‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ will without question do very well at the box-office this weekend. Nostalgia alone will drive fans to theaters in hopes of reliving those moments when we were watching the boys battle Gozer. AMC already has their official popcorn buckets out for sale, which I am sure fans will purchase at first glance. AMC and Sony are about to rake it in this weekend. However, commercial success isn’t also indictive of a quality product. Sadly, this is the case as it pertains to ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’. Gil Kean and Jason Reitman’s narrative spends way too much time attempting to set up a purpose for the sequel at the expense of what makes the film fun, busting ghosts.
In fact, if wasn’t for the 3rd act which heavily involved the OG Ghostbusters and the new Ghostbusters, the film would have been an utter mess. It’s confusing to me why when others take the helm of a successful franchise, they tend to shy away from what has worked in the past. Audiences aren’t coming to see the family of Egon Spengler find their way, they are coming to see the Ghostbusters do what they do best. They attempt to work through Phoebe’s (Mackenna Grace) turmoil after being benched from busting ghosts, but because it dragged on for large portion of the film, it took away from the best parts of the film. Weave in the Spengler family issues, if you so choose but don’t let it take away from why we are watching the film.
The film hums when it’s focused on the paranormal, busting ghosts, Ray’s attempt at filming his video show, and Dr. Venkman being himself. Kumal Nanjiani is one of the newest additions to the cast and steals quite a few scenes in the film. While the story line for Frozen Empire is fairly predictable (someone finds an artifact which has a trapped god in it that wasn’t to kill us all), the end result certainly wasn’t. What should have been a fun experience at times had me looking at my watch. Nostalgia saved this one from being a complete dud, so adjust your expectations accordingly before seeing it this weekend.