Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.

My Take – The nostalgia cash train continues with this fourth direct installment which comes in 40 years after the original film (5th if you count in the unfairly dismissed Paul Feig directed 2016 reboot).

Three years ago, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman, did the impossible by riving the decade’s old yet recognizable franchise. By bring the set up into the modern age the film managed to rejuvenate both with the old, who lapped up the excessive fan service, and the new, who appreciated the fresher elements.

But after decamping to Oklahoma previously, this direct sequel heads back to New York City putting it on a firmer, familiar footing by bringing back the cast of the original films into the mix. Providing fans something more along the lines of what they really wanted from a long-belated sequel: new ghosts, new gadgets, and lots of Dan Aykroyd. Even a newer blend of supernatural elements with the icy landscape promised a uniquely engaging setting that would captivate audiences from start to finish.

Yet, the resulting film is an overstuffed action-comedy that boasts a few enjoyable performances amidst a struggle to keep the series relevant.

Sure, there are some loose moments, script-wise, and Gil Kenan’s direction is somewhat generic, but the franchise moments you want are there. But the excess number of characters particularly leaves the screenplay desperate to justify their presence to a ridiculous degree. And even the much hyped villain feels rushed and wasted, as everything wraps up too quickly in the end.

Indeed, the film entertains, but it doesn’t go beyond the limitations of its genre. Making it a fun experience, but not one that will stick with for long.

Set three years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the story once again follows the Spengler family, Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Callie (Carrie Coon), and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), who alongside her boyfriend Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), have relocated to New York City and are working out of the iconic firehouse as the Ghostbusters.

But when a successful call results in excessive damage, Mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton), with his continuing determination to shut the Ghostbusters down, has the under aged Phoebe benched. Left to moping around, Phoebe ends up befriending a ghost Melody (Emily Alyn Lind).

Meanwhile Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), joined by Podcast (Logan Kim) is still dealing with the occult, while Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) has begun funding a secret research lab in Staten Island to take the ghosts business to the next level, with the help of Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Dr. Lars Pinfield (James Acaster).

But when Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) brings Ray an ancient artifact, it inadvertently unleashes an evil force, one that could bring about a second Ice Age. So, to combat it, Ghostbusters both new and old, must team up and take on Garraka, an evil ancient god determined to freeze the world.

While 2021’s Afterlife, a surprisingly moving sequel to the originals introduced a likeable new breed of ’busters. This one throws everything against the wall to see if any of the slime sticks. Bits of it do, most of it doesn’t. Here, Afterlife director Jason Reitman, the son of the late Ivan Reitman (who directed both the original Ghostbusters films), hands the reins over to his writing partner Gil Kenan (Poltergeist), who lends the film a breezy efficiency that is not as weighed down by endless easter-egg references to the earlier pictures.

Though its predecessor more or less let the new crew hold their own, only really parachuting in the originals at the end to bring Egon’s story to a close: their appearance was sweet, and felt earned. Here, though, the Spengler family are short-changed in favor of more screen-time for the older guys, who this time don’t have an emotional core to hang onto and are back in the film for the hell of it.

Thankfully, director Kenan wisely focuses on the strongest of the bunch, Phoebe, who remains a delightful outcast. Indeed, her subplot proves to be the film’s bright spot. Still channeling the geeky, deadpan spirit of the late Harold Ramis, who played Phoebe’s grandfather Egon, she quickly builds a rapport with Melody, their characters forming a bond based on their shared loneliness.

But as the scale of the spectral threat increases, director Kenan piles on supporting character after supporting character to keep up with exposition duties, all stopping by to dump information when the plot calls for it.

To make matters worse, the much advertised story-line doesn’t even show up until the last half hour of the film. We don’t see enough of NYC dealing with this apparent new Ice Age and the main villain is just a bland, generic special effect. The climax just has far too many characters all in one place and it’s made worse by you knowing that none of them are in any danger. A film like this isn’t going to have any real stakes and we know that by now. It’s just a lot of noise and CGI overload and there’s nothing more to it than that.

Performance wise, Mckenna Grace continues to be the brightest spot, Paul Rudd brings his usual comedic charm and energy that we all know and love, Carrie Coon is the likable mom, while Finn Wolfhard, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, James Acaster and Emily Alyn Lind are perfectly serviceable.

Dan Aykroyd brings his familiar earnestness with his childlike enthusiasm, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts are good with whatever little they have to do. Bill Murray and William Atherton are decent in the limited screen time they appear for. Kumail Nanjiani provides the most laughs, making the best addition to the cast. Patton Oswalt appears only in an exposition dump cameo. On the whole, ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘ is an imperfect yet entertaining flick that mixes the old and new for a decent-spirited sequel.