The bustin' returns to New York City in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Back in familiar territory, the latest in the franchise delivers the ghostly chaos fans love with the added bonus of seeing the originals suit up for another fight against an unfriendly spirit.
Ghostbusters Frozen Empire Review
When Ghostbusters debuted in 1984 it became a hit for all the right reasons– it was funny, the cast was amazing, bustin' ghosts is a blast, plus it had a hit theme song. 40 years and many sequels later, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a direct sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but rather makes good on the teases of its predecessor. The surviving original cast reunites, the action moves back to New York City, and there are plenty of ghosts to trap. It never pretends to be anything more than a good time and after all isn't that what we want from a Ghostbusters film?
Picking up after the events of Afterlife, Frozen Empire finds the Spengler family — Callie (Carrie Coon), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), along with the “step-teacher” Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) living in the Ghostbusters firehouse and continuing the family business of busting ghosts. But just like in the original and Ghostbusters II, the local government is looking for an excuse to shut them down. Former EPA inspector, current mayor, and forever nemesis Walter Peck (William Atherton), has finally found a way to get to them– putting Phoebe on the bench since she is a minor and ghost busting requires you to be at least 18 apparently. Although it causes strife, it becomes the least of their worries when an ancient evil monster with the ability to freeze the world and control fellow ghosts appears. It's going to take everyone, Phoebe, her family, and some familiar faces, to stop the monster Garraka before the planet is destroyed.
Much like its predecessor, Frozen Empire centers around Phoebe, who is struggling to figure out her place in the family, especially after being sidelined by bureaucracy and parental concern. This disconnect allows her to become friends with a lonely ghost named Melody (Emily Alyn Lind) which eventually leads to a massive discovery and gets her back to fighting alongside her family and friends. It's predictable, but nevertheless enjoyable, with some new elements thrown in to keep it fresh. For anyone lacking knowledge of the previous outing, screenwriters Gil Kenan (who also takes over as director) and Jason Reitman throw in enough lines to bring everyone up to speed. Without any cliffhangers or plot strings to tie up, they are free to bring in a new baddie and this god-like creature is formidable to say the least. Out of all the entities the Ghostbusters have faced over the years, Garraka seems top tier evil incarnate.
Along with the new monster, there are some new faces joining the cast, most notably Nadeem played by the effortlessly funny Kumail Nanjiani. Nadeem is a big time slacker, something Trevor relates to, who happens to inherit all his late grandmother's things, including a suspicious looking orb. Thinking it might be worth something, he tries to pawn it at a shop owned by paranormal expert Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd). Nanjiani steals the show in terms of the new cast which also includes comedian Patton Oswalt. I only wish he had more scenes playing off of Paul Rudd because their brand of comedic timing and presence is well suited for one another.
Newbies aside, this film promised nostalgia and it did not disappoint. Despite the frequency of lines delivered with an almost wink, familiar ghosts, and other callbacks, it never felt gratuitous. They almost all fit neatly into the story which was a relief. Dealing in nostalgia can be as disastrous as it can be rewarding. Seeing the team back together – Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), and Stantz produces immediate smiles from longtime fans. It's exciting to watch them suit up, banter with one another, and of course kick some ghostly butt. Those moments, that happen during the climax of the film, remind everyone why these movies have always been special.
Unfortunately, the drawback of bringing in the original cast (whose absence would have been 100% noticeable and strange) along with new ones means screen time is lacking for several members. To give them all adequate subplots and amble screen time would have inflated the runtime and dragged the momentum of the story to a crawl. Nanjiani gets the most to do as the reluctant “firemaster” with Oswalt close behind acting as a paranormal historian with a cool library located under the one influencers overrun for their content. Coon spends most of the time worrying about her kids and what Paul integrating into their lives really means. Wolfhard's Trevor may get little to do outside of proclaiming “I'm 18 now” but he gets to spend time with the returning Slimer. And anyone who knows Ghostbusters, knows Slimer is a star.
Rudd gets to run around making little quips and acting as the resident geek to remind the audience how all this bustin' stuff works. The original cast don't get a ton to do outside of Hudson and Aykroyd. The former is bankrolling the ghost busting endeavors and creating new tech in order to bring the practice into the current decade. While the latter takes on the mentor role for Phoebe. His eagerness must contend with his reality. After all, they are entering their “golden years,” as mentioned by Winston. Murray shows up, doing what he does best, including finding his secret stash in the fire house. He exchanges some verbal blows with Peck although not many, and trust me, more of this would not have been a bad thing.
From a visual standpoint, the effects all seemed retro for the most part and I mean that as a sincere compliment. Slimer looked more defined, but exactly how I remember him, which is all I could have asked for. Garraka, Melody, and some other effects leaned into the new school way of doing things which gave the visuals a nice variety. Garraka's design elicits chills, pun intended, as he towers over almost everything with massive horns and long, thin, fingers that end in razor-sharp claws. When he is finally fully unleashed, it is easy to see why people were scared to death whenever they saw this thing.
Ultimately, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire accomplishes what it set out to do– deliver a crowd pleaser packed with ghostly chaos, comedy, and heart. The story was predictable but I'm not looking for a think piece when I sit down to watch a talented ensemble cast like this bust ghosts. Seeing the originals fighting alongside the new generation was exciting for this longtime fan as was spotting all the little easter eggs. Some other critics might bemoan the lack of seriousness or spend time whinging that it wasn't necessary. Maybe it's not necessary but it's a whole lot of fun and in the end that's what we want right?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire releases in theaters Friday, March 22. It is rated PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references with a runtime of 105 minutes.
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