Like with basically every new Ghostbusters movie, I was skeptical but optimistic heading into the latest installment, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The original is perhaps my favorite comedy of all time but its follow-ups have always felt lacking to one degree or another. Ghostbusters II is a lazy retread with only a handful of good moments, while the 2016 film suffers from a lack of confidence in its own genuinely creative ideas and falls back on nostalgia in the process. And Afterlife suffered a similar but not as extreme fate, in addition to never quite escaping from under the weight of its massive tone problem.
But now, forty years after the original with a fresh and talented new cast joining a few familiar faces, has Frozen Empire finally figured out the secret to a truly great Ghostbusters sequel? Has the series finally stopped relying on nostalgia, ready to move forward with a bold and creative new take on the material? Well………. yes and no.
Also Read – Ghostbusters (1984) Revisited: Why The Original Classic Still Holds Up
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Plot
Three years after the events of Afterlife, the Spengler family have moved into the original Ghostbusters firehouse and taken over the family business while the surviving members of the original team enjoy retirement. After a particularly destructive incident, now Mayor Walter Peck forcibly benches the youngest Spengler, McKenna Grace’s Phoebe, due to the somewhat understandable concern of not wanting a minor operating a laser gun and the less understandable concern of his own personal vendetta against the Ghostbusters.
However, bigger concerns quickly arise when a mysterious orb said to contain an ancient evil is sold to Ray Stantz’s occult antique store and begins to wreak havoc with unprecedented amounts of psychic energy. When this horror is fully unleashed and sends a literal death chill across the city, it’s up to Ghostbusters new and old to save New York and the world from a demonic-fueled Ice Age.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Critique
So, Frozen Empire‘s biggest problem is without a doubt a lack of focus. The film is constantly throwing new ideas and characters at you. First, it’s the new generation of Ghostbusters and the Walter Peck rivalry. Then, Winston establishes a paranormal research institute and there’s a whole bunch of stuff related to that. Plus, you have Callie (no relation to yours truly) and Gary’s struggle as parents, Trevor coming into adulthood and having runs-in with Slimer (By the way, Slimer is in the movie), and Phoebe coping with being benched and developing a friendship and possible queer romance with a teen ghost girl.
And on top of all that, there’s Ray and Podcast running the occult store, what Peter and Janine have been up to, AND a whole bunch of ancient prophecy lore stuff with the villain and two new characters played by Patton Oswalt and Kumail Nanjiani; though it’s mostly Kumail Nanjianit to be honest. None of these ideas are bad, most of them are extremely compelling by themselves. It’s easy to see how a great movie could be made by focusing in on one or two, maybe three, of these concepts and really fleshing them out.
But Frozen Empire throws all of these into one, less than two-hour long movie, and as a result feels like its in constant set-up mode, always switching from one new idea to the next. And by the time it feels like everything’s going to start coming together more cohesively, we’re already at the climax so we barely have time to revel in the fully developed versions of any of these ideas.
But with all that said, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is undeniably a lot of fun. While I wish the ideas were developed more, things like the new types of ghosts and the various new weapons and traps all felt like they brought something unique and refreshing to the table. Director Gil Kenan has said that The Real Ghostbusters animated series inspired a lot of the design and it really shows here. Creatively kooky ghost minions and a surprisingly scary final villain wrapped up in a wonderfully out-there ice gimmick that makes the whole thing feel right at home with that Saturday morning cartoon vibe.
And on a similar note, Frozen Empire thankfully does not suffer from the overly self-serious tone of Afterlife and remembers to have fun with itself and be funny throughout, helped immensely by both the old and new casts having a wealth of comedic talent and bouncing off of each other rather well. It’s definitely nowhere near the comedic masterpiece of the original or even the excellent courtroom scene in the otherwise mediocre Ghostbusters II, but I laughed throughout and the film always felt like it understood that Ghostbusters is in fact a comedy and that any follow-up should try and be funny; though there are a handful of more emotional moments that do mostly work.
In Conclusion
I’m still not sure if attempting to turn Ghostbusters into an extended franchise is a particularly good idea (At least as far as movies are concerned. Ask me about my Ghostbusters workplace sitcom pitch sometime.) and Frozen Empire is definitely not perfect, but it feels like a step in the right direction.
Creative design work, fun set pieces, and a stellar ensemble cast keep the material consistently engaging and, ironically enough given that we’re talking about ghosts here, very lively. The story definitely could use more focus and room to breathe, but what is there works and the franchise does seem to finally be evolving and moving forward. Despite its fair share of fanservice, the film never beats you over the head with reminders that the original Ghostbusters is a movie that exists the way Afterlife and even 2016 did for example.
Does it have problems? Absolutely. Is it as good as the original? Not even close. But with the talent and passion involved here, I could genuinely see a more focused follow-up to Frozen Empire being truly great. But for now, bustin’, at the very least, makes me feel good enough.
8/10
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