Ghostbusters has now been around for 40 years, and its fan base spans multiple generations. All eyes are back on this hauntingly fantastic film series now that the latest installment has hit theaters. Does bustin’ still feel good in the newest sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, or should it have never manifested? Let’s take a look at all the spooky and slimy elements of the movie to find out.

Spoilers for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire are below.

The Good

The previous film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was a more emotional movie as it needed to be. It worked for the kind of movie it was, but it did lead to absence of the humor Ghostbusters is known for. Thankfully, that humor is back in Frozen Empire. Some characters offer plenty of wisecracking while others focus on dry wit. There are even a few visual gags and instances of slapstick, like Bill Murray whipping pens at someone’s face. There’s something for everyone to laugh at here.

There are also a surprising amount of moments that are legitimately quite scary. It’s far from feeling like a terrifying horror flick, but it’s awesome to see them create scenes that do up the fear factor a bit. When I was a kid, I was afraid of the library scene in the original film. There are parts of Frozen Empire that will serve as something similar for today’s younger audiences. From frozen hands being snapped off, to a human being completely shattered, there’s enough to send a chill down one’s spine. In a movie series about ghosts, this is definitely welcome.

The emotional side of things isn’t left out, though. There’s some big heart throughout the story. Quite a few of the characters go through emotional arcs, like Phoebe feeling alone in the world and left out, the Spengler kids developing better relationships with their parental figures, and Ray growing to realize he can’t do the same thing forever. None of these will make audiences sob, but they’re still quite touching.

Two of the best shots in the movie involve Ray, played once again by Dan Aykroyd. One has him watch the Ecto-1 drive past with a look of fondness and nostalgia on his face. The other has him watch on proudly as Phoebe recites the lines from the commercial the original Ghostbusters filmed during the events of the first movie. These scenes are clearly Aykroyd being pleased to have found the right folks to pass the torch onto, and serves as a vessel for older audiences to do the same.

There are quite a few new ghosts seen throughout the movie, like Pukey, the Possessor, and the Sewer Dragon. They all offer something fun and creative to the scenes they’re featured in, and they all have cool, creative designs. New ghosts are always welcome in Ghostbusters, and diehard fans are sure to be excited for them.

Not only are there new ghosts, but there’s a slew of new Ghostbusting equipment, vehicles, uniforms, and even Ghostbusting roles. It truly feels like the world is expanding. The fans who recreate every uniform and gadget used by the Ghostbusters for their cosplay groups are sure to have a field day with this one. From new traps and proton packs to uniforms with an engineering logo and official winter coats, there are a lot of inventive designs worth being excited over.

The classic Ghostbusters characters actually feel like fleshed out characters this time around as opposed to glorified cameos. They play huge roles in the story and feel just as important as the Spengler family, Gary, Podcast, and Lucky. It’s genuinely really nice to see these characters that so many of us grew up with still growing after all this time.

The Ghostbusting action is exhilarating. Seeing the Spenglers racing through city streets and barrelling around corners to capture a ghost is an absolute thrill ride. There are moments when they have to get especially creative to capture a ghost. It’s exactly the kind of stuff Ghostbusters fans have been craving.

Frozen Empire sets up quite a few possible directions the franchise could go in the future. There are plenty of creative and exciting ideas that they introduce that could and should be explored further. The idea of researching ghosts and how they actually work is an especially intriguing one. The idea that perhaps some ghosts need to be helped rather than captured and squeezed into a prison forever is just as fascinating. The world of Ghostbusters is opening up more than ever, and it’s hard not to feel pumped about it.

The Bad

There are a lot of characters fighting to share screen time throughout the movie. Of course, there are plenty of ensemble films that make it work, but it does feel like too many at times here. With the large number of characters, some of them off doing their own side quests, it does lead to a lack of focus within the story. None of these subplots are bad by any means. In fact, they’re all quite entertaining in their own way. Even if they are totally pointless, like Trevor trying to catch Slimer in a series of Looney Tunes-esque traps, they’re still fun or interesting. It’s just noticeable how much they distract from the central plot.

Garraka, the big bad of the film, has a really cool and creepy design and is built up to be a massive threat. There are a few things throughout the movie that do show how threatening he can actually be. However, he doesn’t really accomplish anything. He’s defeated rather quickly after escaping his prison. It’s worth keeping in mind that every Ghostbusters movie has had this similar issue. The same can be said with Gozer (both times) and Vigo. It still doesn’t quite excuse it. If anything, the issue occurring for a fourth time only makes it worse.

There’s a scene that happens earlier on that introduces many of the new ghosts at the research center. Most of them are either seen again in later scenes or throughout the rest of the movie. One of them, though, kind of just stops being in the movie after he escapes. He’s easily the most frightening among them, so it’s a bummer that he’s never seen or heard from again. This terrifying specter had a lot of potential, but it was never taken advantage of.

Conclusion

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire suffers from a lack of focus at times and the villain could have done more, but it’s still a really fun ride. There are plenty of returning elements for long time fans to appreciate and a great deal of newer ideas to keep the franchise feeling fresh. Both legacy and new Ghostbusters bring everything they can to the table. There’s no shortage of humor, heart, horror, or action, and entertainment can be found at every turn. Some things definitely need to be more streamlined, but don’t let that stop you from having a blast with this film.

Rating: 7.5/10

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