Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon return

“Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire”

Sony pictures

the Ghostbusters It seems that the universe has become awfully crowded. The latest film in the series, which celebrates its 40th anniversary, features a plethora of Ghostbusters old and new, including surviving members of the original cast, characters introduced in 2021. Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and a variety of eccentric new characters that are bound to appear in future installments. The only ones left out seem to be the Ghostbusters from the unfair 2016 reboot, who should have at least deserved a respectable appearance.

However, Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire It tries hard, hard, to please fans of the series with plenty of nostalgic throwbacks and basically succeeds. It’s not nearly as good as the classic 1984 original, but then again, neither was it in 1989 Ghostbusters IIThis film was directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, all of whom were responsible for the original. So the fact that this installment manages to be as entertaining as it is is a minor victory.

The screenplay by Jason Reitman and director Gil Kenan doesn’t need to do as much heavy lifting as the last film, since the characters are well-established and, as evidenced by the raucous opening scene, happily settled into their new roles as Ghostbusters. They’ve also settled into their new home, the beloved Tribeca Firehouse that was the original gang’s headquarters, giving the film the advantage of being set in New York City rather than Oklahoma. There’s nothing wrong with Oklahoma, mind you, but let’s face it, New York City has a lot of ghosts. Some of them, like the beloved Slimer, still live in the firehouse. Not to mention those adorable Mini-Pufts who keep making a mess.

But just as Gary (Paul Rudd), Callie (Callie Kuhn), and kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) get into their groove, they’re stymied by the original film’s nemesis, Walter Peck, who’s now the bad guy. . Mayor of New York City. He is once again played by the great William Atherton, whose film acting career spans just 52 years, and is a joy to see on screen. Also almost a treat is the appearance of veteran actor John Rothman, reprising his role as the beleaguered bookstore manager from the first film.

When a malevolent god named Garraka is released from the orb and wreaks havoc on the city by summoning a legion of escaped ghosts and using his powers to unleash a new ice age, the Ghostbusters of Spring New and Old spring into action. Well, “spring” may not be the best word to describe Ray Aykroyd, who now hosts a show on YouTube, and Bill Murray’s Peter, who is doing… something. Both are definitely showing their age, with Winston Ernie Hudson, the wealthy founder of the Paranormal Research Laboratory, looking barely different than he did forty years ago. Also joining the event is the always delightful Janine from Annie Potts, who finally gets the chance to dress up as her. (Murray doesn’t actually appear in the film much, giving the impression that he only shows up when he feels like it. However, he is expected to add a welcome comedic touch whenever he does appear.)

Repeated appearances from hereafter They’re Celeste O’Connor’s Lucky and Logan Kim’s Podcast, though they’re not given much to do. Among the more entertaining newcomers is Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem, who sets events in motion by unwittingly selling the orb containing the vengeful god; Patton Oswalt as a library researcher who gladly provides useful information; And James Acaster as Lars, a funny scientist in Winston’s laboratory.

Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire He doesn’t mess with the well-polished formula, carefully balancing his laughs and scares in a breezy way that makes for enjoyable, if lightweight, viewing. But the film offers some nice emotional moments with a subplot involving Phoebe’s blossoming friendship with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind, from the Max series). gossip girl), the ghost of a teenage girl killed in a tenement fire. Their first meeting, when they play chess at night in an abandoned Washington Square Park (perhaps the most incredible plot element in a film featuring hundreds of ghosts stalking the city), is beautifully poignant. It also shows that Grace, whose character adorably wears the same glasses as her grandfather Egon (Ramis), could be an MVP of the series as it continues.

There are times when you feel like the film is trying too hard, especially in its efforts to balance screen time between all the characters. But it mostly handles the balancing act well and certainly gives the impression that cast members old and new are ready to continue carrying the torch — or, in this case, the proton beams.