Ghostbusters is one of the many iconic movies which became a part of modern pop culture since its release in 1984, apart from its famous cartoon it remains one of the most popular shows today, with comedy, horror ish and science fiction elements. The latest iteration Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) directed by Gil Kenan is a very similar movie to the original although I did not had the same experience to be honest, this iteration is set three years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) let the old and new generations of characters step into new adventures and face new threats, but over all the 2021 version felt better, where the old faces necessary?. It tries to do both a tribute to everything that has been done before and new things entirely with the intention of appealing to both the old school and the new generation but in my opinion it did not got it right.
As a sequel the story focuses on the Spengler family including Callie, Trevor, and Phoebe, who has come back to New York City to live in the famous firehouse the original Ghostbusters HQ. They are joined by Callie’s boyfriend Gary Grooberson with many other characters from past movies and some of whom are new to the series. It tells the story of a mysterious relic, an artifact that when open releases a sinister power that seeks to bring darkness to the whole world again by causing another Ice Age.
The movie has been received with mixed feelings and responses with regard to humor and action but most of the audiences complaining that it leans more on nostalgia and has a large number of characters to deal with, it is entertaining but it is not perfect addition to the franchise.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18177528/ - Platform: Amazon - Release: March 22, 2024
The Artifact and the Threat
This time around the story focuses on a brass globe that is purchased by Ray Stantz from a man known as Nadeem Razmaadi, portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani, that I think did a good job on the comedy side. This brass globe holds the spirit of Garraka a demonic god from the old world that has the power to command all other ghosts as well as to freeze anything it comes across, the discovery of the brass globe leads to a sequence of incidents that latter on brings basically a partial second Ice Age at least on New York here the Frozen Empire theme. Its not a spoiler that Garraka escapes and when this happens the Ghostbusters try to figure out how to handle this new problem, they also have to address the fact that their containment unit in the firehouse has reached capacity and is filled with spirits captured over the past 40 years, the same age of the original movie.
Characters Development
Phoebe Spengler played by Mckenna Grace, is too young to join the Ghostbusters and participate in the daily activities like capturing ghost around the city, the younger generation is a bit reckless and feels left out. This sense of isolation make her be friends with a ghost named Melody, a ghost who becomes an important character in the upcoming events in the story. At the same time, the old Ghostbusters like Peter Venkman played by Bill Murray, Ray Stantz played by Dan Aykroyd and Winston Zeddemore acted by Ernie Hudson also appear during the movie every single on with now a different lifestyle but not all are too far away from their passion, making the film even more continuous with the earlier versions then again felt like it was an anchor despite feeling nostalgic. The film also introduces some new characters such as a Dr Hubert Wartzki who is played by Patton Oswalt and Lars Pinfield played by James Acaster, more help the Ghostbusters to fight the forces of evil.
Characters and Performances
The Spengler Family
It is a movie that revolves around the Spengler family, which is the emotional center of the movie. Carrie Coon’s Callie Spengler is a very believable and rather powerful mother, who fights for her family and tries to keep up with all the events happening around her, as well as the supernatural occurrences. While Trevor Spengler portrayed by finn Wolfhard has his funny times, he is over powered and under used in the flow of things. Mckenna Grace’s Phoebe Spengler is truly notable for an impressive acting job, reflecting the character of a young aspiring scientist who has no idea where she fits in.
The Old Guard
The presence of the first Ghostbusters team brings a lot of the fans and the feeling of 1984’s movie realness to the film. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson return to their roles and while there is a comedic element present they take it seriously. With the new generation, they have engaged in some amusing scenes that give the movie a rich flavor although some of them seem to be cameo roles. Janine Melnitz played by Annie Potts also reprised her role in the movie, thus establishing more connection with the earlier episodes.
New Additions
Nadeem Razmaadi is portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani who adds a good humour and exotic approach to the character and the team. Patton Oswalt introduced the character Dr. Hubert Wartzki to the Ghostbusters’ scientific investigations and James Acaster, Lars Pinfield to the same. Melody portrayed by Emily Alyn Lind brings into focus another interesting aspect, that of the value of friendship and loyalty even in the afterlife.
Themes and Tone
Nostalgia vs. Innovation
One of the central themes of this movie is the tension felt between the past and the future, this version heavily takes from the original one by making reference to almost everything from gadgets to the original head quarters and I get this might be helpful to the fans who have been following the series but it often takes away from new characters who actually brought in new gadgets and should be the focus of this new versions.
Humor and Horror
True to the franchise's roots Frozen Empire is filled with comedy and screams at the same time, although there is no actual horror on this movie but how else can we call it?. The comedy aspect of the movie which is embodied by Paul Rudd Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt is very helpful to create a comedic effect when compared to the darker and intense scenes lifting the movie and keeping it up float because to be honest if it was not the case then would be a total failure, although original movies were the same combination of both, mechanics that have work great for the franchise so far. The horror aspect of the film is not the greatest especially in the development of Garraka but the inclusion of ghost scenes which brings the feeling of threat and immediate danger into the movie balance the entire horror ish scene.
Mixed Reviews
The movie has receive average rating and reception from the viewers and critics is on a similar level on certain movie rating sites although on rottentomatoes seem audience had a much bigger preference for the movie. Some find it funny and full of action with an added dose of retro appeal while others think of it as excessive in the plot with so many characters at the same time on a less than 2hr movie while it is relying heavily on past figures for success, it becomes clear that the movie tries to give focus to a number of characters and narratives it also contributes to the movie feeling of over saturated.
Despite the mixed reviews the movie has managed to achieve relatively high results at the box office level since it was released in what was expected and grossed $45million in its first weekend of release and so far grossed almost $200 million worldwide, with this kind of performance indicates there is clearly a demand for more content in the Ghostbusters universe even though criticism of the movie approach.
The end of the film opens the possibility for future sequels with the Ghostbusters providing services in New York City after they manage to be accepted once again by the NY Major, with ew characters introduced and old ones can now be left in the past and move forward, but they still have to find out how to balance between the concept of the franchise and the attempts to develop something new for the fans.
The future of the Ghostbusters series holds a lot of promise as to remain engaging since there is still demand for it, the series does not have to heavily rely on the constant release of sequels and remakes, they already had strike with the 2016 version that I hope never happens again since this will be a delicate process of finding the right balance between respect for tradition and acceptance of new characters and story since there is a potential for the Frozen Empire series but it has to grow and develop in order to succeed.
In summary the movie is entertaining until a certain level, I had a few laughs and there were some cool moments because of the new gadgets and references to the original movie has to end, Frozen Empire provide new ideas that make the audience speculate what is next for the characters and what other threats will come up in the future, overall and a bit sad this movie also falls into the "Ok one time watch" category.
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