For 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire', Generation X nostalgia isn't enough

It doesn't feel right to take a beating on “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” which is a movie with the right intentions: to entertain families looking for a show that will appeal to both kids and their Gen X/millennial parents. It's a little better than its macabre 2021 predecessor, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” in part because there are no holograms of deceased actors, which is a relief.

Still, there is very little opportunity for critical examination of this “legacy sequel” sequel to a franchise that already has one failed reboot under its belt. What more could be said about “Ghostbusters” in general, and this perfectly good but incredibly boring installment, in particular? It does exactly what it needs to do for die-hard fans and families looking for a night out at the movies. As a cultural-industrial product, it is emblematic of Hollywood's obsession with reboots, nostalgia and intellectual property, a topic that has been talked to death and bears no repetition.

To “Frozen Empire’s” credit, it tries to make something that is both familiar and expansive. The script is by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman, son of the original “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman, who died in 2022 (the new film has a dedication “To Ivan”). Although Jason Reitman directed 2021's “Afterlife,” Kenan (“Monster House,” “Poltergeist”) steps behind the camera here.

It may be a new generation of Ghostbusters, but the family of the late Egon Spengler is back in New York, in that familiar firehouse headquarters, after the “Afterlife” excursion to Oklahoma. Callie (Carrie Coon) and her children, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace), are back, along with Callie's boyfriend, Gary (Paul Rudd), who has joined the ghost fighting family. .

Even the kids' friends, Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O'Connor), are on the road, interning with original Ghostbusters Ray Stanz (Dan Akroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). Yes, the whole gang is here, right down to the last surviving Ghostbusters, including Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) and Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), plus some new characters.

One of the problems with the script is that there are too many characters. Each arc is given little attention and most of the story beats are too predictable. Phoebe is too young for a dangerous urban ghost hunt and feels out of step with her family, Gary doesn't know how she fits in with the rest of the Spengler clan, etc., etc.

These characters may all be in the same place, but each seems disconnected, preoccupied with their individual dilemma or task. Phoebe befriends a ghost who died in a house fire; Trevor tries, unsuccessfully, to catch Slimer. There is very little chemistry or connection between them, resulting in an unengaging, completely trite and mediocre story.

The only new character who brings any spark is Nadeem, Kumail Nanjiani's burnt-out loser, who pawns his grandmother's orb in Ray's paranormal shop. Listen: never trust an orb. It houses a creepy ice lord demon named Garaka, and he is this land's evil Elsa, breathing ice over Manhattan and threatening to unleash all the captured ghosts. Only Nadeem may have the hereditary gifts to fight such a creature, along with the brilliant and resourceful young Phoebe Spengler, of course.

Dan Aykroyd, left, and Kumail Nanjiani in the film “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.”

(Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures)

The nice thing about “Frozen Empire” is that it doesn't so much resemble the “Easter egg hunt” type cinema that Reitman praised in “Afterlife,” but instead uses elements of the original “Ghostbusters” in ways that work within the story. . The story may be better integrated here than in “Afterlife,” but “Frozen Empire” will never overcome accusations that it is simply regurgitated nostalgia aimed at a child audience.

The good news is that almost everyone seems to be having fun. Coon is relaxed, Rudd recites the theme song to great comic effect, and Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson and Potts are in good spirits. Everyone else, including Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt, who appear to tell a folklore story, seem happy to be there. British comedian James Acaster is a welcome sight, even if he's woefully underused (again, there are simply too many people in this film).

But not even this cast can save the routine machinations of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” as they dutifully hand out fragments of memories. And yet, we'll likely be back here in a few years to discuss another installment of “Ghostbusters.” Let's keep our fingers crossed that there will at least be more things to analyze, good or bad.