-Written by Bryan Miller.
The Spengler family returns to the iconic New York City firehouse where the original Ghostbusters have taken ghost-busting to the next level. When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must unite to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
I will preface this review by saying that I am a huge Ghostbusters fan. The original came out in 1984, the year I was born, and I vividly remember getting the VHS for Christmas and watching it until I wore out the tape. I watched the cartoon religiously and owned every single toy. I can even say I enjoyed the 2016 remake (that may have sullied my credibility with some of you, but I don’t care.) So, when I heard they were making another sequel focusing once again on the Spengler family, though this time moving the location from Oklahoma to New York, I was in. They had me before they even began filming. Now, was Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire everything I had hoped for? Did it assuage some of those nagging issues I had with the 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie? Meh. Not really.
Okay, let’s start with the positives.
First, it is most definitely a Ghostbusters movie, which is always a positive. You get Proton Packs galore, new and improved ghost traps, Class 5 Full Roaming Vapors, and just about every nod and wink to the original movies that you can muster into a 1 hour and 55-minute movie (hold that thought on the movie’s length, we will get back to that). The original cast is back, which is always a treat, and we even have the return of some characters seen in previous films, like the return of William Atherton as Walter Peck and even John Rothman returning as the Librarian Administrator (this one was weird, but I dug it). All in all, it had all the elements of a Ghostbusters movie, which I really enjoyed.
Looking at the cast, I thought the main actors did what they could with what they had. Paul Rudd returns as Gary Gooberson, former science teacher turned Ghostbuster who has now been dating Carrie Coon, who returns as Callie Spengler, since the conclusion of the last movie. McKenna Grace is back as Phoebe and Finn Wolfhand is back as Trevor, the grandchildren of Egon Spengler. I will go into more detail later on as to what I did not like about them this go around, but for the most part they hit their marks, said their lines, and drove forward the plot in a manner that was conducive, but not wholly original. While they brought nothing new or fresh to the characters, they were not a distraction and I never felt like I was done with them, which is good as this movie is meant to be the first step in a long series.
Another thing I enjoyed about Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was the lore of the main villain. Like Gozer, we do not get to Garraka until nearly the end of the movie, so there is a ton of build-up leading to its big reveal. I enjoyed how the director chose to depict its sordid history using Petroglyphs. Also, I thought Director Gil Kenan (taking over for Jason Reitman) did a fine job with that. Though I had my issues with pacing (again, we will talk about that later), I thought he understood his role, knew what the audience wanted, and gave them exactly that.
Okay, so, what did I not like about it?
Earlier I mentioned a 1 hour and 55-minute run time. Well, this movie did not have to be 1 hour and 55 minutes. I am not saying it felt long, I am just saying it could have been trimmed up in some spots, which would have helped with the pacing. Less time would mean less side quests and odd attempts at character development, which would have been better for the overall film. It just felt sloppy at times, like they had no idea what story they really wanted to tell, which was one of the major gripes I had with Ghostbusters: Afterlife. There were simply too many things happening at one time, most of which were sloppily concluded. There were events that would transpire that would be glossed over and major events that would be dismissed like it did not matter. It was frustrating to see supposed brilliant people act foolish to push forward.
In an attempt to develop these characters further from the previous movie, each of the main characters were provided some sort of conflict that they needed to overcome, whether it was trapping Slimer or coming to terms with whether or not you wish to be seen as a friend or a father. Honestly, I didn’t care for any of them. I enjoyed these characters in the first movie, but I thought the drama that was being cooked up in this film was just a distraction and felt forced. I do not think Phoebe being sidelined because she is 15 and the conflict she has with her family over it is organic and realistic. There are plenty of things she can do to continue to help the team out. Honestly, the role that I thought she would take on was shoveled to James Acaster’s character, Lars. And, on top of that, they devote so much time to Phoebe’s issues that they practically forget about Trevor. I won’t even talk about Podcast and Lucky, who were provided with so little to do that their lines could have been added into Phoebe and Trevor’s dialogue and it would have been seamless. An unfortunate decision for two characters I really liked in Afterlife.
Finally, there are also a slew of new characters that I simply did not care about that wound up padding that run time. Kumail Nanjiani is the most important of the new additions as his character’s family has some sort of connection with the main baddie (and he has the ability to control fire, which he only realizes mid-way through the movie even though he’s 46 years old). Yes, he brings some humor to the story, but like the rest of the new characters, he is just unnecessary. The same can be said for Patton Oswalt’s character, Dr. Hubert Wartzki, who provides the backstory to Garraka, but essentially just gives the crew an excuse to go to the New York Public Library. Emily Alyn Lind plays the ghost character of Melody. I love the idea of this character. We have never really had an opportunity to delve into those who had passed, but have not passed on. Sadly, apart from a pack of matches, we get nothing about her apart from her desire to see her family again. Like Oswalt, she just pushes the story forward and does nothing to really help develop the main characters all that much. Finally, Acaster’s Lars Pinfield is also a new character and, like the rest, is pointless. I would have rather had Phoebe take on his responsibilities instead of having her feud with her family. All in all, the responsibilities of the new characters could have just fallen on the shoulders of the original characters. There was no reason for their existence.
All in all, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is, well, fine. For those who grew up with the original Ghostbusters-you’ll walk away content, but slightly disappointed. For anyone new to the franchise, especially young children, they will probably love it. My son, who is 10, walked out declaring it to be one of his favorite movies. I doubt that will last, but that is the kind of reaction the producers of this movie were hoping for, which makes sense. They need to build a new fan base with these new characters while dragging the original fans along with winks, nods, and Peter Venkmen.
Directed by Gil Kenan.
Written by Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, & Harold Ramis.
Starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, etc.
6 Clams out of 10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
