Movie Review: "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" (2024)

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Movie Review

Written by Stuart D. Monroe

Released by Columbia Pictures

Directed by Gil Kenan

Written by Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman, and Ivan Reitman

2024, 115 minutes, Rated PG-13

Released March 22nd, 2024

Starring:

Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler

Finn Wolfhard as Trevor Spengler

Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler

Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson

Logan Kim as Podcast

Celeste O'Connor as Lucky

Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem Razmaadi

Emily Alyn Lind as Melody

James Acaster as Lars Pinfield

Patton Oswalt as Hubert Wartzki

Bill Murray as Peter Venkman

Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz

Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore

Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz

William Atherton as Mayor Walter Peck

Review:

When I reviewed Ghostbusters: Afterlife for Horror DNA back in 2021, I was over the moon happy with the results of Jason Reitman’s loving homage to what his father created (which also happens to be one of the seminal films of my childhood). And I still stand by that assessment- that flick is a load of fun. My hope for the inevitable sequel was that they would double down on the things that made that one work. I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right?

Now that I’ve spent a couple more hours of my life with the Spenglers and the O.G. Ghostbusters again, I’m happy to report that they did indeed double down while upping the ante on the threat and going back home to good old New York City. After all, it just feels more like a proper Ghostbusters flick when you have the firehouse, the city skyline, the library, and all those other landmarks.

Garraka has a refreshingly Harryhausen-esque vibe, and I appreciate that.

It’s been two years since everything that happened at the “dirt farm” in Oklahoma, and the Spenglers are now operating (and living) out of the original firehouse as the new Ghostbusters. And business is booming! They still have the same problems, sure- namely the notorious Ghostbusters hater and arch nemesis, Mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton; Ghostbusters). His prying gets Phoebe (Mckenna Grace; The Handmaid’s Tale) effectively grounded from busting ghosts as she’s still a minor. Then a deadly ancient artifact that contains an evil god falls into the hands of Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd; Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters), and all hell literally breaks loose. The Ghostbusters will need all hands on deck, including Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray; What About Bob?, Ghostbusters), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson; The Crow, Ghostbusters), and even Janine (Annie Potts; Pretty in Pink, Ghostbusters) to stop Garraka from freezing the city in a pall of fear.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire does all the things that its predecessor in the “new arc” did with a little more shine on it. It also doesn’t shy away from making the nuclear family of the Spenglers the center of the story and letting the nostalgia take a backseat (albeit, a very small one) to the family drama. When you’re going into sequel territory after three decades, you need to establish new characters and give people a reason to give a damn about them to avoid being nothing but nostalgic fan service. New director Gil Kenan (Poltergeist 2015) walks the line between a completely new thing and fan service film with a fairly deft hand. The writing is smart enough to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em as it pertains to hitting you with callbacks and homages.

Paul Rudd is still America’s sweetheart, and Mckenna Grace is the essence of Egon’s granddaughter through and through. The loaded cast adds show-stealing performances from comedians Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille) as library historian Hubert Wartzki and Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) as “Firemaster” Nadeem Razmaadi. Both get a clutch of great lines to spit, and the laughs don’t stop there- Dr. Venkman busts out his pasta bowl hat, so you know shit is gonna get stupid in the funniest way possible. The packed theater I was in roared with applause and laughter on numerous occasions.

Your favorite fat ass is back!

The mythology is expanded with the introduction of Winston’s new Ghostbusters research team and super-sized containment unit. This introduced some tasty new ghosts to chew on, including one called “The Possessor” which serves as a clever plot device. Again, smart writing. Emily Alyn Lind’s (Doctor Sleep) turn as the ghost Melody even introduces us to something new in the Ghostbusters universe: a Ghostbuster befriending a ghost instead of busting it.

Minor early pacing issues aside, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a sequel that understands the giant shoes that it has to fill while also understanding that you have to stand on your own two feet, big shoes or no big shoes. It’s fun and funny, and at the end of the day you can’t be a proper Ghostbusters sequel without being both of those things.

Also, Slimer is back. So, yeah…we win.

Grade:

4.0 out of 5.0 stars