There is a lot to unpack with the latest Ghostbusters film.
Weird to say “latest”. For so long there were two films. The Real Ghostbusters series, and Extreme Ghostbusters followed. The 2009 video game came long in lieu of a third film. Then we lost Harold Ramis. And I figured that was it.
But it wasn’t! The 2016 film was absolutely fine despite the vitriol directed its way. It was nice to see more Ghosts getting busted. But the state it ended up in left me one again at “well that’s that”. Akroyd may have been trumpeting the possibilities of his baby coming back again, but it didn’t look likely.
So to get Afterlife was a treat. It introduced a bunch of new characters and handled Ramis’s passing with such affection. Many wrote it off as just nostalgia blah blah blah. I’ve seen it a few times now and it always elicits warm feelings. It left me wanting to see Hook and Ladder 8, and more ghosts getting busted.
Which is exactly what Frozen Empire gives us. You’ll see it mentioned elsewhere, but this film feels like a big budget version of a Real Ghostbusters episode. It’s light on detail and has way too many characters, but it’s entertaining, with some great performances, and overall good fun. The Spenglers (and Gary) have moved into the original NYC firehouse. They’re tearing around the city doing their job, financially backed by OG Winston Zeddemore. There’s an ancient evil, old characters, new characters, and enough tweaks and additions to the Ghostbusters gear to keep Etsy going for years.
I love the franchise – I have my own suit – but I’m not blind to the issues. The biggest problem is balance. We don’t need to see every character, and those we do see need space to breathe. Mismanage these points and the pacing of your film will be all over the shop. Which FE absolutely does. I’m a big fan of films not going past the two-hour mark but here I think another ten minutes or so could have really helped what feels like a film that rushes through its final act. Balance is a bigger enemy than any ghost it turns out.
There are plenty of positives though. My favourite Ghostbuster, the heart of the Ghostbusters, gets to do things, with Dan Akroyd putting in a great performance. There’s that warmth, excitement, and ability to convincingly convey mystical technobabble that only he can manage.
The story is crowded but at least tries to do some new things, particularly with regard to ghosts. Usually seen as just the villain, or a nuisance (the GBs are essentially pest control after all), here they actually get more to do, and we even see things from their point of view.
No one is phoning it in, even with some getting the short end of the stick time wise. The effects feel both fantastical and grounded. Slimer in particular feels, and this is a perhaps a weird term to use for him, solid. As though he actually exists in the space. There’s some actual horror, with a couple of jump scares. Ecto-1 continues to tail slide out of the firehouse, several times, with some new gadgets that make sense in a contemporary setting.
The firehouse itself makes huge leaps here and can finally be seen as one complete area. From loft to basement, it feels like a working place where people can live. I know that’s the GB geek in me and most people won’t care, but it does go someway to showing the care given to the world, and also a big step in making the location viable moving forward.
And I hope it does get to. Ghostbusters doesn’t need to be a billion pound per film franchise. I believe it can be more mid-budget and perform accordingly. It could move on and not need to rely on nostalgia, forging a fresh path with Mckenna Grace and Paul Rudd at the core of it. Stories with more weird ghosts, more magical MacGuffins, and more time to see the characters grow, with maybe the odd sprinkling of OG GB assistance from time to time.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is not a perfect film. It tries to do too much, strangling it’s potential. But it’s great fun, and possibly opens the series to move past its reliance on 1984. I hope it gets the chance to. Manage your expectations!
Second watch update.
Knowing I generally enjoyed FE, I could settle into my seat and just take it in. With my expectations settled I enjoyed it more second time around. I find myself wondering if this is now my second favourite Ghostbusters film.
It nips along at a good pace. The opening sequence is excellent, and I just adore seeing so much of Ray. My concerns around the amount of characters have settled somewhat. It could have been more focused but everyone has good reason to be there. Maybe we need a bigger cast to support more films, spinoffs, and TV shows?
The overriding issue I have now is the scope of the threat and how it’s shown. Where’s the danger? Where’s the impact on their city, their home? Garraka is a really cool (pun intended) looking antagonist. I just would have like to see his Empire built up further before he hit the Firehouse.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is great fun to watch. After the first film it might be the most rewatchable.
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