Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Review

The Ghostbusters are back on cinema screens after a three-year break and see them return to New York to face a new threat.

The Spengler family has taken up the mantle of being the Ghostbusters in New York and capture supernatural beings across the city. But they face numerous challenges. The Ecto-Chamber is starting to overload, the Mayor of New York (William Atherton) wants to shut them down, and worst of all is the emergence of a mysterious brass orb that has resulted in increased paranormal activity. As this all happens the Spenglers are forced to sideline Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) to appease the mayor.

Ghostbusters is a franchise that has had many ups and downs. The first film was seen as a touchstone of ‘80s cinema and the cartoons were popular. But the 1989 sequel was seen as a downgrade since it copied the structure of the first film, and the 2016 reboot was highly maligned. The reboot had to be unbooted. Ghostbusters: Afterlife was a return to form for the franchise since it was a heartfelt legacy sequel and acted as a continuation of the original film. Ghostbusters is one of Sony’s most recognisable franchises, so it made financial sense to make a follow-up.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has the unfortunate distinction of having the worst Rotten Tomatoes score for a Ghostbusters film which is harsh considering Ghostbusters (2016) exists. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire did start on a strong note with a prologue in 1904 and an action sequence showing the Ghostbusters driving around New York chasing a ghost flying around the city. They set up the plot and showed the Spenglers’ capabilities as well as new gadgets. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire had a more humorous tone than its predecessor which aimed for a sense of Spielbergian wonder. From a technical level Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was fine since there were strong special effects and kid-friendly horror which should appeal to a broad audience. I enjoyed the animated sequence that showed the origins of the film’s villain and the orb: it reminded me of “The Tale of the Three Brothers” scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One.

Ghostbusters is a franchise with great potential for expansion and world-building. With a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror and there’s a wide world of ghosts, monsters, and secret organisations to explore. The cartoons were able to have a strong mix of humour, drama, and investigation, and be willing to go into dark territory. However, Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire was a film that was unsure of itself. Around the core plot, numerous subplots were taking away focus. There was a storyline where Phoebe befriends a ghost called Melody (Emily Alyn Lind) and it seemed like there was going to be a storyline where Phoebe realised that not all ghosts are menaces and the Ghostbusters needed to help the spirits move on to the Afterlife. Another subplot involved Winston (Ernie Hudson) funding a group of paranormal investigators and developing technology to help fight ghosts, and there was a character who sold his family heirloom and ended up being a person of interest for the Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire expanded the cast. Besides the Spenglers, legacy characters were given bigger roles compared with the previous film. The film also brought back the Oklahoma characters of Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) even though it was forced. Kumail Nanjiani had a prominent role as Nadeem, a man whose family was contention to the orb, and James Acaster played an important engineer at Winston’s Institute. It did get a bit much.

The screenplay was the weak link film which was a real shame considering Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman wrote the previous films and Reitman has been nominated for an Oscar. The screenplay was way too busy for its own good. Ideas that were wasted in this film since they could have been explored further, like the subplot with Melody. There were plot points that at best were highly contrived, at worst a plot hole. The screenplay needed fine-tuning.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire did repeat ideas from the previous films. There was another godlike being who wanted to raise an army of the dead so they could take over the world, a plot that was used in all the films, and the authorities were looking to shut down the Ghostbusters, an idea that was explored in four of the five films. The film series underutilised its premise.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire does provide popcorn thrills through its special effects and sci-fi action. It’s a shame that the film was so messy which prevented the film from being enjoyed beyond a surface level.