As a child of the ‘80s, Ghostbusters was one of the first films that a) made me realize I loved watching movies and b) helped to develop the palate that I have today. So, it goes without saying, as any child with a homemade proton pack and a licensed Hasbro Ghost Popper (for those of us who couldn’t afford the luxurious Hasbro Proton Pack), bustin’ made me feel good back then – but will bustin’ still make me feel good now, or will it leave me feeling the weight of franchise fatigue in my lower back? I’m here to thankfully say, that despite a delayed release (this film was originally slated for release in December 2023), bustin’ still does indeed make me feel good. While Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) is ultimately full of spirit, humor, and that ever-so-sweet nostalgia, this film is also haunted by some silly inconsistencies, a bit of bloat, and questionable shifts in tone.
Directed by Gil Kenan and written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman, Frozen Empire picks up two years after Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and sees the Spengler family, Callie (Carrie Coon), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and Phoebe (McKenna Grace) accompanied by Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) leave their home in Summerville, Oklahoma, and return to where the Ghostbusters all began: New York City. However, the discovery of an ancient artifact leads to a new threat in the form of a centuries-old evil with plans to plunge the world into “a second Ice Age.” Also returning are the original team, Peter Venkman (Billy Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potz), and Afterlife characters “Podcast” (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor). Newcomers to the franchise, Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani), Hubert (Patton Oswalt), and Lars (James Acaster), round out the cast. The film spends quite a bit of time plodding through exposition but manages to focus on developing the relationships between these characters, building upon the lore of the world, and having fun with the creatures that inhabit it through some enjoyable sequences.
The use of practical effects looks great here, as it is paired with solid CGI, allowing for some creative creature designs and intriguing ghosts (I’m looking at you, Possessor,). One of the initial action sequences follows Callie, Trevor, Phoebe, and Gary through Hell’s Kitchen, as they chase a spirit dubbed the “Hell’s Kitchen Sewer Dragon”. We see these new Ghostbusters employ a variety of gadgets to secure the target, including a drone trap, during this high-speed chase (well…it’s at least a high speed for the old Ecto-1). In the next scene, we’re greeted by returning curmudgeon Walter Peck (Williams Atherton), who once again appears to be hell-bent on shutting down the Ghostbusters, despite the mounds of evidence that the service they provide is useful to the city of New York. Pair that with a looming ancient evil entity threatening to free itself and wreak havoc, and we’ve got our setup.
Ultimately, a lot is going on in this film, and it leaves it feeling a bit bloated at times. Some returning characters feel like they are just written in for the sake of being there, rather than being placed in the story organically, and the film has these frequent back-and-forth tonal shifts that leave it feeling like it can’t decide whether it wants to be this semi-serious, occasionally scary movie with concrete rules rooted in science, or a silly movie that doesn’t follow it’s own established rules or logic, where all it needs is a hand wave to explain things away. To make things worse, once the big bad is present, some scenes just don’t make sense…it has a goal that is explained and understood, but it doesn’t seem to know if it wants to deviate from that plan to bother random people, if it wants to stop by the local coast for a long walk on the beach, or if it just wants to slowly meander towards its objective.
Despite the above-mentioned flaws, the movie manages to deliver a good time and elicit plenty of laughs and emotion to offset these detractors and allow the entertainment value to shine. As is often the case with this individual, Kumail Nanjiani arrives and flexes his comedic muscles as Nadeem, and provides a steady stream of laughs while he steals numerous scenes with his hilarity. Paul Rudd continues to radiate charm and humor. Mckenna Grace does well with exploring feelings like loss and betrayal as the 15-year-old sudden outcast of the group, thanks to pesky child labor laws. The setting of New York City itself has always felt like a character in the world of the Ghostbusters, and it was great to have this team – new and old – back in this iconic location. Bill Murray doesn’t skip a beat as the sarcastic and never-too-serious Dr. Venkman, Aykroyd clearly enjoys his role as Ray, and Ernie Hudson shines as the confident and calm Winston. Carrie Coon and Finn Wolfhard are fine here, and support the others well enough. I’ll admit that the rest of the cast feels just kind of tacked on for nostalgia, exposition dumping, or just because they wanted returning characters, but perhaps didn’t know what to do with them.
Kenan and Reitman introduce some interesting concepts and ideas to Ghostbusting lore that both fans of the franchise and newcomers alike will have fun with, and I enjoyed the genuinely creepy ghosts as well as the light-hearted ones. The movie makes for a fun adventure – but it has noticeable flaws, too many tonal shifts, and some questionable choices that left me wondering if they even checked themselves for continuity errors at times. The story honestly reminds me of a live-action version of the animated show from the 80’s (The Real Ghostbusters); it’s got those vibes, in a positive way. I have a clear bias as an OG Ghostbusters fan, but as a fan, I certainly got what I was looking for, and more. I think you should go see this film on the big screen, and enjoy the laughs and silliness of it all. There’s fun to be had for newcomers and plenty of sweet nostalgic ‘member berries for the old-timers.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is in theaters everywhere on March 22.
Rating: Decent Watch
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