[Note: This review will discuss elements of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent movies knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]
Have you ever seen a movie that was so bland and by-the-numbers you immediately forgot about it the moment you stepped out of the theater?
I never interacted with the Ghostbusters franchise until the start of this year. January was my first time sitting down and watching the first movie, and—in anticipation of having to see this latest entry—I saw its sequels one month apart from each other. I adore the first movie for its cynical humor and laid-back attitude, making it an impressive parody of exterminators with plenty of dry comedy. The film works not only because of its humor, but because of everything each of the characters embody. It feels like the kind of movie I could come across on a TV station and watch from any point, having fun the entire time. I also enjoyed Ghostbusters 2 for what it was, even though it was mostly a retread of the original. It was a fun addition, even if it didn’t add anything new and wasn’t as memorable (aside from a few slapstick moments I thought were quite fun).
Then came Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Since I saw the movie just one month after watching the original duology, the film was the definition of whiplash. What was once a semi-grounded, adult comedy essentially about scam-artist scientists accidentally saving the world had turned into a whimsical, Marvel-esque nostalgia trip. As someone who didn’t have any nostalgia for the franchise, it ended up feeling like a rather corporate attempt at cashing in on people’s memories of the first two movies. While its dedication to the late Harold Ramis was touching, the rest of the film felt like a bland, watered-down version of what someone who only ever played with Ghostbusters toys thinks Ghostbusters is. I understand this is not a sentiment held by fans of the franchise, though, and I’m sure it was a neat trip down memory lane for many who grew up with the original movies. But from someone with zero attachment to the first two aside from thinking they’re hilarious, goofy movies, I thought Afterlife was a poor attempt at commercializing a film that parodied commercialization.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire fared no better in my mind. Following the events of Afterlife, Egon Spengler’s grandchildren, Phoebe and Trevor, are now busting ghosts in New York City alongside their mother, Callie, and her boyfriend, Gary Grooberson. Their operations are also overseen by Winston and Ray from the original team. However, conflict ensues when it becomes clear their ghost-busting activities could be putting the city in more danger than helping it. What’s more, Ray comes into possession of a magical ball that is connected to a new type of powerful ghost, which threatens the safety of the entire city. While the overarching idea of what this ghost is and what it’s doing is discussed in different trailers for the film, speaking about it anymore would spoil the movie. This is not only because of how much gets crammed into its two-hour runtime, but also because of the general feel of the movie. Or, rather, what the movie actually is.
There are several plots and characters littered throughout this film that make it feel like a bloated mess. Phoebe gets not only her own main story involving her role as a Ghostbuster, but a side story that has a tangential yet important connection to the main plot. Callie and Gary have their own story about Gary’s role in the family and whether or not he can be a good role model to the kids. Trevor’s story is entirely comic relief for nostalgia’s sake and has no bearing on the story whatsoever. Ray is trying to figure out what’s going on with a magic ice ball a new character named Nadeem gave him (the main plot). Nadeem is also integral to the main plot because of his connection to the ball. Winston shows up sometimes. Podcast is also there. As of writing, I have just remembered Lucky is a character in this film who has a role (Note: I forgot her name and had to look it up). Bill Murray shows up for two scenes and one of them is the most unintentionally hilarious part of the movie because of a small addition Venkman suddenly has.
What I’m trying to say with the above smattering of words is that this movie has too much going on. And what is going on is so focused on a select few characters that half the cast feels unnecessary. While it’s cool to see Janine have a more hands-on role in the film, her presence isn’t necessary to the story at hand. Neither is Trevor’s, who is once again relegated as a side character with very little interactive dynamic with even his own family. Lucky and Podcast are also non-vital to the story, the former appearing seemingly just because she was in Afterlife and the latter showing up for a mean-spirited gag scene at the start. Which is a shame, because I think every character I just mentioned is brought to life by talented actors who are clearly trying their best to make their mark with what little they have to work with. I am in no way faulting the actors in this movie, who ranged from passable to fantastic depending on the scenes they were in. The fundamental issues lie in the core story structure of the film, which feels like it’s trying to be too many movies at the same time.
The movie also suffers from the same issue as Afterlife, in that the cynical humor has been replaced with a superhero-like tone and style that clashes with what the original was going for. For this film in particular and its new villain ghost, I have heard comparisons to the The Real Ghostbusters animated series. And I think maybe my mind would be changed and feel more favorable to this direction had I seen the show beforehand. However, as a continuation of the live-action movie canon, the jarring jump between the first two movies and these latest renditions has just made it difficult to be invested in the films. They feel like an entirely different story. Maybe it’s because the movie isn’t made for me, someone with very little attachment to the franchise who loved the first two because of their comedic style. But because that unique sense of cynicism of the first two films has been replaced by a borderline Disney style of uplifting vigor, what made the originals so special is gone. It just makes Frozen Empire feel like another big-budget product in a sea of big-budget products. But one that isn’t focused enough or willing to embrace its original identity enough to stand out.
But, like I always say, I try not to end my reviews on sour notes, even for movies I don’t particularly enjoy. So I want to highlight the ideas this movie presents. I think there are some good ideas in here whose greater focus could have made the movie better. The idea of a new team of Ghostbusters could have tied into the cynical, corporate themes of the original, perhaps even parodying the idea of franchise revivals and over-reliance on nostalgia. I think the bones of a story poking fun at itself like the original movie did are there. But they were never utilized despite being an interesting direction that could have adhered to the spirit of the original. The notion of the Death Chill is also interesting, with there being another ancient evil, this time one that could bring about the destruction of the world through ice. I think there’s plenty of interesting ways that could go while still adhering to the original ideas. Like perhaps the ice representing being frozen in time, adding to the parodic nature of an almost “anti-nostalgia” movie. I know all this is rooted in ideas that sound like half-baked fanfiction, but there were ideas in the movie that I feel could have been utilized without jeopardizing what made the original so iconic.
I also need to hand it to the cast, who did their best with the work they were given. Paul Rudd is great as Gary and added intricacies to his character during his performance that made me care about him a lot. Dan Aykroyd was another standout, his role in the movie feeling like a reflection of what an older version of Ray would seem like. I also found myself really liking Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem, with his humor being a really strong highlight of the movie (even if I didn’t care much for his story). But the standout among the entire cast has to be McKenna Grace. She’s always been talented throughout her surprisingly robust filmography, but she was perfectly cast as Phoebe, shown all the more readily in her storyline during Frozen Empire. Even in parts where the writing wasn’t strong, Grace managed to turn things around thanks to her clear understanding of Phoebe’s characterization. It made the movie a little more bearable to have its most dedicated cast member set in the lead role.
Despite these positives, though, Frozen Empire felt like another step backwards for the Ghostbusters franchise. And, to an extent, has made me realize that not everything needs to continue into infinity. Sometimes, it’s better for a story to have a beginning, a middle, and a final ending. Given the box office performance of this entry, I have a hard time seeing the franchise continue in big-budget movie form for quite some time. But maybe that’s what the franchise needs: To rest. I’m sure there’s plenty of nostalgia to be had with the film, but as someone with little connection to it, I just didn’t feel that way. So take this opinion with a grain of salt, especially if you’re a Ghostbusters fan. You’ll probably have a better time than I did.
But I still feel like some franchises are better left as the ghosts of good memories.
***
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