The first scene of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” features more energetic ghostbusting than the entirety of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” The new group includes the fifteen-year-old science whiz Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), her older brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and their combative “We’re doing this? “Alright, whatever!” exclaims Callie’s mother (Carrie Coon) and her partner Gary the seismologist (Paul Rudd), who is currently dating Callie but is vying for her affections. The three of them are speeding along Fifth Avenue in the renovated Ectomobile, firing their proton guns at a long, thin, slithery creature that emerges from the sewer and scutters through the air. (What sort of being is it? This species is referred to as eye candy.) The scenario features a family-that-busts-together-stays-together zing, but it’s basically brainless action.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Thank God for Gozer, the franchise is back in New York City. Phoebe and her family have relocated to the renovated Hook and Ladder 8 firehouse from the first “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” film. Its arsenal mirrors that of a containment unit, where many ghostly beings have been confined. Ernie Hudson’s character, Winston, declares, “This building serves as the finger in the dam,” suggesting that the weapons, attire, nostalgic practical effects, and corporate counterculture attitude from the first movie have all made a return.
“Ghostbusters,” which debuted 40 years ago this summer, was a mash-up of gizmo technology, pulsating light-show apocalypse, ectoplasmic silliness, and Bill Murray’s witty meta-commentary on it all. Together, these elements created a comedy with a very Reagan-esque theme: The world may be about to end, but it could hardly matter less. Even though it seems like it wouldn’t matter as much in “Frozen Empire,” the “Ghostbusters” movies have managed to transform into (mostly) serious supernatural thrillers with just enough appearances by the original cast members (Dan Aykroyd plays a substantial role and adds a touch of soul) to ingrain the nostalgia.
In “Frozen Empire,” the army of Stay Puft Marshmallow Men, which the show is attempting to transform into the new Minions, occasionally provides comedic relief in addition to token cameos by our blobby old green ghost pals, who have a tendency of regurgitating into people’s faces. For the most part, “Frozen Empire” treats a variety of esoteric objects and supernatural forces with the same gravity as a film like “Indiana Jones.
The Orb of Garraka occasionally releases a variety of spirits as its glyph letters break apart, resembling the tops of vintage typewriter keys, within the old metal sphere. A charming blonde Emily Alyn Lind portrays a ghost that resembles a human, and she makes a connection with Phoebe over a chess match in Washington Square Park at night. Before it’s discovered that the ghost has other plans, the two appear to be moving toward being friends—or perhaps more. And then there’s Garraka himself, a skinny, ash-gray, demon-mummy spirit standing twenty feet tall with long ram’s horns who can freeze practically everything to death. His ice magic is so strong that it freezes even the voltage squirts from the proton packs, transforming Manhattan into an icy castle fit for a death.
Did I mention that most of the gags were shelved after the “Ghostbusters” series?
When Jason Reitman revived his father’s series three years ago, the outcome was a film that would appeal to everyone who felt that the science was the most exciting aspect of the first “Ghostbusters” movie. Not the Godzilla-sized Stay Puft Marshallow Man, not Bill Murray’s thrown-off absurdist japes, but all the tech-geek babble. “Afterlife” reinvented the “Ghostbusters” franchise as genuine sci-fi for nerds. “Science is careless,” Phoebe remarked. “Absolutely,” Gary answered. Punk rock is playing! It functions as a safety pin through academia’s nipple! Jason Reitman seems to have forgotten that the reason the first “Ghostbusters” became a classic was because it was, you know, humorous. The film was so engrossed in its bogus science.
However, the plan “worked,” at least in terms of box office receipts. Thought to be the most unoriginal Spielberg film of the 1980s, “Afterlife” was akin to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” with a stilted version of “The Goonies,” combined with the wonder-years patina of “Stranger Things.” However, the transformation of the “Ghostbusters” franchise into a kid-friendly balsa-wood gimcrack product was essentially a spinoff trivia game and a fan service movie. It teemed with Easter eggs and backstory, incorporating all the gobbledygook about Gozer, the gatekeeper, the keymaster, and the beliefs of the Samaritans.
But the fans were cool with it, even the new generation of them. As long as our heroes get to don those khaki Ghostbusters outfits and unleash rainbow lightning from their proton packs—and as long as it all culminates with Ray Parker Jr. belting out the iconic “Ghostbusters” theme—we’re good, it seemed to be saying.
One could argue that “Frozen Empire” needs to put in even more effort to come up with a purpose for existing. Still, it’s a more vibrant film than “Afterlife.” Directed by Gil Kenan, who also co-wrote the screenplay for “Afterlife,” this film features a wide-eyed, hollow scavenger hunt plot. Kenan is adept at keeping the action going, whether he’s bringing a stone lion in front of the New York Public Library to life or getting Patton Oswalt to give an incredibly enthusiastic performance as a library scholar who actually makes the Orb sound worth all the excitement.
Kumail Nanjiani plays Nadeem, a sucker who wants to make $50 by selling the antiques his late grandmother owned, injecting humor into the role permitted in Ray Stantz’s business. Little does he know that he’s part of Ray Stantz’s magic and that he’s truly the Firemaster. Nanjiani plays the movie’s sparkplug because he takes things so casually, and in doing so, I believe he shows the direction this franchise should take. “Ghostbusters II” was a bland and uninteresting follow-up. Although it received unwarranted criticism for gender flipping, the 2016 remake was overly kind and lacked the postmodern core that Murray’s malarkey gave the first movie. “Afterlife” simply sat there in my mind. “Frozen Empire” has enough content to engage viewers, but now that Jason Reitman and crew have revived the series, it’s time to give it more of Kumail Nanjiani’s energy. The laughter in a movie like “Ghostbusters” should be more than just a ghost of itself.
