I was excited as hell for Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, so much so that I opted to see it in theaters over Dune Part 2, which I plan to watch soon. I’m definitely the target audience when it comes to the Ghostbusters universe, and my fandom runs deep for this entire series of movies, particularly the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters (’86-91).
The original 1984 Ghostbusters movie was a cultural phenomenon. It was original, hilarious, and raunchy. Hell, there was even a blowjob ghost scene. The 1986 Ghostbusters 2 sequel wasn’t as remarkable as the original; there were tons of issues and controversies during the making of this sequel. Nevertheless, it had some memorable moments. And, of course, the non-cannon 2015 all-female reboot had some funny moments, but it was mostly forgettable. Fast forward to 2021, Ghostbusters Afterlife was excellent — I loved everything about it. Jason Reitman did an incredible job infusing this franchise with new life. It was a fun, emotional, and well-executed requel — it rejuvenated the franchise and set the foundation for a new generation of Ghostbusters.
Having said that, I came to Ghostbusters Frozen Empire with high expectations, but it fell short of my expectations. The entire Frozen Empire premise was underwhelming. Here, we have an ancient artifact that holds Garraka, an evil force trapped inside, locked away for centuries, which seemed like an intriguing concept. But the overall plot felt messy and convoluted. This movie needed a longer running time, and some characters needed more screen time to develop them further. I can tell there were plenty of cuts for this theatrical version. So, I’m curious to see if a Director’s cut is available at some point.
Despite my issues with this movie, there were aspects I enjoyed:
The opening scene was outstanding; it set the tone for the entire supernatural slash frozen empire storyline. Bringing the story back to New York City and the original Ghostbusters firehouse headquarters was a great idea. The legacy characters are more involved here than in Afterlife. Janine (Annie Potts) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) are more involved in the storyline. The idea of Winston financing a secret facility for paranormal research was solid. This new facility will take Ghostbusting to a new era of paranormal research. Dan Akroyd’s Ray is also more engaged in the plot — Ray remains the heart and soul of the Ghostbusters.
The New York Public Library ghost from the original Ghostbuster movie is back. The librarian administrator (played by John Rothman) is also back briefly. Another familiar face from the original 1984 film is back; Walter Peck (William Atherton) from the EPA is now the NYC Mayor and is still trying to shut down the Ghostbusters and their facility. The mini-marshmallow puffs are back, and Slimmer returns to the series to feud with Trevor (Finn Wolfhard).
Phoebe (McKenna Grace) remains the central character here. Phoebe gets to explore her teenage angst and makes friends with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), a teenage ghost. There is a lot to unpack in this human/ghost relationship. Notably, the sexual tension between Phoebe and Melody was palpable, but it held back a bit. I’m curious to see how this Phoebe character evolves in future films.
The new character of Dr. Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt) was a curious addition to the plot, but he needs to be more involved in future films. There is a new scientist, Dr Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), who seems like a stand-in for Egon Spangler (Harold Ramis), but again, this is another character that needs more screen time.
Things I did not like:
Surprisingly, Bill Murray’s Dr Peter Venkman had minimal involvement. I expected Bill Murray to play a more significant part in the plot, but he doesn’t do much here. Another bummer, there was no Sigourney Weaver — Ghostbusters Afterlife gave us a Sigourney Weaver cameo, hinting at a more significant involvement in this new movie. But there was zero mention of her character. And there is still no sign of Rick Moranis returning to the franchise.
Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon have terrific onscreen chemistry but are underutilized; we need more of them, and I feel like we didn’t get enough. Kumali Nanjiani’s character was annoying and underdeveloped. Also, specific plot points, like Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), now living in New York, lack explanation. I wanted to see Lord Vigo released when Garraka breached the ghost containment unit. Lastly, the credit scene was pointless and did nothing to move the series forward.
While there’s much to appreciate in Frozen Empire, it missed a crucial opportunity to take this Ghostbusting franchise to new heights. The future movies in this series should focus on passing the torch to a new generation of Spanglers. The legacy characters should continue to play a more direct role while establishing these new, young Ghostbusters. All of this is essential for the series to evolve independently.
GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (2024). Three out of Five Popcorn bags 🍿🍿🍿
Rod Rioja 