Review: 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,' nostalgia served cold

Columbia Pictures, 2024.

It's been nearly 40 years since the original "Ghostbusters" slimed its way onto the scene, becoming one of the most popular and iconic movies of all-time. It made nearly 300 million at the box office when it was released back in 1984, or roughly 10-times its budget, and the movie spawned an entire multimedia franchise reaching across film, television, video games and pretty much every corner of American pop culture.

As difficult as it is to trap a ghost in one of those little striped boxes, Columbia Pictures has spent the past four decades chasing whatever strange lightning struck with that original film, desperately trying to bottle it. The 1989 sequel "Ghostbusters II" was not well-received, nor was the 2016 Paul Feig reboot. And while "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" was a box-office winner in 2021, many (like me...see my "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" review here) found that this thick dose of nostalgia was a bit too much. For a franchise that seems to have so much potential for originality and entertainment value, what was being streamed directly into our eyeballs felt more like a feeble attempt to cash-in on what had come before.

That brings us to "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," a film that feels a bit more comfortable with itself overall, but is still too closely shackled to its past. Everyone is dressed up, and it feels like a "Ghostbusters" movie. It's just that these ghosts are quite lifeless.

Grade: C+

The Spengler clan has moved from their rural home back to where it all began, New York City (interested in what happened in the two years since the last movie? You can find out with a comic book tie-in that tells this chapter of the tale). Callie (Carrie Coon) and stepdad Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) are resident-Ghostbusters, working out of the original firehall from the original film, keeping the city safe from other-worldly harm. Bustin' ghosts is still a family affair, with their now-adult son, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and the film's main protagonist, the young Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), in tow.

This is no longer a world where ghosts are scary or exist as figments of the imagination. The entire Ghostbusters universe begins to fall apart when you consider what is going on at a macro-level (is the government not concerned with this problem? Why are there no other Ghostbusters in the world?). But apparently everything they do is completely acceptable, OTHER than that Phoebe is not old enough to be fighting ghosts. Sent to the sidelines, her character tries to find another purpose, and instead, she ends up befriending (falling in love?) with a young teenage ghost played by Emily Alyn Lind.

Meanwhile, there is a new evil that is trying to unleash itself, in the form of an ancient demon-god that can freeze things. Its spirit is trapped within an artifact in the possession of Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani), who was trying to pawn the item after finding it in his grandmother's attic.

The original cast, Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston (Ernie Hudson), Janine (Annie Potts) and Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) are all folded in, and given nothing to do other than appease the fanbase. Characters we met in the last movie, like Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) and Podcast (Logan Kim) are also involved, with no real reason to be. This over-stuffed collection of mundane characters must defeat the bad guy and his plans to freeze NYC, and there are never any real stakes or reasons enough for us to care.

There are incredibly lame themes stringing the action together dealing with family (awww, she called him "Dad!"), but perhaps to its credit, "Frozen Empire" is not interested in finding any deeper meaning. This is a saga that is literally haunted with ghosts from its past, but it shows no desire to move along or break new ground

​"Frozen Empire" is a proud franchise film, whose sole purpose seems to be to make sure that the franchise can continue onward. There is enough here - probably - to placate the hardcore fans, even if it's clear that the filmmakers aren't looking to re-invent the wheel...in fact, they're so content with the wheel that they're passing up opportunities to really fly.

Grade: C+

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure.
Run Time: 1 hour 55 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Kumail Nanjiani, Celeste O'Connor, Patton Oswalt, Logan Kim, Emily Alyn Lind, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton.

Co-Written and Directed by Gil Kenan ("A Boy Called Christmas," "Poltergeist (2015)," "City of Ember," "Monster House").

"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" is in theaters everywhere on Friday, March 22nd, 2024.