'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Captures Mediocrity
Ah, Ghostbusters sequels. They're problematic, to say the least. They're either copying the first film beat for beat, or they switch genders with a cast who's got talent but gets lost in a God-awful script. Plus, there's an alarming amount of improv that fails to have a cohesive flow. To right a terrible wrong, Ivan Reitman hires his son to make a reboot in hopes of vanquishing the bad taste everyone had from Ghostbusters (2016). Ghostbusters Afterlife was met with a mixed range of reactions. One thing everyone can agree on is that it's a nostalgia machine. But was it too much of one?
Everything from Slimer to Gozer was slapped on in the film instead of embracing a new ghost for a change. It also had forgettable characters. The only ones I remember were little Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace) and Podcast (Logan Kim), who calls himself Podcast because he's always doing a podcast. The joke was so lame I remembered it when Podcast appeared in this film. The film had heart, almost too much heart for a Ghostbusters film. That didn't keep the flick from feeling more like a toy advertisement.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is aware that it's meant to be toyetic. There's even a scene in the film that shows a toy ad for Ghostbusters gear. So, how does Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire measure up as a sequel? Actually, pretty well. But that's not saying much. Frozen Empire is neither great nor terrible. It's just perfectly mediocre. It doesn't bastardize the material, but it does pander. Thankfully, the fan service isn't as heavy as it was in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Frozen Empire, unlike Afterlife, introduces a new villain: Garraka, a god with the ability to freeze everything. Many years ago, Garraka raised an army of the dead to take over South Asia. When he was defeated, he was trapped in a small metal sphere. The sphere has inscriptions on it. If read, Garraka will spring from his trap. The antagonist feels like a final boss from a video game toward the film's ending, which leans heavily into CGI territory. I miss practical effect ghosts. There was something in the puppetry that made Zool intimidating as a villain. Even the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man looked more believable than the computer-generated ghosts in this film that look like something from Disney's haunted mansion.
One entity that doesn't feel phony is the one that gives the film a microdose of soul. The film isn't just about hunting ghosts. It asks if all ghosts are worth busting. What separates the good ghosts from the bad ones? Phoebe befriends an entity in the film who's a teenager just like her. Melody (Emily Alyn Lind) gives an equally nuanced performance as Mckenna Grace does. Together, their acting is quite impressive. It's nothing spectacular, but it's sentimental enough to work for the material that's given.
An element that really separates these new Ghostbuster films from the original two is that they never had much sentiment. The Ghostbusters were meant to be a comedy, not a dramady. I understand the criticism about it not needing to be so sentimental, but how far can you really stretch the material? For all its flaws, I gave Ghostbusters: Afterlife a pass for making a base minimum sequel that pays tribute to Harold Ramis. Was it sappy and unoriginal? Yes. But it worked as a sequel to the original material, even if it didn't feel like authentic. Frozen Empire works on the same grounds. But just barely. The relationship between Phoebe and Melody gives heart to the movie that otherwise is a dull sequel.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has a generic sequel feeling to it. The movie is more preoccupied with hunting ghosts than it is with building character. Aside from Phoebe and Melody, Frozen Empire doesn't have much character to it. Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, and the original Ghostbusters cast return, but they don't leave much of an impact. They're missing the characteristics that made the originals work. Ghostbusters was funny because each Ghostbuster had their own characteristics. Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) was the selfish ladies man. Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) was the awkward, nerdy one. Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) was an optimistic geek. And Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) was the guy who'd do anything to make a dollar.
In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, we get a bunch of forgettable teenagers, with the exception of the main one. The adults in the film have little or no room to shine. Why Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) is in the film beyond fan service is over my head. Even some of the new characters they introduce in the film fail to leave a lasting impression. Most of the film is unmemorable as it's a story about a villain of the week. As much as I appreciate this film not being lazy enough to dig up an old foe, it doesn't make the plot all the more familiar. The movie has a serialized feeling to it. Its plot is more like an episode of a TV show than it is a movie.
When the original Ghostbusters suit up, they're not very helpful. The only one who is of any use in the third act is Phoebe. As a Ghostbusters sequel, the film accomplishes the bare minimum of being watchable. It's sweet and fun, but I couldn't recall a moment that stood out other than Phoebe and Melody's relationship. The rest is generic sequel material that shares similarities to recent Marvel movies' forgetfulness. If you're a die-hard Ghostbusters fan who loved Ghostbusters: Afterlife, then you'll probably love this film. If you like the original film but are not a fan of the sequels, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will do little to win you over.
