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Movie Review: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Mike Tyrkus

The new film in the “Ghostbusters” series, a sequel to the reboot of the franchise – Ghostbusters: Afterlife – continues the goodwill and fan service carried out by Jason Reitman’s 2021 film. This time around though, Reitman assumes the role of producer/co-writer and hands the reigns of the series off to director Gil Kenan. The result – Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – again plays as a well-meaning and, overall, rather entertaining ode to the original films and any nostalgia the viewer may have for the property itself.

In Frozen Empire, the Spengler family have assumed the mantle of “official” Ghostbusters and now operate out of the iconic New York City firehouse. Initially things seem to be going well for the new team, but when an evil force is mistakenly unleashed from an ancient artifact, the current crop of Ghostbusters must again enlist their predecessors to prevent the world from falling into a second Ice Age.

Director Gil Kenan does a solid job of keeping the film paced as were previous films in the series. While some may feel the film slows down in some spots, this is nothing new to the series and doesn’t work against the film in any significant way. In fact, it builds the anticipation for the next big moment or joke rather well. Kenan worked alongside Jason Reitman on the screenplay, and the film, like Afterlife, plays homage to the series and is filled with an affinity for the films and actors that were part of it. This allows both fans of the older films and those of the newer incarnation to enjoy everything as fully as possible.

Returning “busters” from the last film include Paul Rudd (as Mr. Grooberson), Carrie Coon (as Callie), as well as Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace (as Trevor and Phoebe, Callie’s children). These actors all do a solid job of carrying on the tradition of the series and the added development of this being a pseudo family unit only adds to the tension building within the firehouse (even before the pesky poltergeists show up). Original Ghostbusters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson all reprise their roles, as do Annie Potts and a few other surprise actors.

Comedic actors like Kumail Nanjiani, as the unwitting foil who sets the whole plot in motion by clearing haunted artifacts out his deceased grandmother’s house, and Patton Oswalt, as a librarian, sequestered in the basement of the New York Public Library due to his off-the-beaten path beliefs regarding the occult, add to the ensemble cast and give the film several more-than-funny moments when interacting with the film’s main stars.

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Photo by Jaap Buitendijk – © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

While some may find the pace a bit lagging in some areas, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire follows the formula established by earlier films rather nicely and that succeeds in making this entry a welcome addition to the series and one that perhaps bodes well for future installments.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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