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Three years after defeating Gozer the Gozerian in Oklahoma, Gary (Paul Rudd) and Callie (Carrie Coon) relocate to New York City with Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) to help Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) restart the Ghostbusters. Moving into the firehouse headquarters with the restored Ecto-1, they work together to capture ghosts on the streets of NYC, but their exploits draw the wrath of the city's Mayor, Walter Peck (William Atherton), who threatens to put them out of business. Gary and Callie are forced to remove the underage Phoebe from the team, who struggles to accept the decision but soon finds an unexpected friend in a kindly ghost named Melody (Emily Alyn Lind). Meanwhile, Ray still owns and operates an occult bookshop, working with Podcast (Logan Kim) to examine cursed objects for a web series. Hoping to earn some quick money, Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) approaches Ray with a mysterious brass orb that radiates a high level of psionic energy, piquing his curiosity. Taking the orb to Winston's paranormal research centre, Dr. Lars Pinfield (James Acaster) and Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) try to extract the dark energy, but this threatens to release a phantom god known as Garraka, who seeks to conquer the world with an undead army.
With Afterlife receiving criticism for rehashing narrative elements of the first Ghostbusters, there is no shortage of fresh ideas in Frozen Empire, with the script even exploring the concept of the ghost containment unit being at full capacity after forty years of imprisoning spirits. Winston's research facility also presents numerous possibilities for ghostbusting in the 21st Century as his team consistently develops and experiments with new technology, adding a James Bond-esque vibe to this part of the story. However, the feature is not always light on its feet, with ample plot threads and characters vying for screen time throughout the beefy 115-minute duration. The most redundant character is Melody. Although a human/ghost relationship is fascinating, and the character's presence is tied to Garraka's plan, it nevertheless takes up too much time in an already busy movie. Frozen Empire tries to do too much, wanting to keep the new characters relevant while giving the older characters a meaningful part to play, but nothing ever gains as much dramatic traction as it should. Whereas Afterlife was incredibly poignant, Frozen Empire is a lightweight action adventure with oodles of fan service. It still works well enough on its own terms, but it is not a convincing home run.
The return to New York City is welcome, making it feel closer to its 1980s predecessors. NYC was a character unto itself in the original Ghostbusters pictures, and Frozen Empire thankfully retains this, with action set pieces occurring in the city streets and outside the New York Library, a pleasing throwback to the 1984 film (complete with sly cameos). The climactic battle against Garraka retains the intimate scope of Afterlife's finale, with Kenan confining the action to the firehouse headquarters as the ancient demon unleashes his potent ice powers. Although an exciting and nail-biting climax, the lack of scope is disappointing, especially since the movie kicks off with the team catching a ghost while driving through the city streets in Ecto-1. Compared to the finales of the first two pictures, with Ghostbusters II even involving the Statue of Liberty walking the streets of NYC, Frozen Empire's climax is a wasted opportunity in need of a true show-stopping moment. Additionally, although the CGI is largely impressive and Garraka looks borderline photoreal, an entirely digital villain is not as memorable as Gozer or Vigo the Carpathian, both of whom had human avatars.
With a comparatively modest $100 million budget (still smaller than most major blockbusters), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire looks fantastic for the most part, with Kenan following in Jason Reitman's footsteps by creating a more old-fashioned-looking movie instead of the modernised digital look of 2016's Ghostbusters. Furthermore, Kenan retains the horror elements of the film's predecessors, adding danger and tension to supplement the spectacle. Ghost designs are once again creative, and the film brings back Slimer and the mini Stay Puft Marshmellow Men for the sake of nostalgia. Additionally, instead of updating the soundtrack, Dario Marianelli's compositions mostly follow the template set by Afterlife, with an original score reminiscent of Elmer Bernstein's music from the first Ghostbusters picture, bringing back recognisable motifs and cues. Frozen Empire represents another robust mix of the old and new, with a cinematic approach that is respectful to the 1980s pictures without looking cheap or B-grade.
The chemistry between the original Ghostbusters and the new cast members is magical, and it is a treat to see Ray and Winston playing a more prominent part in the proceedings while Peter also pops in occasionally. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson play alongside each other in several scenes, and the actors confidently lean into the more dramatic material, portraying melancholy and pathos with relative ease. Bill Murray's screen time is limited, but he does deliver some of the film's funniest moments. It's great to see the three men back together, though the script does come up short in terms of the amusing interplay that characterised the original movies. Although Rick Moranis refused to return as Louis Tully here, Annie Potts thankfully plays a slightly bigger role as Janine Melnitz and even dons a Ghostbusters uniform for the first time.
Frozen Empire also sees William Atherton return to the franchise as the officious Walter Peck for the first time since the original film (though the actor did reprise the role for the 2009 video game), which is another pleasing touch. Of the new cast, Mckenna Grace remains the standout, and Paul Rudd still shows terrific comedic timing. Patton Oswalt also makes a positive impression as a research librarian, while James Acaster is a charming addition as one of Winston's researchers. The only weak spot is Kumail Nanjiani, who grossly misinterprets the flick's tone. Whereas the other actors take the material seriously, Nanjiani is too broad, constantly mugging the camera and never scoring a meaty laugh.
Similar to the maligned Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire gets more right than wrong, compensating for its shortcomings with an appealing ensemble cast, competent filmmaking and a high entertainment value. Future instalments remain a tantalising prospect, especially with the original Ghostbusters continuing to play an active part in the paranormal investigations instead of merely passing the torch or allowing the younger cast to overshadow them.
7.1/10
