‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ review: Bustin’ gone bland

Every time there has been new Ghostbusters movie within the last 10 years, it’s come with some kind of asterisk. What does Ghostbusters want?

Now you might be thinking that was just an innocuous reference to the original Ghostbusters. Instead it’s actually a cry of confusion from a filmgoer wondering why the Ghostbusters franchise is still around. The original incarnation died thanks to the lethal concoction of a subpar sequel, a lesser-known cartoon, and the overall fade-out of 1980s pop culture. The first attempt to revive the franchise in 2016 turned into a PR nightmare thanks to nuclear hostility from longtime fans. The second attempt in 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife crossed $200 million at the global box office through the sheer power of nostalgia, despite weak critical reception and being released during the tail end of the COVID pandemic.

The fifth installment, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, does give some clarity to that question cribbed from Annie Potts 40 years ago. Specifically, Frozen Empire clarifies what Ghostbusters doesn’t want. For one, it doesn’t want to be Ghostbusters. It doesn’t have the dry wit and escalating energy of the 1984 original. Frozen Empire sees returning cast members Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard roll through New York City as the new Ghostbusters.

The latest sequel lacks the original wit

Unfortunately, they do more moping about their status as a makeshift “family” than any exciting busting of ghosts. Any humorous moments peppered into the script (ever so lightly) are either Rudd’s awkward stepdad energy or new cast member Kumail Nanjiani trying to get laughs from his nervous-guy comic persona. The movie doesn’t bring any scares or stakes to the mix until the last 20 minutes of its 115-minute runtime. The rest of the film spends its time doing fits and spurts of world-building and callbacks to the original movie.

So Frozen Empire doesn’t want to be old, but it doesn’t really want to be new either. OG players Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and yes, Bill Murray, return again to give fans the rush of knowing their childhood heroes are spending their golden years just fine. They’re smiling with pride and certainly not latching onto an IP that lost steam 35 years ago because it’s an easy source of income. Aykroyd is the most prominent old buster in the movie, but his schtick of rambling about ancient prophecies and spectral anomalies straight-faced is dead on arrival.

Potts and Hudson swing by on occasion to further emphasize the importance of the Ghostbusters firehouse and give the team a new laboratory. That could open possibilities for wacky new scenes of ghost experiments. However it’s only used to house rehashed plot devices in a shooting location different from the classic firehouse (and yes, the poles still work). And Murray? He’s just stopped by to pick up his secret stash of whiskey before going to Wes Anderson’s next set. Even mean old Walter Peck (William Atherton) returns as the Mayor of New York for no other reason than to have another callback.

Ghostbusters, whataya want?

Whatever specs of originality in the warmed-over nostalgia of Afterlife are damn-near useless in Frozen Empire. Coon has just two emotions in the whole movie. She’s either exhausted from being the mom of the team and frazzled about what to do with her new family. When he’s not acting like a Ghostbusters fanboy, Rudd spends his screen time awkwardly trying to be the new Ghostbusters patriarch. He accomplishes this with all the energy of a ‘90s sitcom dad.

Wolfhard has absolutely nothing to do in the entirety of the movie. The filmmakers just give him two scenes where he tries to catch Slimer for more nostalgia. Grace can still mimic the nonchalant energy of the late great Harold Ramis. And does get some character development as she bonds with a new ghost. But that just turns out to be a plot device for Grace’s spunky energy to save the day at the end just in time for the Ray Parker Jr. music to kick in.

The bottom line

So what does Ghostbusters want to be? A kids film, but not a carefully-crafted one like say The Mitchells vs. the Machines or Turning Red. No, what Ghostbusters wants (or rather, what Sony wants) is to be a safe, inoffensive, unambitious children’s adventure that’s cheap to make and quick to put out. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has the same energy and humor of Warner Bros. family films from the ‘90s like Shiloh, The Amazing Panda Adventure, or Free Willy. Hell, if this was ‘90s film, Sony probably would’ve given Proton Packs to the Olsen twins.

Sony desperately needs another family-friendly franchise to rake in the dough. Tom Holland is holding out on a new Spider-Man movie. The results of Morbius and Madame Web have been more infamous than successful. Sony is walking a thin line between trying to hold the attention of modern kids while also pleasing fans of the original movie. So which is it, Ghostbusters: nostalgia or newcomers? Whataya want?

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now playing exclusively in theaters. You can watch the trailer here.

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Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing