Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Gil Kenan
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton

In cinemas March 22

Following the huge success of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which essentially rebooted the franchise it was only a matter of time before we got a sequel. What proved so successful for Afterlife was a serious nod to nostalgia bringing back the original Ghostbusters, albeit in small roles, and very much adhering to their legacy.

For this offering, they have ramped the nostalgia up giving all the legacy characters (and some legacy spirits) far more to do while continuing the story of the next generation of spook hunters. The Spenglers have moved from Oklahoma to New York where they are now fully fledged Ghostbusters. Just like the original group, they are also deemed somewhat inept by the City Mayor – William Atherton, reprising his role as Walter Peck from the original movies.

Meanwhile, the OGs have set up a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. However, when they try and study a particular malevolent spirit things go completely awry as it escapes and starts turning New York into an icy hell. This forces both generations of Ghostbusters to come together to save the day.

This lays on the nostalgia thick and fast and is all the better for it. This is more than a nod to the originals – it is an amalgamation of the old and the new. This obviously makes it accessible to multi-generational audiences.

Unfortunately, it also means that there is a rather crowded cast list. The Spengler’s story is basically told through exposition as there isn’t enough time to fully develop it and in trying to give everyone screen time the story sometimes feels contrived. The addition of new cast members such as Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem Razmaad, a wide boy wheeler-dealer and James Acaster as Lars Pinfield, a supernatural science geek who works in the lab, crowd it out even further meaning that the story can feel quite cluttered at times.

Also, despite the amount of comic talent in the cast, this feels far more serious than previous offerings. While there are quips aplenty it is lacking in the warm humour that was a trademark of the originals.

That aside as a trip down memory lane with a modern spin this will leave you with a smile on your face. It has a lot of flaws, but the legacy of the originals is such that you can overlook many of them.

There are plenty of Easter Eggs and throwbacks to keep fans of the originals happy while fans of the new cast get to see just enough of them to keep them satisfied. While far from perfect Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is engaging and entertaining enough to justify a cinema visit.