Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Review | Raise Your Expectations for Fun

Summary

• Paul Rudd and Mckenna Grace shine as the emotional heart of a busy, entertaining sequel.
• The focus on the Spengler family dynamic adds a lot of depth to a predictable storyline.
• The visual effects, villains, and production is top-notch, delivering big laughs and thrills (and a ton of fan service).

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire chills and thrills in an ectoplasm-fueled sequel that’s sure to delight audiences. Old and new school cast members return to familiar New York City haunts with big laughs and a surprisingly emotional storyline. Director Gil Kenan and co-writer Jason Reitman understand the winning formula to success. Every film in the Ghostbusters franchise has the basic premise of oddball heroes preventing a supernatural villain from destroying the world. The filmmakers correctly focus on engaging character interactions, amazing new gadgets, and slick production values for entertainment glory.

Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) throttles Ecto-1 through rush hour traffic as he and the Spengler family chase a slippery demon. Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) wonders when it’ll be his turn to drive as an 18-year-old adult. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) ignores her mother’s orders and activates the sling seat to shoot down the rampaging ghost. Callie’s (Carrie Coon) furious as calamity predictably ensues. The gang pulls up to the firehouse with city officials waiting to drop the hammer. Mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton) has been waiting years for this moment.

Winston (Ernie Hudson) issues a stern rebuke to Gary and the Spenglers. You can’t have an underage girl hanging out of a racing vehicle indiscriminately firing a proton pack. Mayor Peck, an old adversary, is just itching to shut them down. They have to be careful and follow approved protocols. Phoebe doesn’t take her benching lightly. She explodes at Callie in a hurtful outburst, which leaves Gary wondering what to do. What exactly is his role with the children? Does he even have the capability to be a disciplinarian?

Family Matters

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

3.5/5

Release Date March 22, 2024

Cast Mckenna Grace , Carrie Coon , Annie Potts , Paul Rudd , Emily Alyn Lind , Bill Murray , Finn Wolfhard , Ernie Hudson , Dan Aykroyd , Patton Oswalt , William Atherton , Kumail Nanjiani

Studio BRON Studios, Columbia Pictures, Ghostcorps

Pros

• Paul Rudd and Mckenna Grace especially shine.
• Focusing on the Spengler family dynamic is a great emotional choice.
• The effects and comedy are upped in big ways for the sequel.

Cons

• It’s predictable and follows the same template, and is overstuffed.

Meanwhile, Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Podcast (Logan Kim) have an intriguing visitor after their latest web show. Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) wants to sell his recently deceased grandmother’s weird old junk. Ray’s stupefied when a mysterious brass orb overloads his P.K.E. meter. It also freezes his desk and sends a paranormal shockwave throughout the city. They need to take it to Winston’s paranormal research lab immediately. Back at the firehouse, Gary and Callie struggle with how to handle Phoebe. They don’t know she’s made a ghoulish new friend (Emily Alyn Lind).

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire races out of the gate at full speed. Kenan (Monster House, City of Ember) and Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) don’t waste time on introductory exposition. They smartly assume the characters and settings are known. This allows quick immersion into a fairly detailed plot with numerous speaking parts.

To say there’s a lot going on is an understatement. Everyone in the ensemble has a critical moment where their individual role takes center stage. That’s difficult to achieve in such a loaded script without getting bogged down. The pacing never suffers because you’re genuinely interested in seeing each character shine.

Related: 10 Movies to Watch if You Love Ghostbusters

Grace continues to prove her mettle as a superb leading actress. Phoebe’s much more than the precocious smart kid telling dry jokes with a wink. She’s grown into an angst-ridden teenager unable to cope with the burdens of youth. Her sour attitude makes sense in context. She correctly believes that her contribution to the team is needed. But lashing out against her mother’s place is not the right response. Phoebe gets a needed reality check when her rebellious actions lead to big trouble. She’s a know-it-all that learns a valuable lesson about trust and authority.

Paul Rudd Shines Against an Icy Antagonist

Rudd also stands out as the comic anchor of the film. His infectious charm and warm demeanor permeates throughout the narrative. Gary’s found love and purpose with Callie. He wants to be an important part of the Spenglers’ lives, but fears overstepping boundaries. Two years ago, he was Phoebe’s science teacher in Oklahoma. Now, he’s a live-in boyfriend to her mother and the de facto leader of the Ghostbusters. Gary’s efforts to tick every box come with trepidation. But you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Gary never loses compassion but realizes he can be funny and stern when the situation demands it.

The franchise has always wowed with banner visual effects. Kenan and Reitman deserve extra credit for super-sizing the sequel with creativity. The icy antagonist is legitimately scary and weird AF. New York City becomes a popsicle under his withering attack. He cannot be defeated by standard methods. The team has to develop new weapons to face such a daunting threat. Parents get ready to shell out some dough as kids clamor for new ghostbusting toys.

Related: The Coolest Ghosts From the Ghostbusters Franchise, Ranked

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire may be criticized for an overabundance of fan service. Everything from Slimer to the rowdy Stay Puft marshmallow minis get their hilarious due running amok. There’s nothing wrong with delivering what people want to see. Change doesn’t always mean better. Insert Star Wars here. The filmmakers absolutely nail this sequel and the box office will prove them right. Stick around during the credits.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a production of Columbia Pictures, Ghost Corps, and Right of Way Films. It will be released theatrically on March 22nd from Sony Pictures. You can watch the trailer below:

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