2021's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" was a textbook example of exactly how to deliver a perfect legacy sequel. So how exactly does everything go so wrong just 3 years later with the disappointing new entry GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE?
Things start off with a bang, taking us back to the location of the NYC firehouse in 1904. At the time, it was the home of the Manhattan Adventurer's Society, where firemen discover a mysterious frozen room in the middle of July.
It's a spooky, fun set up, set to hints of Elmer Bernstein's original "Ghostbusters" score woven into solid new music by Dario Marianelli (Darkest Hour, Atonement).
We then flash forward to our new ghostbusting family, the Spenglers, established in the last film. Stepdad Gary (a sadly underused Paul Rudd), Mom Callie (the always great Carrie Coon, wasted here) and her two kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) are in the middle of a massive chase through the streets of New York chasing a blocks-long ghost called the Sewer Dragon. The scene should be thrilling, but it feels too familiar and other than a pretty cool drone that's been added to the new equipment, less than exciting.
After plenty of Citibikes get run over, old adversary Walter Peck, now Mayor of NYC threatens to shut them down and he pulls Phoebe out of action since she's only 15. William Atherton (Ghostbusters, The Hindenburg) is clearly having a great time revisiting the obnoxious character he created 40 years ago, he's great.
But this is where the film takes a very wrong turn, focusing on Phoebe and her reaction to being benched, which is mostly teenage angst that I'd expect in an afterschool special, but not as the main plot line in a supposed comedy thriller.
I didn't want to spend two minutes focused on Phoebe, let along half the movie.
Thankfully, the hilarious Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) shows up at Ray Stantz's Occult Book Store, looking to sell some of his grandmother's ancient trinkets for whatever Ray (Dan Aykroyd) will cough up.
Aykroyd steals the entire film, lock stock & barrel, clearly loving the chance to spout the rapid patter, scientific mumbo jumbo dialogue that he's better at delivering than any other actor. Anytime Aykroyd is on screen, the movie soars to another level. The same can be said for Ernie Hudson as Winston, former Ghostbuster and now billionaire financier of all things paranormal in NYC.
Far too late in the film, Bill Murray arrives as Peter Venkman and he is in 100% classic Bill Murray form, delivering big laughs.
Every time I started to really enjoy myself, the film would go back to Phoebe's miserable character, sucking the life out of the film. She meets Melody, a girl ghost from the past who inexplicably talks like a modern media influencer. If you dropped this entire plot thread, the film would be better for it.
There are basically too many characters for any of them beyond Aykroyd, Murray and Hudson to make an impression.
Patton Oswalt is reliably fun in one scene but then disappears, Wolfhard brings laughs and fun to the story but he's given so little to do that he disappears for huge chunks of the movie.
Annie Potts is back as Janine Melnitz and it's great to see her in action, as brief as it is.
Two terrific new characters from "Afterlife", Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) are shoehorned into the plot in roles barely larger than cameos.
There are some fun scenes when the massive villain arrives at the end, but the way he's vanquished seems so manufactured as a hero plot line for Phoebe that it falls flat.
Anytime you have actors the caliber of Rudd and Coon and they are relegated to predictable Brady Bunch level parenting subplots, you have to shake your head at the decline in writing since the last chapter.
I was really looking forward to this one, but GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE left me very cold, earning a C.
Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson and Nanjiani saved this from a much lower rating, lingering down in the sewer with that dull dragon.
A mid-end credits scene sets up another sequel.
Meh.
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