‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ has goofy charm but is also a clown car

Janine (Annie Potts), Peter (Bill Murray), Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) in Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

The “Ghostbusters” franchise got a “requel”—a combination reboot/sequel—in 2021 (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”), not that long after the 2016 remake/reset, and not only was it a legacy sequel (starring/featuring characters from the original, or related to them), it was even helmed by a legacy director: Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan. With a more straightforward take but with its heart prominently on its sleeve, it did well enough at the box office for the studio to pull the trigger on a sequel and here we are today with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” with the cast relocated to New York City and even more of the OG crew showing up.In the director’s chair this time around is Gil Kenan (though Jason Reitman stayed on as cowriter), who has directed some YA-tinged adventure fare like “City of Ember” and the cult classic “Monster House.” His animation background comes into play with the ghastly creatures, especially the main baddie.

Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), Winston (Ernie Hudson), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), Callie (Carrie Coon) in Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

Full-fledged member

But first! As we begin, it seems the Spenglers are now fully active Ghostbusters in NYC, tearing off on a mission in the intro, and we see that Gary (Paul Rudd) is a full-fledged member, and they have some nifty new gizmos including an R/C ecto trap and one that’s attached to a drone, piloted by mom Callie (Carrie Coon). Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) is sort of the mechanic, keeping the Ecto-1 from falling apart and deploying the equipment, while Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) gets to kick out the gunner seat and wrassle some ghosts. We find that the rest of the gang seem to have all relocated to NY, including Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor). Podcast is living and working for Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), while Lucky works for Winston (Ernie Hudson) at a lab alongside Lars (James Acaster). A mysterious object turns up being hocked by Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani), and it just happens to be some kind of cursed mystical cage with a vengeful demigod inside named Garraka. Not only is Garraka very powerful with his ice abilities, he can also command ghosts. Hijinks ensue.

As mentioned earlier, Kenan’s animation background comes into play with Garraka and the classic Ghostbusters mascot Slimer. Slimer is a puppet and Garraka looks to be moving at a lower frame rate, like stop-motion animation. Both characters feel much more solid and present, contrasting with some of the other computer graphics that can come across as flat. The movements of Garraka give him more of a sinister character, like a being not fully belonging to this plane of existence.

The Ecto-1 races through New York City in Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

Meatier

There is a goofy charm to “Frozen Empire” that makes it feel like an ’80s mid-budget adventure, which is more of what we need. Some actors like Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt, both noted stand-up comedians/performers, get roles that are meatier than the trailers suggested. There is banter and mistrust and teenage angst and legacies to live up to, mortality being considered, all while ghosts terrorize Manhattan.

The trouble comes with the fact that the movie can be a bit of a clown car. There are way too many characters as it is, and they added a couple new ones. Phoebe gets a new friend in Melody (Emily Alyn Lind). Acaster, a welcome presence of dry humor, should’ve gotten way more to do. Perhaps most egregious are Podcast and Lucky; their characters being in NY feels forced. The major casualty is Trevor; Wolfhard is all but sidelined to a subplot where he meets Slimer.

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There are also numerous and distracting nostalgia traps that the film falls prey to, whether bringing out legacy characters like Walter Peck (William Atherton) or venues like the NY Public Library and its lions.

Had there been a script that really gave all the characters something concrete to do (or removing some characters altogether), a more memorable, snappier movie may have emerged. What we’re left with is a cramped firehouse, characters jostling for screentime and relevance, none feeling satisfied, even if certain moments of humor and emotion still shine. If this new generation of Ghostbusters can be confident in its identity, it needs to learn to shed some weight for its next installment.