If there’s one person who knows what makes a good story, it’s Hideo Kojima. The Japanese video game designer and auteur is known across the globe for his groundbreaking work on Death Stranding, the Metal Gear series, and many other big titles.
Kojima’s passion for good stories runs deeper than just video games. He often shares his take on the recently trending films and shows through X (formerly known as Twitter). The game designer is especially known for writing lengthy reviews about films or shows that he thoroughly enjoyed.
Hence, his latest review of the 2024 film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has caught the eye of many, mainly because the movie received abysmal reviews from critics.
Hideo Kojima’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Review Redeems The Film
Hideo Kojima has been busy assembling a team of game directors for his upcoming projects. However, the Death Stranding 2 designer recently took the time to review Paul Rudd‘s 2024 film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel thoroughly disappointed critics, despite pleasing the masses. But it looks like Kojima is siding with the audience on this one. In his April 6 tweet, the Zone of the Enders designer shared that he enjoyed the film. He also called it “a legitimate sequel” to the 2021 Ghostbusters installment.
I watched "Ghostbusters/Frozen Empire". It is a legitimate sequel to "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," which I enjoyed. The staff and cast are the same as before. There were no casting surprises like in the previous film. Kumail-San was in it. pic.twitter.com/CDAP5mAIVP
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) April 6, 2024
Fans were quick to decipher the deeper meaning behind Kojima’s words. The video game auteur is known for writing long reviews when he truly likes a film or a show. Hence one person speculated-
The review is not too long, not too short, so I guess he thinks this movie is decent.
— Kikuinn (@kiko_zenzen) April 6, 2024
The respected storyteller’s take on the sequel is a huge win for a film that’s otherwise faced a lot of rebuke from film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has earned an impressive 84% in audience score but a dismal 44% in critics review. On, another note, we have a Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review of our own.
The 2024 fantasy film is helmed by Gil Kenan who also directed the 2021 film Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It features an ensemble cast starring Bill Murray who led the original ’80s Ghostbuster films alongside Marvel star Paul Rudd, Stranger Things alum Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and more.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Was Thoroughly Criticized
The film’s fun plot sees the Spengler family join forces with the original Ghostbusters in New York. However, the group’s discovery of an ancient artifact sets loose evil forces that endanger many lives.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has been thoroughly criticized by multiple film experts. For instance, Geek Girl Authority’s Kimberly Pierce expressed that the film could not do justice to the new Ghostbusters story.
Her exact words were,
“When all is said and done, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire stumbles under the weight of expectations. While it is such a joy to see some of these characters reunite, the film struggles to keep the new story moving forward.”
Film critic Josh Korngut called the film “A boring rehash of familiar beats for nostalgia’s sake.”
MiamiArtZine’s Rubén Rosario called the film’s CGI “uninspired” while also noting that Bill Murray looked bored throughout the movie.
He said, “We get some rather uninspired CGI, a villain that reeks of Guillermo del Toro envy, and a bored-looking Bill Murray phoning it in. Thanks, but no thanks for the memories.”
The sequel’s box office performance too wasn’t up to the mark. While it was made with a $100 million budget, it has only managed to rake in $108.5 million worldwide thus far.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was released on March 22 and is playing in theaters near you.
