Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 11+.
STORY: C-
Although the story constantly zips and zooms through the big city, it doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere.
Just when the mayor threatens to shut down the Grooberman-Spangler’s family ghost-busting business, a mysterious, ancient orb resurfaces. Not only does the ghost bustin’ family need to prove their worth, they have to team up with Ghostbusters both new and old alike in order to defeat the evil spirit threatening to destroy the entire planet.
PEOPLE: C+
Mckenna Grace and Kumail Nanjiani steal every scene they’re in.
That’s a big deal since they share the screen with some absolute legends. One reason they dominate the screen is that they’re legitimately excellent actors. Sadly, another reason is that most of the veterans feel like they’ve phoned in their performances.
FILM NERD STUFF: D
Most of the characters disappear at some point.
At one point, I literally forgot Paul Rudd was in this movie. And at different points, I can say the same for Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Ackroyd, Celeste O’Connor, and Logan Kim.
Whenever we have to stop and wonder where everyone went, the film’s flow freezes to a halt. It would be a much more engaging film if it had been edited in a way that lets us keep tabs on everyone.
DO YOU LIKE GHOSTS? (Elective Class): F
The movie bets that cool looking ghosts, proton packs, and a ton of light, city-wide, CGI destruction will be enough to make this movie memorable.
Spoiler: it’s not.
Don’t get me wrong. Watching Ghostbusters do ghostbusting things is always good fun. But Phoebe’s (Mckenna Grace) inner struggle is poorly developed. We tend to forget films that don’t give their characters a compelling inner conflict to face.
We might have had more fun if the film had chosen to ignore her (or anyone’s) inner journey and just sent us on a totally gonzo-ghostbusting roller coaster ride. Or we might have fallen in love with this film if it had taken the time to flesh out Phoebe’s struggle (the fact that she pulled such a great performance out of such a poorly written inner conflict is a sign of Grace’s mad acting skills).
Instead, the film does neither. It gets caught in a dull, no man’s land. And soon, our attention joins it there.
FINAL COMMENTS:
I’m sure Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will be a box office success. It’s a low stakes, fun movie. If you’re a Ghostbusters completist, or if you don’t want much more from your movie night than that, you’ll love it.
But I can’t help but wonder how much more joy the Buster-mobile, the brown jumpsuits, and the green ghosts will be able to bring us before that joy gets replaced by that good ol’ fashioned cash-grab feeling.