‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Review:  An Imperfect Storm

40 years after the first Ghostbusters film arrived in theatres, Gil Kenan has blessed the box office with a fifth film. But is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire as good as its predecessors? Find out below.

Directed by Monster House alum and Ghostbusters: Afterlife screenwriter Gil Kenan, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire follows the family of late Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) who have moved from Egon’s Oklahoman home (as seen in Ghostbusters: Afterlife) to the Ghostbusters’ native New York City, where they encounter a new ancient evil.

Joining the Afterlife cast are Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), Patton Oswalt (Dr. Hubert Wartzki), Emily Alyn Lind (Melody), and James Acaster (Lars Pinfield). Kenan switches roles with Afterlife director Jason Reitman (son of Ivan) who only stayed on as a writer in this instalment. As the film opens you get a sense of mystery and spooky suspense, perfectly setting the tone for what the film would eventually be: using a great blend of CGI, good cinematography, and eerie music. The cast of the film itself is seriously great.

The dynamic between the several teams the film splits itself into is good. Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz gets a lot more screen time here and Aykroyd’s charisma is infectious as you can tell his entire attitude is amplified onto other actors. In particular, you can really tell McKenna Grace (Phoebe Spengler) really enjoyed herself in the role as well as giving a convincing portrayal. As expected, Bill Murray and his few minutes of screentime were hilarious. It’s hard not to agree that his portrayal of Peter Venkman is iconic and for his couple of scenes, he was an undeniable scene stealer.

As good as the character dynamics and cast may be, the film lacks reason for many of them to be there and suffers as a product of this issue, it’s overstuffed, convoluted and generally just has way too much going on.

Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor Spengler lacks any meaningful role in the film and essentially has two unimportant scenes with Slimer, and although he is a member of the family the last film revolved around, it’s hard to believe Kenan and Reitman could not find something more lasting for his character to do.

Patton Oswalt’s new character on the other hand, Dr. Hubert Wartzki, serves as nothing more than a slightly comedic exposition dump. His character is an academic and although there are other well-educated characters in the film who on more than one occasion do research of their own, it’s hard to believe the character served anything other than inflating the film’s runtime. 

Outside of these obvious issues with the film,  other aspects go down a serviceable and enjoyable route. The editing is a bit much in parts and you can tell a lot of stuff was cut. The result is a choppy but breezy experience that makes for an easy watch and presumably easier rewatch. Perhaps what is most commendable about this film is the scares.

The film brings an atmosphere of horror that the Ghostbusters franchise has never seen before and despite its low PG-13 rating, it manages to implement an intense sense of spookiness. In particular, one scene during the second act with Celeste O’Connor and James Acaster portrays this well.

As the film ends, it becomes rather predictable as several seemingly inconsequential side plots are paid off in big ways. These conclusions are satisfying and the ending of the film really brings you back to the original with its atmosphere and I left with a big grin on my face.

Overall, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is serviceable as a story, doesn’t pander to the viewer with nostalgia and explores interesting character dynamics in a cluttered but enjoyable film. Please go watch Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in theatres and form your own opinion.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire stars Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, and Logan Kim (Podcast). The film guest stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts as the original Ghostbusters with Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), Patton Oswalt (Dr. Hubert Wartzki), Emily Alyn Lind (Melody), and James Acaster (Lars Pinfield) in supporting roles. The movie is directed by Gil Kenan and is currently in theatres.

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