Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is cursed with too much fluff

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a follow up to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) which introduced us to the next generation of Spenglers. This film has the new, the old, the newer, and a lot of extra characters thrown in for good measure. There is too much to keep up with on top of an already muddy plot.

We fast forward a few years since Afterlife, and the entire family plus Gary (Paul Rudd) have moved from Oklahoma to the NY fire station that was the iconic home of the original busters of ghosts. What happened in those few years to catapult them into the world of Ghost busting? Who knows. But they are there and have their hands full with a booming ghost business. Does anyone ask why there such a ghost problem in New York City?

Walter Peck (William Atherton) from the original film is now the Mayor and considers them a menace to the city – the busters, not the ghosts – and is looking for the first opportunity to shut them down. Something it seems he has been trying to do for the last 40 years.

Peck is not the only one unhappy though. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) loves nothing more than chasing ghosts in the footsteps of her late grandfather Egon Spengler. But concerns from her mom and Mayor Peck have sidelined her for fear she might get hurt. She gets moodier and moodier as she watches from the sidelines.

We are introduced to a new character Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) who’s family history is a catalyst for this adventure. Nanjani brings the only humor to this one, and it often falls flat. More the fault of the writing than his delivery. This new ghost is formidable and immune to anything the busters have in their arsenal. Nadeem holds the key to saving the world and must join with about twelve other people to get the job done.

There are so many characters in this one that you often forget about them until the randomly pop up in a scene to do very little. I was a big fan of Phoebe, Podcast (Logan Kim), and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard). Other than Phoebe they get very little screen time here due to having to fit everyone in. Podcast has teamed up with Ray (Dan Aykroyd) since being in NY. That is another plot line. Also Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) now works Winston (Ernie Hudson) at an off site paranormal facility.

Brining in old faces is fun and nostalgic. In Afterlife it felt sweet and heartfelt. It was touching and emotional even. Here it feels forced, expected, and brings no warm fuzzy’s. Gary (Paul Rudd) and Carrie Spengler (Carrie Coon) were also fun characters in Afterlife. They are now in an obvious relationship with Carrie balancing being a mom and busting ghosts. Gary wants to be part of the family as well as the team. That would have been an interesting dynamic to focus on, but again, no time to do it.

The film makers should have picked a lane. Do a story with the original cast in NY, or the new Spengler family. There are a lot of classic elements in this one. They incorporate the 1980s commercials, toys, and theme song. More of that would have been super fun. Focusing simply on the new family dynamic of the Spengler’s would have been meaningful and exciting. With both together neither shine.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is rated PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references. Other than a few very scary images it is safe for your older tweens as well. Safe, but not fun. I am a fan of the franchise and hope for more films. But only if they learned from their mistakes in this one.