Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife was
a moderate success at the box office and with fans. It was a reasonably fun
installment in the series (and, in this writer's opinion, superior to both
1989's Ghostbusters II and 2016's Ghostbusters). Director Gil
Kenan's new installment, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is of similar
quality. It breaks no new ground but makes for an enjoyable outing at the
movies.
15-year-old Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and
her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), the grandchildren of Egon Spengler (Harold
Ramis in earlier installments), have moved to New York City with their mother
(Carrie Coon) and sort-of stepfather (Paul Rudd). They are fighting ghosts and
a new threat emerges, related to a ghost trapped in an heirloom that a local
slacker (Kumail Nanjiani) brings to the attention of original Ghostbuster Ray
(Dan Aykroyd).
The film sometimes feels a bit
overstuffed as it tries to bring back characters from the original film and the
most recent installment, but it zips along nicely. Grace remains an asset to
the series as the nerdy but tough Phoebe. There might be too many characters
for there to be a true main character. But if there is one, it's Phoebe, and
Grace handles the load well.
Nanjiani is also funnier in this than
anything he has been in since his excellent 2017 film The Big Sick. He
has a great deadpan delivery that is reminiscent of vintage Bill Murray, who
does return in the new film for a couple of scenes as original lead Peter
Venkman and gets a few laughs in the process.
Of the films in the last decade that
have revisited old favorites, Top Gun: Maverick, Mad Max: Fury Road, and
Blade Runner 2049 are the best. Ghostbusters: Fallen Empire isn't
on the same level as those three, but it's fun enough to justify its existence.
