Nearly four decades have passed and I personally feel that the original Ghostbusters (1984) movie is something that cannot be replicated till this day. The reason why most fans still hold that movie near and dear is because of the method it handled its storytelling, retaining a strangely big amount of goofy charm for a rather spooky and dark subject matter.
However, it is 2024 and things in Hollywood are not the same as it was anymore, and I dare say that this movie brings to the table things even the original sequel Ghostbusters 2 (1989) did not have!
As shown in the trailer, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire returned the paranormal adventure to New York City — the setting of Ivan Reitman’s original Ghostbusters (1984) — and unleashed the villainous Garraka, an ancient spirit who freezes over Manhattan and wants to raise an undead army to take on humanity.
Luckily, teenager Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace) and her family of new Ghostbusters have the help of OG heroes Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). Rest in peace, Harold Ramis.
Each character is given some time to develop their story arc and the cast truly seem to be having fun playing their roles in the film. I honestly feel that this is what the original sequel lacked, character development and a ludicrous setting.
There are easter eggs galore to spot and also smart callbacks to some of its most memorable jokes and scenes, but director Gil Kenan resists the temptation to go full nostalgia, which makes the movie a lot more balanced than one might think. He manages to give the old Ghostbusters enough screen time without sacrificing the new team’s importance to the franchise moving forward.
Delving into the cast of new characters, James Acaster’s Dr. Lars Pinsfield plays a sarcastic scientist, serving the the Ghostbusters team with the latest in science technology, akin to the role of Alfred to Batman. My favourite new addition has to be Patton Oswalt’s Dr Hubert Wartzki who, despite the limited amount of screen time, made great use of it with an impactful and memorable performance.
While this movie will ride on the pure star power of Paul Rudd and the OG cast of the Ghostbusters, the true star of the film (and probably the franchise as a whole moving forward) is Mckenna Grace. She embodies the bookish awkwardness and serious science based flair that was excellently portrayed by the late Harold Ramis’ character of Egon Spengler, propelling for great future story arcs.
While the finale of the movie seemed all too anti-climatic for me, the effort and love put into this movie franchise can be felt through the character arcs laid out for the cast; while the amount of research that went into making the big bad of this installment believable showcases that this franchise is not dead yet.
Admittedly, I was always skeptical if this franchise could jump back on its feet due to the complex themes of science meeting spirituality, and also the universe itself on a larger scale. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire manages to satisfy the long dormant Ghostbusters fan in me and also bridges the subject matter in a friendly way for a whole new generation of fans to come. It is a fun, semi-nostalgic and pleasant ride that builds the groundwork for more spooky adventures to come.
After a solid two movies back-to-back for the franchise, trust me when I say that there is definitely going to be something strange lurking in your neighbourhood very, very soon. Who you gonna call?
