After defeating Gozer at the Spengler compound, Winston Zeddemore drives Ecto-1 back to New York as the credits roll in 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. A direct sequel to 1989’s Ghostbusters II, returning 32 years later were Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), and Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver). Exciting for fans, there was also a combination of old footage and Ivan Reitman standing as a double for the ghost of Egon Spengler (originally played by Harold Ramis, who passed in 2014). Joining the party were a list of newcomers; including Carrie Coon (Gone Girl 2014, Fargo series) as Callie Spengler, Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things series, It 2017) as Trevor Spengler, Mckenna Grace (I, Tonya 2017, The Handmaid’s Tale series) as Phoebe Spengler, Paul Rudd (Halloween: Curse of Michael Myers 1995, Ant-Man 2015) as Gary Grooberson, among others. Now in 2024, the story continues with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Released in theaters on March 22nd, it arrived on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K on June 25th, and has been available via Netflix since July 22nd. As part of a marketing deal Sony struck up, it has received multi-millions of views, reins for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was handed to Gil Kenan (Monster House 2006, Poltergeist 2015), who was also a writer on Afterlife with Jason Reitman (son of the late original Ghostbusters Director Ivan Reitman).
All of this taken into consideration, the whole gang is back at it again, except for Spengler’s ghost; but you do see the return of the pesky Environmental Protection Agency inspector Walter Peck (William Atherton) from the original film, who is now the Mayor of New York, plus a John Rothman cameo as New York Public Library Administrator Roger Delacorte. Newcomers to the party are Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Stick 2017, Stuber 2019), Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens series, BoJack Horseman series), Emily Alyn Lind (The Babysitter 2017, Doctor Sleep 2019), and James Acaster (Hypothetical series, Cinderella 2021). Additionally, Kevin Mangold (Seabiscuit 2003, Brightburn 2019) and Ian Whyte (Alien vs. Predator 2004, Game of Thrones series) serve as the puppeteers for Slimer and Garraka.
The Spengler family returns to the iconic New York City firehouse where the original Ghostbusters have taken ghost-busting to the next level. When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must unite to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age. After a cold opening that sees us in 1904 New York as the fire department’s answering a call to the Manhattan Adventurer’s Society’s headquarters, there they find everybody frozen to death as they were. The only thing alive is the phonograph, still being cranked by a frozen member. Chanting is coming from the speaker… and we are off to the races.
There is a continuity from Afterlife to Frozen Empire with cinematography from regular Jason Reitman collaborator, Eric Steelberg. Given the timeline has it three years after the events of Afterlife and the franchise’s fanbase, continuity must be maintained.
The quirkiness that is synonymous with the Ghostbusters franchise is still intact along with the theme of the family from Afterlife carrying through Frozen Empire with one snag; Phoebe who is feeling she does not belong in the new dynamic of her mom (Coon) and Gary being together. Phoebe, more like her granddad Egon than anybody else in her family, also feels this way about the teen stuff… which feels laughably authentic, because most of us have been there at one time or another. However, she feels more comfortable among the dead to the point she says she wants to experience being a ghost; which adds darkness to the otherwise family-friendly dark of the previous films.
The new cast included, everybody brings it and each has a pivotal part. Patton Oswalt, known for his comedic roles, plays Dr. Wartzki straight; as he explains the mythology of the orb found in the movie’s cold opening. Emily Alyn Lind hauntingly delivers Melody, the ghost who befriends Phoebe. James Acaster’s Dr. Pinfield, leading the paranormal research company, is charming and fun.
Although it is cool to see the OG Busters mix it up with the new generation, nostalgia only goes so far. However, it seems that the Ghostbusters franchise still has some gas in the tank with its fanbase while gaining the old fanbase’s children into the fold. Still, if there is another Ghostbusters, and by the mid-credits scene, it is intended, the powers that be are going to have not lean on nostalgia to carry the show. Moving forward, they need to let the new Busters sink or swim on their own merits. Until then, Cryptic Rock gives Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 4 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment