“Ghostbusters: The Ice Menace” is released this Wednesday, April 10 in theaters. The 4th part of the iconic saga started by Ivan Reitman in 1984 is a true homage to the first films but also manages to distinguish itself by its difference in tone.
Three years after Ghostbusters: Legacy, a direct sequel to Ivan Reitman’s cult films released in the 80s, the Ghostbusters are back in theaters and will have to face a new and terrifying enemy. Directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of The Legacy, Ghostbusters returns to where it all began: in the iconic New York fire station.
McKenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim and Céleste O’Connor reprise their roles and will team up with the original members of Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd and Annie Potts).
They have set up a top secret research laboratory to take ghost hunting to the next level. When the discovery of an ancient artifact given to Ray by Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) unleashes an army of ghosts that spread a threat of ice across the city, the two Ghostbusters teams must join forces to protect their home and save the world of a second ice age.
A film that pays homage to the work of Ivan Reitman
The Ice Menace is the direct sequel to The Legacy and pays homage to the first opuses with numerous nods: the fire station located in New York, the presence of Bouffe-tout (in fact practical and non-digital), the return of the famous ghost from the library… So many references that will delight early movie buffs.
It must be said that the director is a real fan of the saga. During our interview with Gil Kenan for the promotion of the film, he told us that he discovered the first Ghostbusters in theaters upon its release and was a fan of the work of Ivan Reitman, to whom he was also able to pitch this film before his death in 2022 .
I’m a real geek, every time I go to New York, I stop by and see the barracks.
Finding himself on the set of Ghostbusters was a real joy for the filmmaker who admits to us: “I’m a real geek, every time I go to New York, I stop by to see the barracks. There are always tourists and movie fans in front. I think we feel very connected to this place because it exudes such strength. It’s a real symbol. In this film, what was important was to ensure that it was not just a building, but a home for our family , there is an emotional force.”
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A director who is “too” a fan
And like all fans, the director went overboard a little, so much so that the producers had to intervene. Gil Kenan admitted to us that he tried to drive the famous Ecto-1 car.
“I got behind the wheel of the Ecto-1 and the producers told me to move away because it wasn’t safe. He is one of the greatest characters in these stories. The sound this car makes is iconic to the point of being indescribable. When you work with Ecto-1, you know that every time she’s on screen, it’s true for me, and I guess it’s true for the audience too, we smile. It’s a vehicle so positive, so full of life, that you feel like it’s an integral part of The Ghostbusters.”
Use practical effects
And it is always to pay homage to the first opuses that Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman (screenwriter and producer of this film) wanted the appearance of the ghosts to recall the films of 1984 and 1989. They notably chose to use practical effects for some iconic ghosts rather than visual effects. Thus, Gobbler, the famous gluttonous green ectoplasm of the saga, is present in The Ice Menace and it is a puppet that was used during filming as in the first film.
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The Threat of Ice
In the 1984 film, the character of Bouffe-tout was a large rubber puppet worn by an actor, added in the background alongside the actors by a compositing device. For this film, the technical team adopted a similar approach. Gil Kenan explains: “The scene with Bouffe-tout is the first one we shot. Finn Wolfhard finds Snubber in the attic for the first time. It was a perfect way to begin the narrative of this film. Bouffe-tout was created at a time when visual effects already existed, but these were the beginnings, and it introduced a certain soul into the tone of the film.
It was important to me that this film showed the same respect for traditional arts, and I thought it was a great homage to the first Ghostbusters. There was also so much comedy, life, freedom and terror in this puppet. When Kevin, the puppeteer, was on set with the Eater puppet, it was great. That’s the real magic of cinema.“
The advantage of using a real puppet also lies in the interaction with the human characters. John Van Der Pool, the special effects supervisor, specifies in the press kit: “In the film, we see Bouffe-tout spraying his victim with slime. In previous films, he was not seen spitting slime. The camera stopped filming, we sprayed the actor with slime, then we framed the actor all dripping. This time, we managed to work out a method to make Gobbler spit on Finn.”
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The Threat of Ice
Fans of the 1984 film will also enjoy finding the famous library ghost. In The Ice Menace, Ray (Dan Aykroyd) will once again come face to face with the ghost of the librarian of the New York City Library.
The Return of the Original Ghostbusters
If the first part of the film focuses on the new Ghostbusters, the second half allows us to reunite with the original Hunters and see Peter (Bill Murray), Winston (Ernie Hudson, Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Janine (Annie Potts) put on their suit and put on their proton pack for a final confrontation.
In L’Héritage the actors from the first films only appear briefly at the end of the film, in this second part, they have a more substantial role. Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman thus managed to relaunch the franchise by bringing in new blood and reintegrating the actors who made the franchise successful.
A first in the history of the saga
But The Ice Menace has a slightly darker aspect than its predecessors. Young Phoebe feels left out and befriends Melody, the first talking ghost in the saga. We discover her tragic story and what she is ready to do to get to the other side. Gil Kenan also declared on our microphone: “ For the first time in the franchise, we have a ghost who has a story to tell and a voice. I am very proud to have been the first to integrate into the saga a ghost who is not only a target but an important character in the story.”
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The Threat of Ice
Another difference with the other parts, the villain of The Ice Menace is more frightening than the previous ones. “It’s an epic film and it’s scarier than the other Ghostbusters. The dangers are more enormous and perilous. We wanted to move up a gear with this film and reinvent this franchise dear to so many people.
We have a new villain, Garraka, who will make you tremble. It is an evil force centuries old. He was trapped in an object. For comparison, Garraka is a bit like the new Gozer of the old “Ghostbusters”. Except that Garraka is the most dangerous of all the ghosts in the other films. It has the power to turn our deepest fears against us and destroy us from the inside out. It can act on a person or an entire community.” explains the director to our microphone.
A now billionaire saga
And the fans are there since The Threat of Ice – released on March 22 in American theaters – has already grossed $112 million at the international box office. The fifth part of the saga (taking into account the female reboot by Paul Feig released in 2016), earned $46 million for its first weekend in North American cinemas and thus allowed the saga to to become a billionaire.
To date, it is the 1984 film that has grossed the most money with $296 million at the international box office. L’Héritage, for its part, grossed $204 million worldwide. The Ice Menace can be seen at the cinema.