Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

earns a mixed reaction from VFX artists for one action sequence decision. Serving as the follow-up to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the latest installment in the long-running Ghostbusters franchise moves the action back to New York City as an ancient being called Garraka threatens to start a second ice age. Directed by Gil Kenan, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire reviews were mixed from critics, despite the acting talents of new and legacy stars like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace.

In a new episode of their “VFX Artists React” YouTube series, the VFX artists at Corridor Crew take a look at Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s New York Public Library sequence. The sequence, which wasn’t actually filmed on-location and relies on visual effects to create the entirety of library exterior, draws somewhat mixed reactions. Below, co-host and VFX artist Wren Weichman breaks down how the effect was achieved, which included compositing in all civilians in the background after filming them on separate plates:

“They essentially just took footage of the surrounding area and thousands of images and basically just have it all as two-and-a-half D comps. So they had to go through and paint out all the people, all of the cars, and then all of the cars you see in the background are CG, and then all of the people are green screen plates, or blue screen plates I should say.

While Jordan Allen calls the effect “amazing,” Niko Pueringer is less impressed, saying that it features “weird video game world comping” before pointing out that the lighting on the blue-screen-plated civilians doesn’t totally match the environment:

“That’s the part that stuck out to me because they’re all very flatly lit and didn’t quite have the lighting line up with the environment.”

What This Means For Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The Film’s Overall Reception Explained

Corridor Crew’s mixed response to this particular VFX sequence in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire somewhat mirrors the response to the entire film. In fact, critics were more negative than positive. The movie was widely criticized for the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire cast being too large to manage, with neither legacy characters nor newcomers totally getting a chance to shine. The film’s tone, too, proved too serious for some, and its over-reliance on nostalgia didn’t work as effectively as it did in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

This response from critics resulted in a lackluster 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which, as seen in the chart below, marks a new franchise low. The audience-driven Popcornmeter score may be higher at 81%, but this didn’t save the movie at the box office. Made on an estimated budget of $100 million, the film grossed only $201 million, meaning it may not have broken even during its theatrical run. Though the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ending leaves the door open for a sequel, a traditional follow-up of this particular story may not be on the cards.

Our Take On The VFX In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The VFX Don’t Let The Film Down

Though, as the folks at Corridor Crew point out above, there are some elements of the VFX in Frozen Empire that lack polish, the visuals arguably aren’t the movie’s biggest problem. The visual effects in the first Ghostbusters movie were certainly a product of their time and some don’t hold up today, but the film succeeded because of its novel premise, stellar cast chemistry, and its humor.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire certainly has moments of what made the original so beloved, but these moments get lost in a film that feels cluttered and somewhat underbaked. In fact, as with Afterlife, the VFX in the latest installment can sometimes be quite impressive, especially when it comes to the Proton Pack. The New York City Public Library sequence in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire may not be a movie highlight, but it certainly does feature some inventive effects work, even if it doesn’t totally come together.

Source: Corridor Crew