Overstuffed ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ fails to justify its existence
This image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Celeste O'Connor, Finn Wolfhard, James Acaster, Logan Kim and Dan Aykroyd in a scene from "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."
JAAP BUITENDIJK/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP
Trying to appease all types of fans and regular moviegoers, the new “Ghostbusters” film, subtitled “Frozen Empire,” introduces a half-dozen decent ideas and fails to deliver on any of them.
Without divulging spoilers, “Frozen Empire” assembles 12 different characters for a finale in which only two of them have anything to do. Everyone else just sort of stands around (though Bill Murray’s five-minute appearance includes a few strained laughs).
A direct sequel to “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” from 2021, “Frozen Empire” follows the Spengler family (plus Paul Rudd’s sorta-stepdad) to New York City as they take over ghostbusting duties at the original movie’s firehouse, all funded by former Ghostbuster-turned-billionaire philanthropist Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson, who, along with Dan Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz, are the OG players who have much more screentime here compared to Murray and other returnees Annie Potts and William Atherton). Fifteen-year-old Phoebe (McKenna Grace) is the brains of the operation, but her mom (Carrie Coon) rightfully grounds her from field duties after a dangerous encounter with a sewer-dwelling ghost dragon.
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