Review: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ surpasses a modest expectation

It’s reasonable to question, well, who else should we name forty years after “Ghostbusters” and after a run of sequels that never quite lived up to the 1984 original, starting all the way back with “Ghostbusters II” in 1989. If not completely give up the ghost, then maybe it’s time to go over the old rolodex.

However, as the forgettable 2021 sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” shown, most movie series nowadays have an ever-expanding long tail of declining profits as their half life. Sucking the life out of “Ghostbusters” would make an excellent exhibit in Hollywood’s nostalgia craze, despite the abundance of choices.

It’s not quite that easy, however. I’m happy that the 2016 “Ghostbusters” has a female lead. In addition to starting a small-scale cultural conflict, it brought together the greatest comedy group since the first one, including Chris Hemsworth, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones.

Even while it would be simple to write off the latest one, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” as just another somewhat recycled sequel—which it is, to some extent—it’s also a huge improvement over “Afterlife,” which moved the action to Oklahoma without adding any humor. Thankfully, “Frozen Empire” is back in New York. It’s a more laid-back, functional sequel with a little nostalgic appeal as a family adventure from the 1980s.

The bold blending of genres in “Ghostbusters”—adult-edged humor with sci-fi toys—that evoked the spirit of “Abbott of Costello Meet Frankenstein” was the fundamental attraction of the film. When a sequel goes wrong, it’s typically because they try too hard to be serious or employ special effects when all they actually need is Bill Murray’s “it’s the end of the world and I’m fine” smile. Bad visual effects are something I could get over far faster than drab comic dialogue.

However, “Frozen Empire” is structured more around a family than it is around a bunch of goofy individuals wearing proton packs. The film begins with Gary (Paul Rudd) driving the Ectomobile down Fifth Avenue, Callie (Carrie Coon) riding shotgun, and her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) in the rear, all of them arguing as they chase after a “sewer dragon” apparition.

The ensemble remains mostly unchanged from “Afterlife,” however the talent behind the scenes has changed. Here, Jason Reitman is listed as a producer and writer in addition to his father Ivan Reitman, who took over as director. The director of “Frozen Empire,” Gil Kenan, who also co-wrote “Afterlife,” dedicates the film to the late Reitman. He passed away in 2022.

You can sense the separation from the first “Ghostbusters” more than previously. After Harold Ramis passed away in 2014, while Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray are still around, they no longer seem to be the central figures in this fictional world. (Aykroyd, however, adds a touch of soulfulness to the film in his role as Dr. Raymond Stantz, and Ernie Hudson seems to be stronger than ever.)

In “Frozen Empire,” which, like its predecessor, doesn’t scrimp on fan service, familiar-faced ghosts also make a reappearance. The need to appease “Ghostbusters” aficionados—a type of absurd aficionado, if we’re being real—keeps undermining a brand that was on the defensive after the release of “Ghostbusters” in 2016.

However, if you accept “Frozen Empire’s” modest expectations, you could have a passable experience. With Rudd as the stepfather, the film has the sense of a high-end TV pilot rather than a significant motion picture that can compete with the original.

The renowned fire station is now home to the family, but problems are everywhere. The mayor (Walter Peck, who portrayed the antagonistic EPA inspector in the 1984 movie) wants to kick people out, the contamination unit is overrun, and there are unsettling rumors about an item that appears—the Orb of Garraka—that might unleash a particularly terrifying spirit.

Individuals are slimed. Ghosts are broken. People in New York shrug. The formula is followed, but with some exciting additions. The most notable character in this is Grace, who, after a chess game in Washington Square Park at night, gets lured into a short but emotional romance with a ghost (played alluringly by Emily Alyn Lind). Furthermore, Kumail Nanjiani, who plays a hesitant successor to the mysterious position of “Firemaster” and a Queens man, all but steals the film. In an overlong film series, he’s hilarious enough to nearly persuade you not to give up on him just yet.