Bill Murray and Paul Rudd on the set of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Credit: Jaap Buitendijk | Columbia Pictures/Sony (via TNS)
One lyric in the iconic “Ghostbusters” jingle tells people to call the Ghostbusters if they see “something strange, and it don’t look good” — which is ironic, because that line pretty much sums up “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” the latest unnecessary sequel that refuses to let a classic franchise die in peace.
Contrary to what the theme song states, “busting” doesn’t feel good anymore.
“Frozen Empire” is the fifth “Ghostbusters” film in a franchise that probably could’ve tapered off two or three movies ago. It’s a direct sequel to the somewhat promising 2021 film “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and retains the core cast of Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace and Carrie Coon as the Spengler family, descendants of the original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis).
This time, the cast is joined by several familiar faces from the series’ previous films, such as Bill Murray as Peter Venkman and Dan Aykroyd — who helped write the film — as Dr. Raymond Stanz. The characters all work together to fight an evil deity called Garraka that feeds off fear, which strengthens his ability to freeze the Earth.
At one point in the movie, a character says they didn’t restore the firehouse that hosts the original Ghostbusters’ headquarters for nostalgia’s sake, which is another instance of blatant irony considering “Frozen Empire” certainly feels like a nostalgia-bait cash-grab.
There are far too many characters inserted into the film for the sole purpose of marketing and, as a result, none of them have enough time to develop chemistry with each other or undergo satisfying character arcs. Even Rudd and his undeniable charm can’t carry the movie, which is about as dire of an admonishment on a film as there can be.
Apart from the obvious character issues, the film’s script simply feels derivative of numerous other fictional story tropes. Phoebe Spengler (Grace) is a child genius who is told she can’t work with the adults because she’s “just a kid,” though she ultimately saves them all at the last moment, just in time for the team to defeat the one-dimensional villain through the power of family and friendship.
The story is so boring that the inhales from audience members’ yawns could probably trap a ghost more effectively than the Ghostbusters’ proton packs. It’s also bizarrely edited, with some scenes either cutting off directly after a joke with zero sense of resolve or running awkwardly long.
Rest assured, however, the filmmakers left plenty of time for a character to shamelessly plug Booking.com for some quick sponsorship dollars.
The original 1984 “Ghostbusters” utilized a perfect blend of campy horror, charm and creativity to cement itself as one of the great movie classics. Unfortunately, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” lacks almost every element that made the original so beloved.
“Frozen Empire” can’t resurrect the “Ghostbusters” franchise, though it will haunt its audience with the feeling they just wasted two hours of their lives.
Rating: 1.5/5
