Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and all the images you see in this review are owned by Sony Pictures Releasing
Directed by Gil Kenan
I came into the last Ghostbusters film with more than a little ambivalence, and to this day I still think I overcorrected and gave it half-a-star too high in the final score. I can’t say I’m any more optimistic going into this one, since it looks like all the same nostalgia bait without any of the context, but I’ve been wrong before about movies I expected to disappoint me. Maybe by doing away with any pretense, we can get a proper adventure movie that forges its own path instead of an attempt at redoing the comedic magic of the original! Ghostbusters on Ice? Lots of potential there! Will this take advantage of its premise to grow past the shadow of the franchise, or is this content to stand still and not budge an inch as long as people continue to clamor for Venkman, Stanz, and Zeddemore? Let’s find out!!
Following the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Spengler family consisting of Callie (Carrie Coon), her two kids Phoebe and Trevor (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard), and their new step-dad Gary (Paul Rudd) have moved to New York and into the good ol’ firehouse to start up the Ghostbusters yet again. Things seem to be going well as the kids are growing into their roles as busters, but after a particularly destructive chase through town gets them in hot water with Mayor Peck (William Atherton), Phoebe is shelved until she turns eighteen which leaves her with nothing to do but be a teenager, and who wants that, am I right? On top of that, an ancient artifact ends up at the bookshop of Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) which seems to contain a spirit more powerful than anyone has seen before and seems to be connected to the family of Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani), the guy who sold to Ray in the first place. On top of that, there’s also a new Ghostbusters franchise being led by Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) that’s making some interesting discoveries about ghosts, but perhaps are missing the forest for the trees when they’re confronted with Ray’s mysterious artifact. Oh, and on top of that, Trevor is trying to catch Slimer in the attic because… well, I guess if you’re gonna get Finn Wolfhard, you’ve gotta give him something to do. Can Phoebe find a place that she belongs, especially after meeting a fellow teenage ghost who seems to understand her better than her family? Will this artifact unleash a great threat to the city that only the Ghostbusters can take care of? What do you say, fans? Is any of this doing it for ya!?
I know that I went into this with low expectations, but I genuinely want to enjoy every movie I see, and I’d be thrilled if I could finally get on board with the rest of the Ghostbusters fandom who have been clamoring for a return to basics approach to the franchise. If you’re looking for that, then I think this movie manages to deliver; it’s just that if you want your movie to be anything more than that, well you’re out of luck because what I witnessed in theaters can barely be called a movie. It seems that everyone was so eager to get the Ghostbusters back together, or more likely were concerned that this was their one chance to do so, that they put all the ideas they’ve been sitting on for decades into one movie which could have been a fun medley of wacky adventures, but in here comes off like an incomplete script; where making the references people want to see took precedence over character development and story structure. The last movie made attempts to hide its pandering where this one has no reservations about it, so all the problems of the last film are exacerbated with none of the redeeming qualities. Gone are the nuanced takes on legacy and family, to be replaced with an uncomplicated and unchallenging return to the glory days. Missing are the characters with any sort of depth, to be replaced with cardboard cutouts spouting one-liners and talking about ghostbusting. Phoebe is the closest to retaining her original character, but the script yanks her in too many directions for her arc to have any sort of focus, while Trevor is so unimportant to the story that I’m surprised they bothered to get Finn Wolfhard back for the role. It doesn’t even work as a comedy as the film has none of the sharp humor of the original and can only scrape by from the charisma of some of the actors like Bill Murray and Kumail Nanjiani, the former of which knows exactly what he’s in and gives it as much effort as it deserves.
If I were to be generous about anything in the movie, it does an okay job of world building. It’s nothing spectacular or unexpected, but at least there’s some evolution of the initial Ghostbusters concept that takes us from being a rag-tag group of exterminators to something a little more formal and scientific. I especially liked James Acaster who plays one of the new scientists working for Winston, as he doesn’t seem to realize what movie he’s in and actually tries to be a Ghostbuster instead of imitating one. I’d be interested in seeing him and the new cast take on a proper sequel that gives them time to shine instead of staying securely in the shadow of the originals, but I guess the 2016 movie tried to do that and too many people weren’t ready for it, so back to the comfort zone we go! There are some bright spots here and there, even with the original cast who are at least trying to inject some life and humor into this, but there’s simply too much artifice and pandering in every frame of the movie for anyone to take it seriously.
The last movie may not have been in the same league as the original, but it at least stood on its own as a unique entry with its own ideas, or at least half of it did. This can barely muster enough energy to be a Toy Commercial, except the only kinds of toys this movie will make are for adults to collect rather than for kids to enjoy. If this is what the fanboys have spent the last thirty years hoping and praying to see, then I guess I can’t fault them for feeling some amount of vindication. I’m sure I’ll have mixed feelings about my own childhood favorites getting the Hollywood treatment if the nostalgia wave ever circles back to it, but it’s hardly edifying to be served up exactly what you think you want. I did not despise this movie, but it never missed a chance to completely take me out of the experience whenever it got a modicum of momentum behind it. There is potential for a Ghostbusters franchise going forward, perhaps even one that more resembles the original movies, but whatever happens next is gonna have to be a heck of a lot bolder if it wants any sort of relevancy. Nostalgia dollars will carry you for a while, but even that well will dry up one day, and I’ll get no satisfaction in saying I told you so.
The Reviewers Unite 