This weekend sees the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Some will say this is the fourth Ghostbusters film, but of course, we all know it’s actually the fifth, as you have to count Paul Feig’s reboot to a certain extent. While critics have been cool on Gil Kenan’s addition to the franchise, fans seem to really be enjoying the film, which gives the Og Ghostbusters enhanced roles. All this got me thinking: what are the best Ghostbusters films? So, I had to do it – here’s my Ghostbusters Movies Ranked list. I’m sure this will inspire a little debate, so let me know what you think of this list in the comments below – even if you hate it. Note that this list is from worst to best.
Ghostbusters (2016):
Let me be clear: I didn’t hate Paul Feig’s female-led reboot as much as a lot of people did.
Ghostbusters (2016):
Let me be clear: I didn’t hate Paul Feig’s female-led reboot as much as a lot of people did.
- 3/23/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Major spoilers follow.
Ever since a quartet of blue-collar fringe science-exploring schlubs first formed an organization known as the Ghostbusters back in 1984, the Ray Parker Jr.-led refrain of "Who ya gonna call?" has been both a promise and a cross to bear. While the original 'Busters (and their female counterparts from 2016) have continually struggled to convince themselves and others that non-corporeal entities are very real and need to be handled, they've also been burdened with the fact that ghostbusting is a full-time job with few tangible benefits. In essence, everyone from Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Raymond Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), her mother Callie (Carrie Coon), and others have been so continually preoccupied with the afterlife that they've barely carved out a present life for themselves.
That's the dilemma facing all of the people who call themselves Ghostbusters in the latest installment of the franchise,...
Ever since a quartet of blue-collar fringe science-exploring schlubs first formed an organization known as the Ghostbusters back in 1984, the Ray Parker Jr.-led refrain of "Who ya gonna call?" has been both a promise and a cross to bear. While the original 'Busters (and their female counterparts from 2016) have continually struggled to convince themselves and others that non-corporeal entities are very real and need to be handled, they've also been burdened with the fact that ghostbusting is a full-time job with few tangible benefits. In essence, everyone from Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Raymond Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), her mother Callie (Carrie Coon), and others have been so continually preoccupied with the afterlife that they've barely carved out a present life for themselves.
That's the dilemma facing all of the people who call themselves Ghostbusters in the latest installment of the franchise,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
When Gil Kenan co-wrote Ghostbusters: Afterlife with his creative partner Jason Reitman, they knew full well that they were penning a touching tribute to Ghostbusters co-creator Harold Ramis and his character of Egon Spengler. Upon the release of Afterlife in November 2021, they ramped up their efforts to crack the story that would eventually become its sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, however, just a few months later, another Ghostbusters co-creator, Ivan Reitman, passed away, turning Frozen Empire into an homage to the beloved filmmaker.
As it turned out, Kenan and Jason Reitman had the chance to share their Frozen Empire story outline with Ivan before he passed on.
“We pitched an almost complete version of this film’s story outline to Ivan before his passing, and that was really meaningful,” Kenan tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Obviously, we didn’t know that he wouldn’t be with us for the film, but his...
As it turned out, Kenan and Jason Reitman had the chance to share their Frozen Empire story outline with Ivan before he passed on.
“We pitched an almost complete version of this film’s story outline to Ivan before his passing, and that was really meaningful,” Kenan tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Obviously, we didn’t know that he wouldn’t be with us for the film, but his...
- 3/21/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Real Ghostbusters had only concluded six years before its direct sequel premiered in 1997. And, as with many things geared toward children at the time, there was this trend of overselling the product to bring in both eyes and money. Hence the title of Extreme Ghostbusters (hereinafter referred to as Xgb). The revival never quite lived up to the marketing hype, however, this cartoon was also no lightweight. It proved to be a worthy successor that was neither afraid of no ghost nor afraid to push the envelope in ways its predecessor could not.
After a few blissful years of zero paranormal activity in Xgb, the supernatural has returned in full force to haunt New York City and the rest of America. So who you gonna call to handle this new flux of specters, ghouls and other uncanny creatures? Well, not the Ghostbusters. The original team understandably disbanded after fulfilling their mission.
After a few blissful years of zero paranormal activity in Xgb, the supernatural has returned in full force to haunt New York City and the rest of America. So who you gonna call to handle this new flux of specters, ghouls and other uncanny creatures? Well, not the Ghostbusters. The original team understandably disbanded after fulfilling their mission.
- 3/20/2024
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
With "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," director Jason Reitman sparked a new direction for the sci-fi comedy franchise pioneered by his father, filmmaker Ivan Reitman. Much like the younger Reitman taking the reins of his father's cinematic history, the film grappled with the legacy of the movies that came before by delivering an Amblin-esque family adventure soaked in the nostalgia of the original "Ghostbusters." The result landed somewhere in the middle of being wonderfully entertaining and borderline self-indulgent, and that's coming from someone who has nothing but respect for the groundbreaking 1984 hit that came before it.
Two years later, the spook-nabbing franchise is continuing with "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," this time directed by "Monster House" filmmaker Gil Kenan. Leaving behind the dusty, rural Oklahoma setting of "Afterlife," the sequel brings the action back to New York City, where the unconventional Spengler family have been handed the baton, or rather neutron wand, of the original Ghostbusters.
