There was more of a “movie” to be told with the old guys building the company back up with new blood. It was only glazed upon during the Ray and Winston staircase scene.Good point. I'm curious if Reitman and Kenan always planned to do the tie-in comic or if during production on Frozen Empire realized they were missing some of this because of the time skip and looked for a way to fill that in and it was decided it would be the comic with Dark Horse.
I think the general criticism was that it was too much of a left turn in a GB movie and we werent gradually given it. Melody literally just popped up and said “here i am”That is an interesting point. GB1, they were kicked out of a university after the Library ghost and went into business. GB2, they were working running their own gigs then restarted the business after the baby carriage teaser and Scoleri Bros. Afterlife, Terror Dog chase then we intro'ed to Callie, Phoebe, and Trevor getting kicked out of their apartment. FE, starts with the flashback then in media res of a bust. FE didn't have the luxury of that build up to the fantastic like the past 3 canon movies did and broke from that structure for better or worse. Can't really think of a 'grounded' opening. Idk, Callie and Gary at a parent-teacher conference with Phoebe?
Ivans motto: “if you ground the characters in the beginning. People will believe in a 100 foot marshmallow in the end”
It just wasnt handled well and slogs the movies pacing.It would have been more entertaining if they spent more time with fighting ghosts in the Firehouse before Garraka shows up. That went by too fast. It was just shock value. I get they had to get to the GBs vs. Garraka but felt too edited down. Idk about Phoebe confronting Melody in the basement slowing it down. That was a tense scene followed by the ECU being opened up. Overall, I'd have preferred more of a siege. Get to the ECU opening sooner and NYC taken over and the GBs have to retreat, regroup at the Engineers HQ, fight their way back to the Firehouse with a plan - one group as a distraction and busting the ghosts that were kept at the Engineers HQ (i.e. Possessor stalking them in Ecto-1), the founding members sneaking in to set up the ECU to trap Garraka and Phoebe sneaks into get the Egon pack and mod it, then pretty much how it ends.
If melody was handled more as either mysteriously/scary character Or was a more “fun” zany character, it would have worked for me. But shes flat and boring. Their chemistry was awkward because she was severely underwritten.
In terms of the pacing—ill use the climax for example: we have the ecto getting possessed and crashing into the offices, then the posessor wreaks havoc in the kitchen—then !!!
…we cut to phoebe and melody standing around near the containment unit just talking and talking. It really weakens the flow and momentum.
Statistics: Posted by mrmichaelt — March 24th, 2025, 10:09 pm