After the classic Ghostbusters films from 1980s, we went from girl Ghostbusters to Paul Rudd in a matter of a few years. But anyway, after Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released in 2021, it was clear that a sequel was inevitable. But what could it do and what would it try out? Well, now, after three years and what seems like a million delays, we finally have the sequel: Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. So, how does this compare to Afterlife, and how does it compete against the original Ghostbusters movies and cartoons? Well, I’ll be going over all of that in my review. Note that spoilers will not be mentioned, so if you haven’t seen the film yet, don’t be worried to get spoiled as I won’t be sharing any plot lines that haven’t already been discussed, and will also only show images from the trailers. And with that, let’s get on our proton packs, and bust open this review.
Now, I don’t know if you know this, but my dad is a huge Ghostbusters fan, and being his son makes me a fan as well. And after knowing what him and other superfans have been wanting from the series, and even myself knowing what fans want after rewatching every movie several times, I was intrigued to see what Ghostbusters: Afterlife would bring. The film focused more on putting story, world-building, and character development center stage, while the ghost-busting and comedic factors that made the first film so iconic we almost put to the side. Despite that, me and my dad both still thoroughly enjoyed the film, and were both excited to see what Frozen Empire would bring. After all, not only have we already been introduced to these characters, but the series has returned to New York City (in the firehouse no less) and has already brought in the original Ghostbusters. It seemed like it was destined to return the series back to where the comedy and action were front and center, right? Well, not quite.
After moving to the original Ghostbusters firehouse in the big apple, the Spengler family now must face a new evil in the form of an icy creature trapped for generations inside of a stone ball, who can kill by fear itself. Overall, I found this to be a neat concept, though I was also interested in how it would be introduced – and well, my suspicious came true. The trailers for the movie tease a lot of really cool concepts and new enemies, but they don’t show up until late into the film. The film takes so much time building up to a very powerful foe just to have him appear in the third act. It feels like they wasted a lot of the movie hyping it up then actually showing it.
On the technical side, Afterlife was neat in how it showed some of the technology behind the proton packs more in-depth, but Frozen Empire takes it a step ferther. The film details all of the technical aspects of how the proton packs, as well as other ghost-busting tools, work. This was neat to see, especially when it was all barely mentioned in the original movie. I won’t spoil a lot of the details, but there were some really cool technological devices shown in the movie.
Finally, let’s talk about the characters, as all of the characters from the first movie return, as well as some new faces. For the most part, the new characters were fine, but it felt like more could be done. Patton Oswalt’s character, as an example, is described as a long-time friend of Ray Stantz, and tells him (as well as Phoebe and Podcast) many details about the film’s primary villain. However, this is pretty much it. Many new characters the film introduces feel like they’re just there for filler, as well as a way to explain the many complicated plot lines the movie includes. For the returning characters, some of them are developed even more compared to the first movie, especially Phoebe (played by Mckenna Grace) and Gary (played by Paul Rudd). The film touches on Phoebe’s desire to become a Ghostbuster, yet she is ordered to stay away since she is a kid, despite being very smart. The film also touches on her and Gary’s relationship, showing that she hasn’t accepted him as a father yet and tries to deal with her different lifestyle compared to other kids her age, which the movie cleverly takes advantage of to spiral into the third act.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. While it focuses more on the story compared to action and comedy the original movie is known for (just like Afterlife) I still thoroughly enjoyed this new and unique ghost-busting experience and reccomend all Ghostbusters fans and others who are interested to give it a watch. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire gets a 4.7/6 on the Ryan Meter.
What’s your thoughts on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Let me know in the comments below. (Please no spoilers!)
Ryan’s Fortress Twitter: @RyansFortress