By Taking place not too long after the previous installment Afterlife left off, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire makes the trek from Oklahoma back to New York City. The Spengler family have made the famous Hook and Ladder their home and picked up the mantle as the next generation of Ghostbusters. Thankfully the old team are never too far away to lend a hand or some much needed personal advice.
Frozen Empire opens in New York in the early 1900’s The original occupants of the firehouse, the New York City Fire Brigade are called to a mysterious gathering where everyone inside the locked room has frozen to death and a mysterious orb is cradled by a strangely clad individual, giving a precursor to the events to unfold later in the film.
The cast from Afterlife all make a return, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) now 15 is well in her teenage angst stage made all the harder given her level of intelligence, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) is 18 reminds us he is an adult now by sulking around and taking time off to go fight whatever it is in the attic while mum Callie (Carrie Coon) and Gary (Paul Rudd) are deep into their relationship. After an early mishap while on a job the team are forced to bench Phoebe due to her being a child even though she is the smartest, forcing her to refocus. With pleas from her mother to try and be a kid for a few years, on a trip one night to central park to play some lone chess, she meets a troubled ghost Melody (Emily Alyn) whom Phoebe connects with instantly beginning a friendship between a pair of trouble souls, one of course being an actual soul….
Once a small sphere charged with psychokinetic energy end up the hands of Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) in his store of the occult, it is found to possibly be the prison of Garraka, an ancient god like being capable of commanding an army of ghosts and bringing about the end of civilisation as we know it by unleashing the death chill.
It isn’t until the introduction of Garraka that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire begins to find its footing and a direction worth following. Building up we are introduced to new characters, new and familiar locations and layers of story that begin to feel a little convoluted. Prior to the final act the film struggles to juggle new and old characters, to many story lines and emotions not to mention the evolution of the Spengler family unit. While Jason Reitman is still credited as writer and producer, directorial duties were handed over to Afterlife co-writer Gil Kenan, an established director in his own right but fails to capture some of the specific tone and flow the Reitman’s were known for.
The introduction of comedic additions to the franchise Patton Oswalt, James Acaster do little to add depth to the original cast and seem to be included for some one line throw away moments. Kumail Nanjiani’s Nadeem is the original owner of the mystical sphere and unfortunately seems to be reduced to the annoying comedy relief that a film with this cast doesn’t need, he really deserved better.
Ultimately Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a Ghostbusters franchise movie that is best watched through rose-coloured nostalgic glasses. There are plenty of moments for us older fans to point out and enjoy, plenty of decent laughs and some good moments between new and old alike. Glaring deficiencies within the story and a criminally under used Murray aside Frozen Empire looks to be aiming to take the franchise from needing the original crew to building upon the next generation of Ghostbusters and Ghostbuster fans.
