Hollywood frequently resorts to nostalgia to sell its plethora of sequels and the Ghostbusters franchise relies heavily on it. It’s so entrenched in popular culture that fans of the original will flock to it whenever a new edition is released, there were quite a few Gen-Xers and their kids dressed up in the iconic khaki Cadet uniform.

Though I grew up in the 80s, I’m more of a casual fan of the franchise. I think the 1984 original is a classic and I can see why it was such a huge hit. It’s still the highest grossing of its franchise (adjusted by inflation) as it was the biggest box office of Summer 1984 and the No. 2 film of that year. This one is the 5th installment, but a 4th in the series, not counting the much-maligned all-female reboot that’s actually better than fanboys would have you believe. Frozen Empire takes place two years after the events in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, also written by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, with the latter at the helm this time around.

The Spengler family is back: Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), along with Phoebe’s science teacher Gary (Paul Rudd) who’s dating Callie and now living with the family. They’ve relocated to the iconic location where it all started – the New York City firehouse, complete with its fire pole and a ghost containment unit in the basement. Meanwhile, the original Ghostbusters (Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray) have built a secret research lab that revolutionizes the ghost-busting business.

After an extensive flashback of a mysterious freezing incident and a frantic car chase in pursuit of a ghost dragon, the movie doesn’t really start until Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) brings an ancient artifact belonging to his late grandmother to Ray (Aykroyd). It’s the same brass orb we saw in the opening scene, which spikes Ray’s PKE meter that can detect evil spirits. It’s an intriguing premise that brings the old and new cast to work together. Nanjiani’s comedic one-liners (I only went to my grandma’s dungeon looking for Pop-Tarts, ha!) with his perpetually baffled reaction is pretty hilarious. He and Patton Oswalt as the hyper occult expert (aka ghost fanboy) prove to be the comic relief here.

The original cast, including secretary Annie Potts and NY mayor William Atherton, mostly take a backseat to the new characters, but their brief appearance naturally brings fond memories. The Spenglers (including Gary the honorary Spengler) don’t get much to do here either, except Phoebe who gets the most screen time. Grace is a phenomenal actress but I find her character arc involving a melancholic teenage ghost Melody (Emily Alyn Lind) a bit too somber for a horror comedy. Their talky scenes feel overlong which underlines the movie’s uneven tone, pacing issues, and lack of development for other key characters. It’s a travesty to underutilize the oh-so-watchable Paul Rudd, who can make a simple scene of quoting lines from the famous theme song so memorably funny.

The ghosts themselves are an array of cutesy and sinister-looking creatures, the Stay Puft Marshmallows (which reminds me of Toy Story‘s green aliens who travel in packs) are adorable, while the new evil villain Garraka can be pretty scary for younger kids with its massive size and giant ram horns. Murray’s quip ‘tall, dark and horny at 12 o’clock’,  which he likely ad-libbed, draws laughter from the audience, wish there were more memorable bits from the original cast. Overall it’s overstuffed with too many unnecessary characters whose humor falls flat.

While there are enjoyable moments and fun camaraderie between the old and new Ghostbusters, Frozen Empire barely has any of the spark of the original to justify its existence. Die-hard fans might relish in the nostalgia factor, but I think this franchise ought to be put to rest once and for all. Instead of these non-ending sequels, perhaps SONY could consider making an episodic series if they want to carry on its legacy.

Have you seen Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Let me know what you think!

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