Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - A Movie Review

The Ghostbusters hotline must be busy today.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a 2024 sequel to the franchise that started in 1984. An evil force is unleashed across New York City when an ancient artifact is discovered. The Ghostbusters team, new and old, join together to protect the world from a second ice age.

Like most media re-adaptations or sequels these days, they aim for one thing; nostalgia. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is an entertaining film that gets too carried away with nostalgia fuel rather than supplying a concise story. If writers were better focused, Frozen Empire would have been more satisfying.

It’s unclear who the main character is in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The problem is that there are too many characters! That was (one of) Jurassic World Dominion’s downfalls. Phoebe (McKenna Grace) is the protagonist. She’s the only character with a story and moves the film along.

The rest of the characters are here for filler subplots or nostalgia fuel. Finn Wolfhard (Trevor) is in his own world. First, Trevor celebrates that he’s 18, and... that’s it. He briefly has a subplot where he’s tracking down the iconic Slimer ghost which doesn’t go anywhere.

More could have been done with the family scenario since Gary and Callie (Paul Rudd and Carrie Coons) needed something to do. Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, and William Atherton also appear in the film. The side characters are awkwardly thrown into the mix just so they have a purpose. Overall, the cast works well together.

As for Bill Murray and the rest of the Ghostbuster originals, they put on the suits, supply comic relief, and they’re there. Even they are given subplots. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson talk about the glory days while Bill Murray makes the usual humor cracks. He appears for a short scene and then he returns for the climax.

The best segment in the film is Phoebe’s friendship with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), a ghost girl. Melody is trying to cross over. It turns out, she’s not who she says she is. This storyline, right here, should have been the movie and yet it’s sidelined for useless subplots that don’t add up to much.

In all the Ghostbusters films, we have never encountered a scenario where a character befriends a ghost. This was new to the film! Ghost stories are my favorite. The storyline provides some emotional depth amidst the chaos.

Gil Kenan had too much to work with, taking a long time to get to the exciting climax. Special effects are impressive, but they would have been more notable had filmmakers focused on the ghosts. The ghosts are what the Ghostbusters films are all about!

The film's climactic ghost fight delivers an epic supernatural spectacle, showcasing impressive visual effects and inventive ghost designs. However, the lack of a substantial buildup diminishes the impact of the showdown.

With the scattered nature of the subplots, the climax feels more like a standalone short film, rather than a culmination of the film's themes and conflicts. Ghostbusters: Afterlife had a cohesive story. This film is jumbled with random storylines until the climax.

With all the subplots, the editing was unfocused. There’s a full scene with Gary talking to Phoebe’s bedroom door about how he wants to help her and be there more. Little snippets reveal that Phoebe is not there, but it’s more awkward than funny.

The audience had a good time in my theater. One person sang along to the iconic tune. The movie is still a fun time. Experience Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in theaters.