2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Ghostbusters franchise, which makes it the perfect time for the premiere of the latest entry, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. The 2016 Ghostbusters movie was a massive misstep and 2021’s Ghostbusters Afterlife rectified that with a legacy sequel that both honoured the franchise’s roots and also opened up the franchise to the new generation. Does Ghostbusters Frozen Empire continue that streak?

Back To Where It All Began

The best thing about Ghostbusters Frozen Empire is that it finally returns to the setting of the original two movies; namely New York City. While Ghostbusters Afterlife offered something different with its rural Americana setting, there’s just something about the Ghostbusters in New York City. The movie also expands the lore of the Ghostbusters universe, opening it up to more than just the original members of the Ghostbusters and the new Spengler family. Ghostbusters Afterlife featured a returning antagonist from the first Ghostbusters movie, but Ghostbusters Frozen Empire introduces a brand new antagonist to the franchise instead of relying on old characters. In addition, the highlight of the cast is McKenna Grace reprising her role as Phoebe Spengler, as she gets most of the screen time and focus of the narrative. The young actress shows off her potential with her performance, and she could become the next big hotshot actress like Anya Taylor-Joy or Zendaya.

Thankfully, Dan Aykroyd shines as Dr. Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, as he easily gets the most screentime out of all the original Ghostbusters cast. He also has a role in the story, as well as Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore. Unfortunately, Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman is just there for no other reason than for a few scenes of comic relief. Ghostbusters Frozen Empire also doesn’t know what to do with Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor Spengler, as he’s relegated to an inconsequential B-plot involving Slimer. As I previously mentioned, the focus this time around is very much mostly on McKenna Grace’s Phoebe Spengler and her relationship with a ghost named Melody, played by Emily Alyn Lind (and there’s queer vibes there too, though it’s not explicit). I won’t spoil how this affects the plot but it will definitely prove divisive (some reviews out there spoil it but I won’t, just know that not everyone will like how it all pans out).

Those are all the things that Ghostbusters Frozen Empire does right, but what about its flaws? Reviews have been mixed for Ghostbusters Frozen Empire and that’s for good reason. The movie is a bit messy and overstuffed as the script feels like it doesn’t know what to do with all these characters. Many of the returning characters get the short stick as the movie has to juggle introducing new characters who are integral to the story like Kumail Nanjiani’s Nadeem Razmaadi or some who are just basically cameos like Patton Oswalt’s Dr. Hubert Wartzki. The biggest issue with Ghostbusters Frozen Empire might be that it can take itself too seriously for the majority of the runtime, which is a stark contrast to the more comedy-focused original movies. Viewers will find a lot of the elements in this movie to be divisive, especially the amount of deus ex machina moments in the movie that may rub viewers the wrong way.

Overall, there’s really nothing too bad about Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. This isn’t another Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi situation. It may rely on certain nostalgic ticks too much and features a cast too big that many of them don’t get much to do, but besides all that, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire still very much feels like a Ghostbusters movie. There are moments where there could have been something great, especially little horror moments like the opening of the movie (which is a well-done sequence) and a few funny jokes here and there. The new antagonist, Garakka, is a bit underwhelming but the main antagonists in these Ghostbusters movies have always mostly been easily defeated in some way or another (yes, even the iconic Gozer), so let’s not pretend like the Ghostbusters movies have always had epic showdowns with the climactic villains.

Ghostbusters Never Die

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire is definitely not as bad as other critics’ reviews are making it out to be. While it’s messy and lacks the comedic energy of the original two movies, it can still be an enjoyable and fun time if you’re a fan of Ghostbusters, old or new. Maybe the next movie should just be the adventures of McKenna Grace and Dan Aykroyd’s characters together; those were the best parts of the movie. That’ll probably make for a better and more focused Ghostbusters movie. I’d definitely watch that.

Is Ghostbusters Frozen Empire the best Ghostbusters movie? No, it’s not, but it’s certainly still Ghostbusters.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

We attended a press screening of Ghostbusters Frozen Empire courtesy of Sony Pictures Malaysia. Ghostbusters Frozen Empire premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 11 April 2024.