Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Starring: McKenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard
Directed By: Gil Kenan
Do you know what I’ve been dying for Hollywood to make? A Ghostbusters movie where the villain brings about the end of the world by making everything cold. And everyone is like, “This is sooooo scary you guys. You know why? Because it’s freezing.” My dream has finally come true in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
I liked the last Ghostbusters installment (Afterlife) just fine. It wasn’t groundbreaking but it was a decent trip to the movies. It relied heavily on nostalgia and cameos that made the original series iconic. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is another story.
First of all, let’s talk about the plot. (Or the 40 different storylines weaved together to make up this movie.) After the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Spenglers move to New York to ghostbust full-time. The mayor is unhappy with the havoc they wreak on the city and threatens to shut down their operation. Meanwhile…
Side plot A- Phoebe (McKenna Grace) gets the family into trouble because she never listens to anyone
Side plot B- An ancient orb threatens New York City
Side plot C- Phoebe befriends a chess-playing ghost
Side plot D- Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) cannot catch Slimer
These things are all thrown together to make up a jumbled mess of a movie. It’s a chaotic blend of storylines that don’t work together well. Not to mention how many characters are in this movie. It’s like the Avengers: Endgame of the Ghostbusters universe. Every 2 minutes a new character pops up. The movie is overstuffed with characters and plot to a point where you can’t even keep up with all of its ideas.
Say what you want about the 2016 Ghostbusters (which I actually liked, unlike most people.) but it was fun! Ghostbusters is meant to be a fun franchise! This was not fun at all. The only person having fun and making the audience laugh is Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem.
The rest of director Gil Kenan’s latest Ghostbuster’s installment feels dull and devoid of character. There is rarely a moment that stands out on screen. It all moves together like an episodic series edited into a 2-hour movie that never really flows naturally.
The cast is fine. The movie gives Paul Rudd top billing but he disappears for large amounts of time. Carrie Coon and Finn Wolfhard reprise their roles as Callie and Trevor Spengler. It’s McKenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler, the so-called “genius” youngest child who serves as the main lead of the film. Her acting is good but her storyline is super frustrating. It’s kind of like watching a horror movie and yelling, “Don’t open the door!” Except you’re just yelling, “Stop doing annoying stuff that will endanger the entire population of New York City!” (That’s a direct quote from everyone who watched this movie.)
Bill Murray, Dan Akyroyd, and Ernie Hudson reprise their roles for a hit of nostalgia to get people to remember the good times of the franchise. No one ever asks Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy to reprise their roles as Ghostbusters, which is a little rude. I know there are at least 12 of us who enjoyed that movie.
Maybe a singular dozen…but it counts.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is an overstuffed mess with too many plotlines and characters. It’s devoid of the charm, charisma, and fun that’s necessary for a good Ghostbusters adaptation.
My Rating: 4/10