‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Movie Review: Goodwill Only Goes So Far With Adequate Sequel
Photo from IMDb
From Jeremy Kibler
There’s nothing a Ghostbusters movie can do that could offend a mature person — no, not even casting four hilarious women for an IP reset. But what many decried Jason Reitman’s surprisingly lovely 2021 legacy sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife for being is what actually befalls Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. At nearly every turn, pandering fan service trumps being its own ghostbusting adventure, making this family affair no more than adequate.
Now that they are actual Ghostbusters, the Spengler family—mom Callie (Carrie Coon), son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace)—plus science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Callie’s boyfriend, has inherited the firehouse headquarters in New York City. Phoebe gets benched from ghostbusting, but of course, the Ghostbusters are family, not just a team. When an ancient artifact the size of a bocce ball comes into the hands of retired Ghostbuster-turned-collector Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), the whole city freezes over and unleashes some evil.
Afterlife writer Gil Kenan directs this time with a script he co-wrote with Jason Reitman, and that reverence certainly carries over. On one hand, all of the setup is now out of the way, moving forward with a new ghostly adversary. The stakes should feel higher than ever with the threat of a second Ice Age, but more mythology does not make for an involving story or a formidable villain (even if he’s tall, dark, and horny). The most compelling thread finds Phoebe befriending the ghost of a 16-year-old girl (Emily Alyn Lind) who burned to death and now has unfinished business (hey, Casper).
The best thing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has going for it is its likable cast. There is something comforting about seeing the original and the newer casts come together like a blended family to bust some ghosts. While Annie Potts, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson get more screen time than last time as Janine, Venkman, and Zeddemore, they don’t necessarily get great material to play with, either. It’s usually just awkward and clunky.
If this is, indeed, a comedy, so many of the jokes fall flat, no matter if they’re “original” or relying on the past. Even a scene where Trevor finds the ravenous Slimer under a pile of trash in the firehouse attic, only to get slimed himself, ends with a sad excuse for a punchline (and this bit is used in the trailer, as if it’s a highlight).
A laid-back Kumail Nanjiani is good for a few chuckles as Nadeem, the would-be FireMaster who has actually just inherited his grandmother’s Queens apartment. Nanjiani does get to be a pivotal hero, but he’s actually not given all that much to play besides clueless, which wears thin after a while. With his choice delivery, Patton Oswalt easily gets the best stuff as an artifact expert that one wishes he got a proton pack to join the team.
There is still fun to be had, like a seemingly cute potato-looking ghost with a penchant for Regan MacNeiling all over someone, or the cute banter between Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd, or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow men getting up to no good. One just keeps wishing things were sharper, funnier, and even a little bit spookier.
Whereas Afterlife felt affectionate for its franchise, Frozen Empire feels like it was made for diehard fans and diehard fans alone. Recognizing a thing we know can be fun, but others may feel left out in the cold.
Rating: 2.5/5
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hits theaters on March 22, 2024.
