When talking about Ghostbusters, viewpoints vary greatly. It’s tough to come up with a sequel that lives up to the 1984 original. No matter what filmmakers do, someone is going to be disappointed. When the 2016 all-female reboot came out, it got a “Certified Fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 74% which isn’t too bad. But fans didn’t like it and the film tanked at the box office. So when Sony decided to give the franchise another try in 2021, people were skeptical. But Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which served as both a sequel and reboot of the earlier films, was a success (even with a lower 64% RT score). Talk of making a second film seemed like a no-brainer.

Having just re-watched Afterlife, I was reminded of just how entertaining it is. It features a completely new story and characters without abandoning the past. And it leaves room for the original Ghostbusters to make an appearance that actually makes sense. Although the story starts to fizzle out near the end, the film features witty dialogue all throughout making it truly enjoyable from beginning to end. Unfortunately, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire turns out to be a lost opportunity.

With any of the previous Ghostbusters films, they are at their best when the characters are actually busting ghosts. The first film featured some hijinks similar to what Mickey, Donald and Goofy faced in 1937’s Lonesome Ghosts. Unfortunately, sometimes studios forget what kind of film that they are making. Filmmakers lose their way when they focus too much on exposition which is what ultimately kills Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. It’s not funny enough to be considered a comedy and not scary enough to be considered a horror film. But there is a lot of talking.

This movie had a lot of potential to become another great movie. They managed to get the whole gang back (minus the ghost of Dr. Egon Spengler) for another round, so that was good too. But there is just too much going on and too many characters to keep track of to make things work. Beginning many years before in New York City, Frozen Empire begins with a promising beginning that foreshadows what is the come. Members of the local fire department arrive at an emergency and are awestruck by what they see. It’s creepy and impressive at the same time. Then the movie fast forwards to just a couple of years after the 2021 film. However, a lot has changed since then.

The ghost-busting business is up and running again at that very same fire station. While the old crew (Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd and even Annie Potts having a larger role this time around) are all call to assist when needed, the new crew consists of the Spengler family. Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Callie Spengler (a weathered Carrie Coon), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) who all habituate together but fail to describe what “they are” these days. Gary and Callie aren’t married, so Gary hasn’t risen to the title of stepdad yet. Phoebe’s former summer schoolteacher is not even sure how to interact with her these days. At one point, Gary describes himself as Phoebe’s step-teacher. This is a sweet and awkward storyline gets lost in the muddled movie.

While enroute to capture a “sewer monster”, the Ghostbusters wreak havoc on the city in classic form and later have a talking to by Mayor Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt). They are threatened to lose their license and Phoebe is benched because she is a minor working in a dangerous profession.

Back at the station, Gary and Callie discover that the container that has been holding all of those ghosts since 1984, is practically full and Trevor discovers that slime is leaking from the attic. Conveniently, his crush Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) is in town doing an internship working with paranormal activities. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t do anything more with this friendship.

Ray Stantz (Aykroyd having a great time) is enjoying his antique shop and filming his own YouTube show with the help of Podcast (Logan Kim) who told his mom that he is at space camp. (Kim’s character was so funny in Afterlife but he barely makes an impression here.) One day, Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani), a customer, brings in a number of items that were once his grandmothers including a mysterious orb which later proves to be a problem. Razmaadi himself is giving off some weird vibes too.

But with all of this happening, a large portion of the story revolves around Phoebe and her disappointment of not being able to work as a ghostbuster while the others save New York. While playing chess – alone – away from the fire house – at night (does this seem like a good idea for a 15-year-old?) Phoebe strikes up a conversation with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), a ghost which doesn’t look like any of the other cartoonish-looking ghosts featured in the movie. While it is unclear if Phoebe develops a crush or is just looking for a friend, Phoebe keeps this ghost a secret from her family.

Meanwhile, there is a mysterious creature lurking about wanting to freeze out New York and then take over the world and there are a bunch of stupid, fun-sized Stay-Puft marshmallow men running about too. Oh, and did I mention that Winston Zeddemore (Hudson) runs a hidden paranormal research lab as well?

There is a lot to take in and surprisingly lacks humor (although Kumail Nanjiani is hilarious). It is as if director Gil Kenan has taken this all too seriously and has forgotten how to have fun. There is so much layering of storylines and a lot of build-ups that practically have no payoff in the end. The freezing effects of the hot summer city is pretty cool to watch. I would have enjoyed seeing more of that and a lot less science-y talk.

For a movie about ghosts and scary stuff, there are very few jump scares and practically no sense of dread whatsoever. Before you know it, the credits are rolling up. Speaking of which, stick around a bit for one last scene which is actually one of the best in the movie.

While this movie isn’t the best, Frozen Empire doesn’t do any damage to kill off this new version of the franchise completely. There is still hope for another good film if they choose to make it.

Main Image: Finn Wolfhard, Celeste O’Connor, Paul Rudd, Kumail Nanjiani, Logan Kim and Carrie Coon.