the realization that they aren't welcome in the library - because they NEVER solved that pesky ghost problem. lol. It's not the original film, nor any of the other films, it stands on it's own merits and I love that. I was new, it was different and it was still Ghostbusters. It was fun, I bought 4 tickets and I'll be pre-ordering the 4K immediately.

I liked it too! I only went bc my dad wanted to and I was visiting at the time but we both enjoyed it :)

Why do you have a cut out head of Rian Johnson near you.

I'm with you Joe! Although I am a big fan of Afterlife.

It was decent. 7/10

I finally saw it last night. It pains me to say this but I have to be honest; Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a bad movie. The film is a mess. It's boring, poorly paced, confusing, convoluted and overly complicated. Too many characters, many of which have been needlessly shoehorned into the story. It's overstuffed with unnecessary dialogue, subplots, characters and scenes which go on for far too long. It's not funny either. I didn't laugh once during the movie, and neither did the audience I was watching it with. Neither is it scary. Laughs and scares are the two things you expect from a Ghostbusters film but this film doesn't provide any. Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan may be talented directors, but they're the wrong people to be writing these films. With a heavy heart, I rate this film 3 out of 10. I feel a lot of fans are in denial about just how bad this film is.

Shocked

I enjoyed this movie a lot, and that’s coming from someone who didn’t even see Afterlife. Then again, Afterlife aside I’ve enjoyed *all* the Ghostbusters movies to varying degrees, so take my feelings with a grain of salt.

I haven't seen the movie yet but if I had to guess then this is kind of the breaking point for my generation about legacy franchises. My generation has seen so much legacy franchise movies that we are now begging for something that we can show to the next generation like John wick. Yes Ghostbusters is a classic but it's kind of like Jurassic park where it clearly should have just been 1 movie and that's it, every sequel ranges from meh to good but not great.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this was pretty good and fun.

Who you gonna call? Ghost Lesbian

I loved it, my wife loved it, my son (13) loved it.

Even when I don't agree with you I do like how you present things. Although I'm not totally opposed to what you've said, my views are a bit of devil's advocate and the rest me just being cynical. There is a difference between bringing back the ACTOR for a cameo as a nod to the OG's, a la 2016. And the CHARACTER being brought back to add legitimacy to something that can't stand on its own as an appeal to the FANS. Despite what I've said, I thought last time it was done tastefully and out of respect for Ramis... doing it a second time feels like desperation.

I liked the movie, I want to see the next one.

We absolutely loved it.

Your hair looks really good today, Joe!

I don't agree with everything this guy says, especially his thoughts on Afterlife and the borderline ageist comments. But I do think it's refreshing to hear perspective that actually enjoyed the film and not just jumping on the hate bandwagon. However, I do think the hate for this film is restricted to the internet as most of general movie going public seem to enjoy this film more than RT and KZfaq critics.

I was surprised that its not terrible. Its still not right though, the family angle does not feel natural at all and yeah it comes across a bit chatgpt in that respect

TRAITOR!! ( i agree with you re opinion on Ghostbusters: AFTERLIFE but disagree , with Frozen Empire , but i respect you're opinion )

If the movie was good, why did Sony have to use shots that weren’t even in the movie within the trailers? This movie was SO SLOW the first two acts. The third is rushed, happens mainly only in the firehouse with no real tension. I was bored and ready to leave. Also, that ghost friendship DID NOT work for me.

Yippeeeee

Agreed about it doing something different compared to all the others and that the call backs are brief. Everyone wants something new supposedly, but then I see all these facebooks reviews and they cry that it doesn’t do the same old thing. Also New York is the Empire Sate Hence Frozen Empire.

Ghostbusters Afterlife literally was a love not for all of us 40 plus year old super GB fans. We know that. Most GB superfans are aware that its not on the level of Star Wars. It had a budget of only 75 million, and frozen empire at 100 million. Way less than Star Wars...but the nostalgia and hardcore fans of Ghostbusters lies in the collective nature of the franchise..first movie, cartoon, second movie...the first movie has a different feel depending what lens you put on it. We know it isnt Star wars but it is its own small thing that got its fractional budget and following. Im ecstatic. Growing up in NYC in the 80s and 90s, its near impossible to not be in love with the franchise.

If you dump on something from a great height it makes it seem that you yourself have ascended to such a great height that you are worthy of everyone’s praise. That’s pretty much the common thread of the hypercritical reviews that I’ve seen of this movie. It’s a really fun piece of popcorn cinema. Those coming at it like it’s Scorsese’s Mean Streets are in desperate need of stick removal surgery.

So what you’re saying is watch the original and the new one and skip everything else

the title really puts me off the movie but this video might convince me

But you’re missing the point of GhostBusters:AfterLife. The point of that film was to wash the bad taste out of people’s mouths & to forget about it altogether. If it wasn’t for the backlash & rightfully so then…Eagon might not have gotten the respect as a now dseased member who had unfortunately actually passed away. So of course it’s going to seem crowd pleasing & a bit like a massive action movie. This isn’t 1984. That movie even then was something like 37 years old by that point. Also it was made by the son’s Director.

Part 3 will be the best 1 and theree will be a 4th... i said it 😉... next up grimlins!

The comics coming out bridge the gap

Title should say "again", make it seem like you don't like the originals. Too many spoilers in this video, I was really disappointing seeing all the negative reviews so my hype got lower. Especially since Venkman is just gonna pop in and out again...

2ghost2busters

I enjoyed it but it's my least favorite canonical Ghostbusters movie. I thought Afterlife was perfection and this one isn't as good. 1. Ghostbusters 2. Afterlife 3. Ghostbuers II 4. Frozen Empire

Empire as in New York City by the way. That’s why they have the Empire State Building. And it’s Frozen. Hence the name.

I don't care about Ghostbusters, you need to watch Battle Star Wars. It's free on KZfaq and one of the best additions to Star Wars canon!

nah i like afterlife i mean her jokes were terrible but besides a few things it felt like ghostbusters it was better then the female ghostbusters film and by bring egon back it was beautiful because she gets to say one last good by to him and so does her mother to her father i mean what do you expect its a film called ghost busters but then you complain that theres to many ghost look people will complain if theres no original ghostbusters in this film and if they dont return for this film people will want them back so either way not a single persons gonna be happy

Ghostbusters 2, in my opinion, was the best movie in the entire franchise.

They're trying to take down this film because a British Ghostbuster is finally canon

Movie was eh for me. Didn't ruin anything, but didn't really gel

Wow! 53 seconds to get me to dislike and click away from your vid.... I think that's a new record for me as a viewer.

Frozen empire was good but Afterlife was a much much better film.

I think Frozen Empire is a double entendre. Empire represents New York, a la the Empire State Building, and Empire means controlled territory by Garraka