Divisive Sequel To Beloved Franchise Gets Second Chance On Netflix
Few film franchises are quite as weird as Ghostbusters, which went from having a hit adult movie to a kid-friendly sequel and then a disastrous reboot. The soft reboot approach made the later movie Afterlife into a hit, but that film’s icy sequel ironically left many fans (ironically enough) lukewarm. But now that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has become a major hit on Netflix, more audiences are realizing the truth: the latest film in the franchise is a little uneven but big fun, especially for old-school fans.
The Plot
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has an admittedly meandering plot: the new Ghostbusters team is back in New York, but a messy ghost capture causes so much damage that young Phoebe gets kicked off the team.
This gives her the chance to bond with a charismatic ghost girl while the rest of the team investigates a mysterious and potentially dangerous orb. When these storylines intersect, it threatens to unleash an evil that can fatally freeze anything and everything it encounters.
The Cast
Most of the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire cast is comprised of returning stars from Afterlife, including Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, and McKenna Grace. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard is back, as are original Ghostbusters stars like Bill Murray. The cast has some fun new additions, though, including Emily Alyn Lind, Patton Oswalt, and Kumail Nanjiani.
The Reception
When Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire came out, it was a very modest box office success. The film earned $202 million against a budget of $100 million, but the (admittedly unknown) marketing costs may have eaten into or even completely consumed the actual profits.
It’s not clear whether Sony will green-light a sequel, though the film taking Netflix by storm is proof that audiences are very interested in the adventures of Hollywood’s best band of paranormal investigators.
Speaking of which, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a movie that appeals to audiences much more than to critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a 42 percent critical rating, with critics generally complaining that this is a nostalgia fest with too many characters and too few laughs.
Notably, though, the movie has an audience score of 83 percent, with audiences praising the nostalgia and the film’s ability to appeal to fans old and new.
An Imperfect But Good Sequel
As for my own thoughts, I should preface this by saying that I’m a superfan of this franchise—like, I grew up with all the old toys, memorized the first two films, and loved the original cartoon.
My house is filled with proton packs and other props, and I’m getting ready to give Mondo way too much money for those Real Ghostbusters figures they showed off at SDCC. All of this is to say that I’m a wee bit biased when it comes to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
With that being said, I thought the film was mostly good though a little rough around the edges. The critics weren’t entirely wrong—there are too many characters in here, which is one reason that we have so many plots, not all of which mesh well together.
And I do miss when Ghostbusters was more explicitly funny rather than trying to address such serious themes.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
Still, there is plenty to enjoy in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, including Phoebe’s ghostly gal pal…Emily Alyn Lind does a great job and has phenomenal chemistry with McKenna Grace. The sparking chemistry between Marvel golden boy Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon is also delightful to watch, especially as they try to navigate the increasingly-choppy waters of raising Phoebe.
Plus, newcomer Kumail Nanjiani brings some much-needed laughs, and his character (which I thought sounded awful on paper) effectively becomes the heart of the film.
After a slightly tepid box office performance, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now on Netflix, and its streaming numbers may help Sony decide whether this franchise deserves another sequel.
As for you, will busting still feel as good as it once did or will you need a thick coating of mood slime to enjoy this latest adventure? The only way to find out is to stream it today.
Just don’t watch anything else on your phone at the same time…after all, crossing the streams would be very bad.
