Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

 I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on Tuesday, and it took me until now to commit my thoughts to writing. A major factor is that there's a lot going on in this sequel, in which Afterlife's director Jason Reitman cedes the director's chair to his co-writer, Gil Kenan. Ultimately, it's fine, but less could have been more, and less could have been better explained more.

What do I mean?

Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), her beau Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), and her kids Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), are now New York's latest team of Ghostbusters. One particularly destructive bust gets them sent to the mayor - none other than the first film's Walter Peck (William Atherton) - who is looking for any excuse to bust the team. Phoebe gets benched from the team soon after, and later meets a teen ghost named Melody (Emily Alyn Lind).

An aimless dude named Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) sells original buster Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) a metal orb that once belonged to his grandmother. This orb, as later revealed, houses the demon god Garraka (Ian Whyte), who's out to freeze the world solid. His influence is so powerful that other ghosts are scared silent. Meanwhile, the Ghostbusters' overflowing containment unit is about to burst, and Garraka wants its inmates for his cause.

There's quite a bit of subplots. Phoebe spends more time with Melody and covertly busts ghosts with her former classmate, Podcast (Logan Kim). Trevor discovers Slimer in the attic and tries to bust him. Gary tries to fit in with the Spenglers. Lucky Domingo (Celeste O'Connor) is now an intern for OG buster Winston Zeddemore's (Ernie Hudson) Paranormal Research Center. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) helps Nadeem discover his destiny as a firebender (long story). That sounds like a lot, but they need a lot of help to thaw out the demonic God once he shows up.

That's a lot of subplots for a 115-minute movie. A few other new characters, Dr. Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt) and Dr. Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), are lost in the shuffle. Wartzki exposits on Garraka's mythology in his only scene, and while a fun presence, his role could have easily been given to someone else for streamlining purposes. Pinfield, Winston's lead researcher, barely has much to do in the film. As for the old characters, Trevor's only bits are him trying to get Slimer and permission to drive Ecto-1. Phoebe's tense relationship with her mother and "step-teacher" could have used an extra scene to help it resolve in the third act. Lucky and Peter are just there.

The containment unit breaking down has a bit of odd logic. The film mentions that the unit storing forty-years of busted ghosts is causing it to burst. It mentions that Peck inadvertently released the ghosts when he had the unit shut off in the first film. But did the Ghostbusters recapture them by the time they were sued to bankruptcy before Ghostbusters II? The film never explains that. Speaking of Peck, his first scene seems amiable when he, despite ordering Phoebe being benched, suggests another way to contribute. But all doubts dissipate when he later relishes the Ghostbusters' latest misadventure as his aforementioned excuse. It's quite amusing when the Ghostbusters show him up at the end.

What actually worked about the plot? Melody is quite pitiable given the circumstances of her death, and not even her being revealed to be Garraka's mole is enough to destroy that pity. She and Phoebe's friendship is quite compelling, and their final scene together is moving. Phoebe herself is also compelling as she tries to work around her being benched. It pays off when she uses her gadgeteering to strengthen her proton pack to spectacular levels. Nadeem maybe comical, but his hero's journey is surprisingly effective. The original Ghostbusters get a moment to shine when they team-up to reseal Garraka. The writing maybe imperfect, but you do feel the combined team's comradery, which is amplified once the title song finally kicks in.

I have mixed feelings about Garraka. His unsettling design is spectacular, but he only finally manifests at the tail end of the film. So much for the promise of the premise the title suggests. Then again, Gozer only shows up late in the first film and Afterlife, but her presence is felt beforehand with her minions. Garraka freezes a roomful of guys in the prologue, and his orb manifests his psychic rage whenever someone messes with it. There's some great visual effects and sound design at work here. He proves himself a formidable foe capable of overpowering the Ghostbusters' conventional equipment. Maybe another watch can solidify my opinion of him.

What else worked? The opening chase with the ghostly Sewer Dragon is a great way to kick off the film. The film's other standout sequences are a return trip to the New York Public Library, where Ray is reunited with John Rothman's administrator Roger Delacorte and the Ghostly Librarian, and the final battle with Garraka. Melody's ghostly effects and those for the mini-pufts are impressive (the minis almost look like real marshmallow!). Dario Marianelli does a good job mixing Elmer Bernstein's themes with a new score. I can go on, but I've said a lot.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire should make for a good matinee, particularly with Easter right around the corner. It may take a while to discern the plots, but there's quite a bit to like about this installment. I'd like to see more of the Paranormal Research Center if there's a sequel, for instance. Let's also hope there's a better-balanced plot for its cast, next time, no matter how big it is. Nevertheless, this imperfect round of ghostbusting still makes me feel good. It'll do something right if it makes you feel a bit good, too, even for an afternoon. That's it for now.