Nothing called Ghostbusters will ever top the original film. The second film was fun on its own. The animated series holds a special place in my heart. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was far better than it got credit for being. However, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was amazing in returning us to the main timeline. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire continues the trend of enjoyable films in the franchise, though it lacks in multiple areas.
An ancient evil finds its way to New York City where the Afterlife crew are stationed in the original firehouse thanks to the generosity of one of the original crew and are busting ghosts as they grow closer into their new family dynamic.
Let me start by clarifying that this may get classified as a nostalgic money grab, but I am more than content with that experience because there is plenty to latch onto within the picture. That being said, it is enjoyable from start to finish while beginning to expand the narrative of ghostbusters in the modern world.
Mckenna Grace is still your unquestioned star performance as she was in Afterlife, though her story in Frozen Empire would completely fall apart in less talented hands. Without going into spoilery details: representation matters, but it needs to be genuine, and it just wasn’t that for me. Grace crushed every scene…even when it got dull during multiple scenes.
Finn Wolfhard has been relegated to comic relief, but it suits his skillset. I wouldn’t be the list bit surprised if Paul Rudd has been giving him pointers in that scope since that has been his bread and butter for checks notes 30 YEARS?!?
The introduction of Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt should not be overlooked as they are two of the most hilarious actors on the planet, but they were moderately subdued in their presentation here while being crucial to the narrative. Don’t be surprised when they are the catalysts for more projects within the Ghost Corps.
Many points in Frozen Empire made it feel like there could be a three or four hour cut of this picture with story jumps or moments that seem displaced, but I would definitely watch that as it is a very fun movie near and dear to my heart.
The only true gripe I would take with the film is its direction. Between awkwardly tight shots and peculiar filming angles, I would be curious to see how another vision may have been executed. We were fortunate to screen this in IMAX, but I couldn’t name more than a few shots that benefitted from that camera scope. Almost all of the framing felt like intimacy was intended, but it wound up feeling claustrophobic. Even an empty Central Park felt cramped from this.
Despite the few shortcomings of the film, I loved my time with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and look forward to watching it again to see what homages and easter eggs I may have missed the first time. Independent of those, I will happily watch again because “Bustin’ makes me feel good.”
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