‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ review: nostalgic return to the old neighbourhood

Three years ago, Ghostbusters: Afterlife resuscitated this beloved ‘80s franchise after a slightly misguided 2016 reboot starring Melissa McCarthy. Instead of introducing a totally new crew of spook-nukers – the 2016 film’s fatal flaw – director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan cleverly concocted a direct sequel to the ’80s movies centred on relatives of OG ghostbuster Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis). The result was funny, touching and filled with nostalgic nods to the past including deftly used archive footage of Ramis. It also did pretty well at the box office.

For their follow-up, Kenan and Reitman have swapped roles: the former directs while the latter is his credited co-writer. Original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, Jason’s father who died in 2022, gets a posthumous producer credit and a poignant final frame dedication: “For Ivan.” Perhaps inevitably, they’ve decided to return Ghostbusters to its (ahem) spiritual home, New York City, after setting Afterlife in a sleepy Oklahoma nowheresville that gave it a slightly out-of-time feel. That, of course, seemed entirely apt for a franchise that began in a different, less tech-dependent era.

Fans will be glad to know that the iconic firehouse is back after being purchased by another OG ghostbuster, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), now a successful businessman. And it still has its old-school fireman’s pole, which Kenan milks for a neat visual gag. But now, the firehouse serves as the home-slash-headquarters of the new ghostbusting crew introduced in Afterlife: Spengler’s daughter Callie (Carrie Coon), her kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), plus new partner Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd). Trevor’s friend Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Phoebe’s pal Podcast (Logan Kim) are also now living in NYC, though it’s best not to think too closely about the how and why.

The convoluted plot is best left un-interrogated, too, though it does all make (sort of) sense in the end. This time around, the Big Apple is threatened by a malignant spirit trapped inside a family heirloom flogged by forty-something drifter (Kumail Nanjiani) to OG ghostbuster Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), who is now moonlighting as a YouTube creator and curiosity shop owner. Even in Ghostbusters‘ slightly folksy, spectre-infested New York City, everyone needs a side hustle. Bill Murray’s sardonic parapsychologist Peter Venkman and Annie Potts’ super-secretary Janine Melnitz get involved, too. When the latter finally gets her own ghostbuster suit, it’s a prime example of the satisfying way this film, like Afterlife, brings the franchise gently into the 21st century.

Wolfhard’s Trevor is underused, but Grace’s Phoebe, now 15, gets to double down on her teenage rebellion after making a friend from another dimension. At times, there are too many characters vying for screen time – British comedian James Acaster is a random new addition as a suitably deadpan parabiologist – but Kenan makes everyone earn their keep plot-wise. Like Afterlife, Frozen Empire ultimately succeeds because it’s so much fun to watch. The writers are so comfortable in this world that they get away with poking fun at Ray Parker Jr.’s ludicrous ’80s theme tune, then cranking it out unabashedly at the climax. And guess what, like Ghostbusters as a whole, it’s still a banger.

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