Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
March 20th, 2024
MOVIE: GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE
STARRING: MCKENNA GRACE, PAUL RUDD, CARRIE COON, DAN AYKROYD, ERNIE HUDSON
DIRECTED BY: GIL KENAN
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
This is the 5th installment in the Ghostbuster universe. I also can’t believe there is a Ghostbusters universe. At this point what was once a series of films about a rag-tag team of scientists ridding New York of its paranormal problems is now an intellectual property for Sony that goes far beyond what Harold Ramis had initially created. With that expansion comes an endless amount of characters, past and present, new creations of creepy ghosts, and similar adventures. Sadly, the more it expands the less I care, and although Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is not the lowest point, it feels like the least creative of the series.
It’s not that there isn’t something within Frozen Empire. The crew that we met in Ghostbusters: Afterlife is all back, Science enthusiast Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), mom Callie (Carrie Coon), her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and delightful science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd). They moved from Oklahoma, under the tutelage of former Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), and now live in the old firehouse in New York. After a few mishaps with a proton pack, the team is not welcomed to the city, and when a guy (Kumail Nanjiani) sells a metal orb he found in his grandmother’s closet to Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), weird things start to happen. Soon an ancient demon awakes, turning all of New York to ice, and they must all bond together to stop the frozen destruction.
In all transparency, I was one of the few film critics who was kinder to Afterlife, directed by Ivan Reitman’s son Jason, which was nearly an exact copy of the first Ghostbusters but had a fun energy that reminded me of The Goonies. The reality is that most will find Frozen Empire to be the better one but what’s surprising is how low the energy and humorless this comedy is. The screenplay by director Gil Kenan and the young Reitman understand how to introduce new ghosts and add more characters, but is unaware of exactly what to do with them. Large portions feel like characters standing around, with dialogue that neither drives the story nor makes us laugh along the way. Lacking humor in a Ghostbusters movie? What are we doing?
Even the high points have an odd approach. The subplot of young Phoebe being sidelined because she’s too young to ghost hunt has her spending time with a friendly ghost named Melody (Emily Alyn Lind). They play chess and enjoy a sit at a diner, and there’s even a hint of romance. I give Kenan credit for digging into the thoughts of what if some of the ghosts are just kind lost souls but isn’t that for Casper? The charm of Grace can only go so far and instead of using her energy, it’s pushed down into a mopey moment of teenage angst. Were it not for the typical greatness of Rudd. a fun appearance by Patton Oswalt, and the expected cameos from Bill Murray and Annie Potts, there would be little joy from this icy installment.
All things considered, my son seemed to have a fun time with the movie, oscillating between being scared by the CGI ghosts and happy at the climactic ending, but at six, he’s also oddly the target audience. That targeting of kids seems to be the only thing they get right, where the toys, gadgets, and adorable mini stay-puft marshmallow men seemed destined to be as popular as baby Yoda. It’s a shame because Ghostbusters could be a great series of comedies, but instead, it’s only about adding to the profits. Frozen Empire left me feeling cold on the inside and I’m not a ghost.
GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE IS PLAYING IN THEATERS FRIDAY MARCH 22ND, 2024.
2 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com
