Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Movie Review
Nathan Swank
March 22nd, 2024
Three years ago, Jason Reitman (son of original GHOSTBUSTERS director Ivan Reitman) treated us to a proper sequel in GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. It perfectly mixed a bit of nostalgia, while keeping all the laughs and excitement of the original, at the same time introducing new characters with a new kid angle paying tribute to Harold Ramis and the original film. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed AFTERLIFE. So while it pains me a bit, I’m not surprised to say that GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE is…fine, but nowhere near the high standard the material deserves.
The Spengler family, Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and Callie (Carrie Coon) along with boyfriend Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), return to the original iconic New York City firehouse turned Ghostbusters headquarters. With the help of a new tech lab, some new friends, some old friends, and the original Ghostbusters, they must take on a chilling ancient demon ghost who plans to destroy the world with a second Ice Age.
I enjoyed GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE, but as a very low level passable entertainment from someone who is easily swayed by the Ghostbusters brand. The cast is great, but given far too little to do. Comedians Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, and James Acaster are excellent additions, bringing a lot to their minimal roles. Quite frankly, the film as a whole needs more of them and their humor in general. Unfortunately, the focus seems determined to set up the new villain’s origin and plot while sacrificing attention towards the heart and humor of our characters. The Spengler family and the kids who we loved so much in the original, are a bit older and almost feel secondary. Phoebe builds a relationship with a new ghost friend, buts it’s void of any humor or energy, choosing a more dramatic relationship that brings the pacing to a screeching halt. Thankfully, Paul Rudd does some heavy lifting by making lines of dialogue or situations funnier even when there isn’t much humor written.
FROZEN EMPIRE is light on laughs. Not to say that I didn’t laugh. As I mentioned there are some extremely funny people in the film that earn some genuine laugh out loud moments. But the film seems stuck on ‘aha’ humor by simply referencing showing us faces of people who were in the original film without any real jokes to go with it. Every scene that wedged these beloved characters may induce grins from some while inducing groans from others, has little payoff. I doubt anyone will care if they ever rewatch the film. It might be blasphemous to say, but give me less of the old crew and more of the new crew. Like all the movies in the franchise, the evil demon is quite scary for young ones, which has always been part of the appeal. The difference here is the possession involves a child, which alters the lightness in what I always considered a comedy first type of movie.
It’s no hot take to say, 1984’s GHOSTBUSTERS is an incredible film combining humor and ghostly thrills. It’s a phenomenon that coined a brand of playfulness to busting ghosts for the past 40 years. The 1989 sequel was a bit silly utilizing The Statue of Liberty with the sudden ability to have movable joints after being slimed. As a kid, there was still a bit of charm to seeing the team back together. However, I have not revisited GHOSTBUSTERS 2 in quite some time, nor do I plan to. Despite the joy of seeing Ghostbusters back in action and hearing that incredible theme song again, GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE suffers some of the same problems as the early sequel. I know I sound pretty down on the film, but there are scattered fun moments that make it worth seeing. I could watch Trevor take on Slimer or tiny Stay Puft marshmallow men mutilate themselves all day long. Maybe we can get a Minions-type spinoff? Nonetheless, without any big memorable scenes of humor or thrills, I doubt FROZEN EMPIRE will be one to revisit.
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