After finally seeing ECTO-1 put through its paces in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, it's great to see the classic car racing through the streets of its home city - especially when it's chasing ghosts! That sense of nostalgia is something Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman got right with Frozen Empire. It's a good balance of nostalgia, comedy and spookiness, wrapped up in an all new adventure. Despite the chilling nature of the story, Frozen Empire nicely sits somewhere between the movies and The Real Ghostbusters. There are several nice call-backs to the classic 80's cartoon show, including a certain fishy ghost and Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts)'s more active role. Even the famous lions outside the New York Public Library have their moment. All of which provides a better opportunity for the two generations of Ghostbusters to team up, with Winston (Ernie Hudson) - rather poetically - taking a leading role. One of the biggest faults of the original movies was the relegation of Winston and Hudson to a lesser, back-seat role, and it's great to see that it's finally being addressed.
Frozen Empire does, unfortunately, suffer from an overabundance of characters, and even though Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt are welcome additions, it does leave some - namely Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) - feeling almost forgotten. And with the focus very much on the crew's work to advance their rather unique field, the family dynamic that made Afterlife so heartfelt is somewhat lost. Although the movie does at least continue the tradition established in Afterlife of exploring a different side of the spectral world, this time with Phoebe (Mckenna Grace)'s fledgling friendship with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind) - a ghost who's not quite ready to leave this world behind. It's a charmingly spooky exploration of the teenage experience, and one that shows that ghosts can be more than evil, mindless beasts. Seeing Gary (Paul Rudd) try to figure out his new role as stepfather can also be quite touching, not to mention amusing thanks to Callie (Carrie Coon)'s help. Whereas Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) on the other hand, his desperation to be seen as an adult now that he has turned 18 feels like a half-baked attempt at character development, and therefore kind of pointless. But at least his encounters with Slimer are good fun.
The movie also explores the legacy of the Ghostbusters' early years, and some of the problems of containing all of New York's paranormal nasties. But where Afterlife nicely tied up the Gozer/Shandor storyline, Frozen Empire takes things in a refreshingly new direction, with some good, old ghostbusting antics and an entirely new villain. "Tall, dark and horny", as Venkman (Bill Murray) so comically names them, haunts the movie in chilling fashion, right up until the inevitable - albeit annoyingly brief - showdown. Seeing said big evil - who looks rather terrifying thanks to some incredible visual effects - reattach their own horns has to be one of the creepiest moments of all the Ghostbusters movies. And yet, even after they turn New York into an icicle-covered wasteland, Venkman is still able to lighten the mood with a little name-calling. Which is exactly why I love Ghostbusters, because the end of the world can be scary, disgusting and incredibly weird, but it's certainly not the time to lose your sense of humour.
Another exciting adventure with the Spengler/Grooberson family. One that sees them tearing up the streets of New York with the O.G. Ghostbusters. It's just a shame that an overstuffed cast leaves some struggling for screen time.
8/10
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