In the newest entry of an enduring franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family has re-camped in the iconic firehouse initially fighting a NYC sewer dragon and eventually a stock monster with booming voice and spindly giant height. The newest Ghost is emblematic of the futility inherent in trying to find a formula that repeats but renews one of our culture’s most beloved comedy horror flicks.
Even with original ‘busters Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, this new version lacks the snarky joy of that first edition and arguably one or two subsequent attempts. Because the cast of characters is too large for its reinvention, this Ghostbusters qualifies as a hot mess of personnel left hanging and incidents sometimes shoe-horned in for what purpose is not apparent to me.
I will stand out from my colleagues and like daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), dorky with round glasses (think Harry Potter) and a big brain, who seems to fall in love with a sylphlike ghost (Emily Alyn Lind), whose relationship writer/director Gil Kenan and co-writer Jason Reitman lack the courage to introduce as a brand-new motif, lesbian action. Too bad because the film needs serious updating.
As the recurring inter-generational good guy, Paul Rudd has little significant to do than try to integrate himself into The Spengler family and more importantly, find a place for the always outsider, Phoebe. Rudd doesn’t add much more than he does in Antman. Oh, well, he’s a nice guy.
But then nice is this innocuous installment, a dull extension of a once promising franchise. It’s time for Murray to become a ghostly presence himself lending a bit of needed snark but not committing his soul. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a chilling reminder of the glory that was.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Director: Gil Kenan (Monster House)
Screenplay: Kenan, Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife)
Cast: Mckenna Grace (I, Tonya), Annie Potts (Ghostbusters)
Run Time: 1h 55m
Rating: PG-13
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts NPR’s It’s Movie Time and Cinema Classics as well as podcasts Back Talk and Double Take (recently listed by Feedspot as two of the ten best NPR Movie Podcasts) out of WCBE 90.5 FM, Columbus, Ohio. Contact him at JohnDeSando52@gmail.com