'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Breaks Ice (and warms up)
When Bill Murray shows a tad bit of enthusiasm, even sarcastically, a good movie might be had.
Dear Moviegoers,
Despite some subversions in the new Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the kind that made it more of a lite-horror than a family adventure - though both “family” and “adventure” are included - this second foray into a sequel series from the 1980s classics does show some unfortunate but expected commercial aspects from the previous entry or, rather, the kind being shared by franchise-desperate studios. New weapons (toys) are introduced for new characters (action figures) to bust ghosts (play) with, like a Proton Gauntlet or Drone Ghost Traps. Old favorite side characters like Slimer are reintroduced, only with more green ectoplasm. Shiny and new! Remember this guy!? By and large, however, these are not deal-breakers for me. Frozen Empire has stuff to do for these things, all serving some level of purpose in the story - especially Slimer (finally).
Are there any deal-breakers in this new Ghostbusters movie? Well, the Spengler Family, along with the lovable teacher from before but now the potential step-father played by Paul Rudd, have moved into the New York City Ghostbusters headquarters, aka the Firehouse, which was reopened at the end of Afterlife (the “before” entry) by Ernie Hudson. They all live together, trying to maintain the old equipment and dusty rooms while cleaning the city streets from spirits and other paranormal entities. Frozen Empire even begins with an Ecto-1 chase to capture a renegade ghost. Whimsical destruction of light poles, windows, and pavement occurs, all to the annoyance of the Mayor, now played by Ghostbusters original jerk (and character actor of jerks) William Atherton, who orders the team to strip Mckenna Grace’s Phoebe - the youngest and most interesting new buster of ghosts - of her role.
What’s an odd young teen to do as a “normal” teen?
It’s hard to pinpoint what the main plot of Frozen Empire is since it’s mostly made up of simultaneous sub-plots. I suppose it’s the one involving the evil ice demon who threatens to release all of the trapped ghosts in the Firehouse to form an army to rule the world and bring about a new ice age. But, while this story blends and hooks into Phoebe’s, it also tries to be a whole film by itself - which wouldn’t be much on its own. Two teams forming a new one, new and old threats, family stuff, etc. It’s Phoebe’s solo arc that’s the very plot that all others hinge on. And the movie works because of this.
Phoebe gets a ghost friend in Melody, played by Emily Alyn Lind, who is equally lonely, frustrated, and with much attitude. Together, Lind and Grace (Phoebe) make for a chemically superb combination of angst and discovery through a new relationship. This is an unexplored country for a Ghostbusters project, and it’s very exciting. While things do play in fast forward sometimes, almost as if it’s in a crunch to be everything to everyone, Frozen Empire does get the basics right and its own evolution more so.
It’s fun all the way and in better ways than Afterlife, which was nearly destroyed in hindsight by its ok-ish but very awkward Harold Ramis “inclusion.” It’s less of a cohesive cut than Afterlife too, probably having left some groovy (and maybe helpful) clips in the editing room - not to suggest that the movie is confusing, but there are some gaps here and there, likely where script pages may have been ripped out. It’s a give-and-take kind of flick, enjoyable to the last.
Does this put Ghostbusters on the “right” path, heading in the “right” direction? I don’t believe in so-called “course corrections” for franchise films, or for any film, really (except the Star Wars series of course, my one blindspot). I don’t know. Was Afterlife bad? I had some fun with it. Same with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Remember that?
I find that, when it comes to my tastes in cinema, deal-breakers are hard to come by. Except for one in the case of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, being:
Why is Paul Rudd front and center on the official poster, when he’s not the main character? That’s weird, right? Almost breaks the deal. 3.5/5
Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,
⚜️🍿
