It’s hard to believe that the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise has been around for four decades (it actually turns 40 this June). The 1984 movie will always be a memorable classic, while its 1989 sequel is not too bad.
After a minor comeback with a 2016 reboot, the main series came back in a big way with ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife.’ And, now, the Ghostbusters (old and new) are back for another round of ghost-busting in ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.’
In ‘Frozen Empire,’ the Spengler family returns to where it all started — the iconic NYC firehouse — to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level.
But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.
The latest ‘Ghostbusters’ adventure delivers a lot of exciting ghost-busting moments and some nostalgic fun for all fans of the franchise.
‘Frozen Empire’ features quite a few entertaining sequences that show the family continuing the business of catching ghosts. The opening minutes of the sequel are really intriguing since we see a 1904 flashback of the power that the movie’s main supernatural villain has. In the opening moments we also see the Spengler’s trying to capture the sewer dragon ghost that is also exhilarating and can be humorous at times (thanks to Paul Rudd).
There are quite a few sub-plots scattered throughout this sequel. One of them involves a new character — Nadeem Razmaadi — who gives Ray Stantz the orb that holds the villain. This new character can be quite hilarious as well and he also plays an integral role into the main plot later on.
‘Frozen Empire’ also expands more of the Ghostbusters lore and we get to see more of the new lab and what the team is doing with researching ghosts, which is really intriguing. The sequel's new villain, Garraka, is another scary addition to the series. Garraka is definitely a character that should’ve been shown a little more.
And, of course, it was also good to see the remaining original Ghostbusters come back for this sequel! There are also quite a few references from previous movies as well, including the return of fan-favorite Slimer and the Library Ghost from the first movie.
Overall, ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is a solid entry to this beloved franchise. Sure, there can be a lot going on and quite a few sub-plots to follow. But, it won’t stop you from enjoying this latest ‘Ghostbusters’ sequel!
The cast: Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson; Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler; Finn Wolfhard as Trevor Spengler; McKenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler; Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem Razmaadi; Patton Oswalt as Dr. Hubert Wartzki; Celeste O’Connor as Lucky; Logan Kim as Podcast; Emily Adyn Lind as Melody; James Acaster as Lars Pinfield; Bill Murray as Venkman; Ernie Hudson as Zeddemore; Dan Aykroyd as Stantz; Annie Potts as Janine and William Atherton as Mayor Walter Peck.
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is written by Gil Kenan (Netflix’s A Boy Called Christmas) and Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and directed by Kenan.
A ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ follow-up was announced to be in early development in April 2022 and the filmmakers drew inspiration from the animated series ‘The Real Ghostbusters’ (1986-1991). Director Gil Kenan also said that they had ideas for more movies as long as ‘Frozen Empire’ is a success.
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is rated PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references and has a running time of 115 minutes.
Let me know on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews Facebook page your thoughts on this movie and let me know what your favorite ‘Ghostbusters’ movie is! And coming up on the review front — ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,’ ‘The First Omen’ and ‘Civil War,’ along with a couple selections for the upcoming Spring Film Festival which I will reveal on Facebook.
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