Two years later, the spook-nabbing franchise is continuing with "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," this time directed by "Monster House" filmmaker Gil Kenan. Leaving behind the dusty, rural Oklahoma setting of "Afterlife," the sequel brings the action back to New York City, where the unconventional Spengler family have been handed the baton, or rather neutron wand, of the original Ghostbusters.
- 3/20/2024
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Quite alarmingly, the fifth entry in the Ghostbusters series — following straight on from the unexpectedly charming Afterlife — starts by quoting all 51 words of Robert Frost’s 1923 poem Fire and Ice, which posits two very different apocalyptic scenarios for the end of the world. Has the franchise suddenly fallen prey to the glum Christopher Nolanization of what we used to think of as bubblegum entertainment? Is Paul Feig’s controversial 2016 all-female iteration about to be frozen out of the canon? Will it be worthy and … boring?
Well, if you liked Afterlife, and not everybody did, the answer is no. It is confusing at times, and not everything works, but Frozen Empire does a very good job of keeping the flame alive, 40 years after the fact. As opposed to The Dial of Destiny, which leaned way too hard into the modern-day appeal of an action hero who’s now 80, the new-era Ghostbusters...
Well, if you liked Afterlife, and not everybody did, the answer is no. It is confusing at times, and not everything works, but Frozen Empire does a very good job of keeping the flame alive, 40 years after the fact. As opposed to The Dial of Destiny, which leaned way too hard into the modern-day appeal of an action hero who’s now 80, the new-era Ghostbusters...
- 3/20/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
The Ghostbusters universe seems to be getting awfully crowded. The latest film in the franchise, celebrating its 40th anniversary (gulp), features a plethora of ghostbusters old and new, including the surviving members of the original cast, the characters introduced in 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and a variety of eccentric new figures who are bound to figure in future installments. The only ones left out, it would seem, are the female ghostbusters from 2016’s unfairly maligned reboot, who should at least have merited a respectful cameo.
Nonetheless, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire tries hard, very hard, to satisfy the series’ fans with plenty of nostalgic throwbacks and mainly succeeds. It’s not nearly as good as the classic 1984 original, but then again, neither was 1989’s Ghostbusters II, and that one was directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, all of whom were responsible for the original. So the fact...
Nonetheless, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire tries hard, very hard, to satisfy the series’ fans with plenty of nostalgic throwbacks and mainly succeeds. It’s not nearly as good as the classic 1984 original, but then again, neither was 1989’s Ghostbusters II, and that one was directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, all of whom were responsible for the original. So the fact...
- 3/20/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ghostbusters movies stretch credulity, but this is ridiculous.
At the start of Ghostbusters II, Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) perform for bored kids at a birthday party. It’s only been five years since they blew up the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in downtown New York and destroyed Gozer’s portal atop a city high rise. And yet, no one remembers the work the boys did to save the city.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Ghostbusters are completely unknown to Gen Z, even to the grandchildren of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), even to a kid so into podcasts that he calls himself Podcast. It’s only been 30 years since the team drove the Statue of Liberty down the center of the city.
Even in this age of fake news and disinformation, the public’s willingness to forget about the events of each previous Ghostbusters movie is a strange...
At the start of Ghostbusters II, Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) perform for bored kids at a birthday party. It’s only been five years since they blew up the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in downtown New York and destroyed Gozer’s portal atop a city high rise. And yet, no one remembers the work the boys did to save the city.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Ghostbusters are completely unknown to Gen Z, even to the grandchildren of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), even to a kid so into podcasts that he calls himself Podcast. It’s only been 30 years since the team drove the Statue of Liberty down the center of the city.
Even in this age of fake news and disinformation, the public’s willingness to forget about the events of each previous Ghostbusters movie is a strange...
- 3/19/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Academy Award-winning producer Daniel Dreifuss (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) has boarded “Red Men,” the latest feature from Mexico’s Hari Sama, best known for his lauded autobiographical pic “This is not Berlin,” which world premiered at Sundance in 2019.
Described as an “edgy and provocative coming-of-age story” about the life of Austrian expressionist painter Egon Schiele, “Red Men” hones in on Schiele’s role in reshaping European aesthetics through his intimate relationship with lover and muse, Dominik Van Osen.
Their bond inspired Schiele’s pioneering Expressionist style while also compelling the young artist to confront his sexually fluid identity amidst repressive laws banning homosexuality in turn-of-the-century Vienna. This romantic saga delves into the emotional complexities of two artistic companions turned lovers, which drove Egon’s artistic vision while he struggled to navigate society’s norms. Schiele, whose provocative art was known for its contorted body shapes and dramatic lines,...
Described as an “edgy and provocative coming-of-age story” about the life of Austrian expressionist painter Egon Schiele, “Red Men” hones in on Schiele’s role in reshaping European aesthetics through his intimate relationship with lover and muse, Dominik Van Osen.
Their bond inspired Schiele’s pioneering Expressionist style while also compelling the young artist to confront his sexually fluid identity amidst repressive laws banning homosexuality in turn-of-the-century Vienna. This romantic saga delves into the emotional complexities of two artistic companions turned lovers, which drove Egon’s artistic vision while he struggled to navigate society’s norms. Schiele, whose provocative art was known for its contorted body shapes and dramatic lines,...
- 3/12/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
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