Should You See “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”? A Spoiler-Free Review
I was lucky enough to attend an advance screening of one of the most anticipated movies so far of 2024, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”, at Emagine Theater in Royal Oak. It was such a fun night at the movies and the film itself was as good as I’d hoped and better than I expected.
Emagine was in total Ghostbusters mode for the screening of the movie that will be out everywhere Friday, March 22nd. Pulling up to the theater, there were several Ghostbusters-themed vehicles on display, including a replica of the Cadillac ambulance that the Busters turned into their “Ectomobile”. The fun folks of Ghostbusters Detroit, a non-profit group of Ghostbusters enthusiasts and costumers, were on full display in their super-accurate jumpsuits and proton packs. Inside there were photo ops with a giant blow-up Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and a replica of the beloved, ghostly green blob, Slimer. The concession stand even offered special Ghostbusters popcorn tubs and drink cups.
Emagine Theater in Royal Oak hosted an advance screening of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”.
Ghostbusters Detroit weren’t the only ones dressed as the paranormal investigators. Many of the fans in attendance were dressed as characters from the movie franchise as well. One of my favorites was a young man who wore a colander on his head that had a bunch of wires all over the top like Rick Moranis’ “Lewis” wore in the original film.
Before I share my spoiler-free thoughts on the movie, I’ll catch you up to speed on what to expect.
Who Ya Gonna Call?
The original “Ghostbusters” movie starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as scientists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. They’re soon joined by Ernie Hudson and the quartet save the world by fighting off a demonic supernatural entity. To say the 1984 film was a success is putting it mildly. The summer was owned by the Busters and people flocked to theaters to see it, merchandise dedicated to the movie flew off shelves, and the theme song by Ray Parker Jr. was a huge, number 1 hit. It became one of the highest-grossing films of the 1980s and even spurred a kid-friendly animated series, “The Real Ghostbusters”, that ran for 7 seasons.
The 1989 sequel, “Ghostbusters II“, reunited the cast from the first movie but failed to have the cultural impact and critical acclaim of the original.
Replica of the Ghostbusters Ecto-mobile outside Emagine Theater.
The franchise lay dormant for decades until a 2016 reboot was released. This time, the “Ghostbusters” were comprised of a cast of female comedic actors and Saturday Night Live alumni, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Unfortunately, the movie bombed at the box office as fans of the originals didn’t seem willing to accept replacements of their favorite ghost-catchers.
The failure of “Ghostbusters” in 2016 saw plans for a sequel of that movie scrapped and a revisit and continuation of the original. In 2021, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” came out with original “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason, at the helm. The story revolved around the family of Harold Ramis’ character, “Egon Spengler”, who unearth their deceased grandfather’s ghost-busting past and stop a ghost uprising in Summerville, Oklahoma. The O.G. Ghostbusters, Murray, Aykroyd and Hudson show up to lend a hand, and there’s even a CGI appearance by Ramis, who passed away in 2014, to give fans all the feels.
I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost
Though their were mixed reviews of “Afterlife”, it did well enough at the box office to give us this sequel which sees two generations of Ghostbusters continue the legacy.
In “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire“, we find that the Spengler family have relocated to New York, and the location alone does a lot to set the stage for a truly nostalgic feel. Aykroyd, Hudson and Murray are featured much more than they were in “Afterlife” and that’s certainly a plus for longtime fans.
And it’s nostalgia that makes “Frozen Empire” such a fun watch. There are countless throwbacks to the 1984 original as “Phoebe Spengler”, Egon’s granddaughter, played by Mckenna Grace, and her family along with father-figure “Gary Gooberson”, played by Paul Rudd, move into the same firehouse that served as the original Ghostbusters headquarters.
The supernatural hunters find themselves fighting the same kind of bureaucracy that tried to stand in the way of the originals and a villainous spirit looking to bring about the end of the world with a new ice age that will wipe out mankind.
Bill Murray, Emily Alyn Lind, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Gil Kenan, Carrie Coon, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd and Jason Reitman attend the premiere of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” in New York City.
Bit characters, fan favorites and antagonists from the first movie return and the cast is supplemented by new faces to the franchise like Patton Oswalt, and especially Kumail Nanjiani, who’s character “Nadeem” gets caught up in the battle against the menacing specters.
Busting Makes Me Feel Good
So, without spoiling anything, I can tell you that “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is well worth the price of admission if you’re a Ghostbusters fan. There are plenty of laughs, great special effects, and a storyline that compliments what people love about Ghostbusters. Everyone I was with felt that it was an enjoyable film, and both my girlfriend and I agreed that we’d each be be seeing it again with our kids.
A chief complaint of a lot of movie fans nowadays is that there doesn’t seem to be any new ideas coming out of Hollywood and beloved franchises are rebooted to the point that they’re barely recognizable. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” does a great job of revisiting familiar territory while still giving us something new. If you’re like me, someone who came up on The Ghostbusters and loved the first movie, I can confidently say that you’ll have a blast seeing “Frozen Empire” too.
Getting close to Ghostbusters fan favorite, Slimer.
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