Frozen Empire Review: The Orbs, the Possessors, and the Ghostbusters Who Return

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a sequel that wants to do everything at once. It brings back the Spengler family, reunites the original Ghostbusters, hands them a top-secret research lab, and drops an ancient artifact that could trigger a second Ice Age. That is a lot of moving parts for a film that runs 115 minutes. The movie is not always sure which ones to prioritize, but it lands enough jokes and scares to justify the trip to the firehouse.

Gil Kenan directs from a script he co-wrote with Jason Reitman, who also produced alongside his father, Ivan Reitman. The film is dedicated to Ivan’s memory, and he receives a producer credit posthumously. The cast is a mix of old faces and new blood, with Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace joining Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and the returning Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts. Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt are added to the mix, along with Emily Alyn Lind as Melody, James Acaster as Lars and Logan Kim as Podcast.

Trailer, via Ghostbusters.

The Setup

Three years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Callie Spengler and her boyfriend Gary Grooberson move their family — kids Trevor and Phoebe, plus friends Lucky and Podcast — to New York City to help Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz rebuild the Ghostbusters. Walter Peck, the team’s longtime rival and current mayor, threatens to shut them down. Callie removes Phoebe from the team for being underage, which sends Phoebe to the park where she meets Melody, a teenage ghost killed in a fire.

Ray and Podcast start collecting cursed objects. They buy a brass orb from Nadeem Razmaadi, who says his grandmother kept it hidden in a brass-lined chamber. Ray figures out the orb is an apotropaic trap meant to hold a powerful entity. When he tests the orb’s psychokinetic energy, it bursts open, sending a cold wave to the firehouse that damages the containment unit. Winston takes the orb to his company’s paranormal research center, where Doctor Lars Pinfield tries to extract orenda from it. Instead, the orb’s captive lets a Possessor ghost escape into Podcast’s equipment.

The Middle Stretch

The middle stretch drags. The film spends too long explaining the orb’s history — the brass-lined chamber, the Mesopotamian Arabic markings, the whole spiritual-conductive-copper theory — before it gets to the actual action. Nanjiani’s character, Nadeem, is given latent pyrokinesis, which is a nice touch, but his arc never fully pays off. Oswalt’s Lars is more interesting, and his cameo with Trevor and Lucky to see Nadeem adds some momentum.

Phoebe’s storyline is the emotional core. She is upset about being removed from the team, and her friendship with Melody gives the film a human center. Melody is a teenager killed in a fire, which adds weight to the stakes. The film leans on this relationship to keep the audience invested when the plot slows down.

The Big Finish

The final act picks up. The Possessor ghost is loose, and the cold wave from the orb is spreading. The film cuts between the firehouse, where the adults try to stabilize the containment unit, and the park, where Phoebe and Melody face off against the ghost. The climax involves the Mini-Pufts, miniature doppelgängers of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, voiced by Shelby Young and Ryan Bartley. Kevin Mangold and Ian Whyte serve as the puppeteers for Slimer and Garraka, though Garraka’s voice performers were uncredited.

The resolution ties the Ice Age threat back to the orb’s power. It is a neat trick, but it feels rushed. The film has spent so much time building up the artifact that the payoff feels quick. Still, it works well enough that the movie ends on a high note.

What Works

1. The cast chemistry. Rudd and Coon play off each other beautifully, and Murray’s Peter Venkman remains the perfect blend of charming and incompetent.
2. The visual effects. The ghosts look sharp, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s doppelgängers are a fun addition.
3. The emotional beats. Phoebe and Melody’s bond carries the film through its slower stretches.
4. The callbacks. The film references the original movies often, and fans will enjoy spotting them.

What Doesn’t

1. The pacing. The middle section is slow, with too much exposition about the orb’s history.
2. The villain. The Possessor ghost is fine, but it lacks the menace of the Stay Puft Man or the Terror Dogs from the earlier films.
3. The new characters. Nanjiani and Oswalt are underused, and their arcs feel unfinished.

Key Facts

• Director: Gil Kenan
• Writers: Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray
• Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
• Score: 6.4/10

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a solid entry in the franchise. It respects the legacy while adding new stories. The plot is ambitious, but it sometimes loses focus. The humor lands more often than not, and the action sequences are well staged. It is a movie that knows what it wants to be: a family adventure with ghosts, and it mostly delivers on that promise.

The film is dedicated to Ivan Reitman, and that dedication shows in the warmth of the storytelling. The family dynamic between Callie, Gary, Trevor and Phoebe is the heart of the movie, and it carries the film through its weaker moments.

The score, composed by Dario Marianelli, complements the tone. The music swells during the big action scenes and pulls back during the quieter emotional beats. It is a competent, professional score that does not distract from the action on screen.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire premiered at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City on March 14, 2024. It is a movie that honors the past while moving the franchise forward. It is a movie that respects its fans and gives them what they want: more Ghostbusters.

Bill Murray · Fantasy Comedy · Frozen Empire · Ghostbusters · Paul Rudd