Stanko's Stance

“When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.”

Director: Gil Kenan
Writers: Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman
Starring: Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Annie Potts, Celeste O’Connor, Bull Murray, Finn Wolfhard, Patton Oswalt, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Kumail Nanjiani
Release Date: March 29, 2024
IMDB

I know I am late with this trailer. I know it came out like three weeks ago. I am busy, but it was on my to-do list so I am doing it now.

This trailer is bad. It is really bad. This does not make me excited for Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire (2024). 

I know, my reaction was worth the wait, right?

I have a question. If shards of ice come up from the group in New York City and send the whole metropolis into a frozen wasteland…are we going to get some impalements? Is that an option? I feel like that has to be in the cards. 

I know, this is not a bigger question matters in the long run, but in a city that has more people than it knows what to do with, I think it would look more like WWII beach battle scene than a concrete jungle under an icy hue.

Yes, I am picking knits.

For some context, I enjoyed Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) for what it was. It started off with a bang, but then sank to a whimper when it got weighed down by old characters returning. The ending jumped the shark and ended up being way too hammy for what the rest of the movie was. 

So with that in mind, watching the trailer for Frozen Empire makes me incredibly worried. We get a lot of Danny Akroyd, plus some shots of Billy Murray and Ernie Hudson. Ray (Dan Akyrord) is delivering the majority of the voiceover, giving the stakes for what both generations of Ghostbusters are going to be fighting against.

There are three total words spoken by the younger cast, and thankfully they are spoken by McKenna Grace, who plays the best character from Afterlife, Phoebe Spengler. For a movie that is meant to blend the old with the new, we got a lot of old, and a lot of middle in this first teaser trailer.

By the middle, I mean the character Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) and a new eccentric sounding character played by Patton Oswald. There is no denying that Paul Rudd fits in this universe as a childish man with a great smile and clever wit. I have zero problem with his character getting more screen time. In terms of Patton Oswald, let’s see what part he plays. If I had to guess, he is a Ghostbusters expert who gets the gang reunited in this time of crisis. 

So what else about this trailer irked me?

After the opening minute tells the visual story of New York becoming the site of a disaster movie, we get an edit (with music cue) to a ghostmobile…not set in snow? Just a bit of a jarring visual when you are hammering this winter horror to the audience only to let us see clean asphalt. One would have to think that this scene with the car is from early on in the movie.

I know that we didn’t get much of him in this trailer, but are we all in Finn Wolfhard still? Are we sure? He was objectively terrible in season four of Stranger Things. I admit that I have not seen a lot of him besides what is on Netflix, but if we only have the Pennywise movies, Stranger Things, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, then Wolfhard needs to work hard to get back in my good graces. 

It’s not all bad though. Leds shed some optimistic thoughts on the Frozen Empire trailer.

The villain itself, and the concept of the death chill is very cool. The looming icy figure that can freeze people in fear reminds me of the weeping angels from Doctor Who. The existential dread that you know it’s coming and there is nothing you can do. See, it is not all bad!

With all the negative things I have said about Ghostbusters: Afterlife, I am still going to watch this movie. It is the perfect kind of blockbuster slop that I will gobble up. I would love to be surprised. I would love to enjoy this movie not just for the nostalgia but also for its entertainment level.

This sequel being directed by Gil Kenan. This is his first major motion picture since his attempt at a reboot with Poltergeist (2015). He is a relatively inexperienced talent in Hollywood; he only has four writing credits, and that includes two upcoming projects. He did contribute to Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife comes to theaters in March 2024.