REVIEW: GHOSTBUSTERS - FROZEN EMPIRE

3/5

I Ain't Afraid Of No Frost

115 Mins. Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O'Connor, Logan Kim, Emily Alyn Lind, James Acaster, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts & William Atherton. Director: Gil Kenan. In: Theatres.

There are some stranger things in the neighbourhood, now Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace and Carrie Coon are the ones to call for your new 'Afterlife'. They breathed new spunk and spirit into the iconic and retro great 'Ghostbusters' franchise with their new theme. All whilst bringing the old guard back, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray and more. Perfectly paying tribute to the late, great Harold Ramis with some spirited CGI emotion capturing. Fans around the world and all the way back to New York City were caught Hook and Ladder to these hearse driving, fire house favourites. Crossing the streams of tears. It helped them get over the 2016 girl proton powered reboot that was actually as alive as Saturday Night and cruelly criticized. And for all those 'busters who get to join the boiler suit donning gang, you would think they could be invited back for a major monster mash-up of a movie too, with Chris Hemsworth manning the phones. Fans shouldn't have listened to Trump. Instead, the 'Frozen Empire' sequel of this new recharged ghost busting franchise brings a touch of frost and a little of a cold front to its New York City paranormal cops. The reception hasn't been a complete cold shoulder, as it's made more money than an ice cream truck in July. But after the new life of its predecessor, the rigor mortis is starting to set in for this frozen film.

Don't be afraid of no ghost, mind you. Because this super supernatural film is still superb in this age of heroes, and a fun film to boot. It's just the leaders of the old and new school Paul Rudd and Bill Murray, reuniting after the 'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania' sequel, know all about how a slumping sequel can bring the scary out of even the most sought after franchises. Their individual, trademark one-lining, one-of-a-kind humour more than do the heavy lifting with easy whilst the ghost garbage fills to bursting. In this class cast, freshmen and reunion, the same can be said for the class of her own Carrie Coon, 'Stranger Things' and 'IT' star Finn Wolfhard making a new friend a little greener than Eleven, but none less bald and the moxie of McKenna Grace stealing the show and making this Ramis like spectacle her own with Harold hallmarks. Or the innovating originals refusing to trade places, and instead desiring to share spaces. Just like the legendary Dan Aykroyd with a paranormal show that the Riker of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', Jonathan Frakes would be proud of...and that is true. Or the as magnificent as that meme of him giving it to himself, Ernie Hudson, going yards. Giving this film its heart and inspiration that could convince any cynic or those cashing a cheque that this was the real deal. Add the amazing Annie Potts taking care of everything and the major mayor William Atherton still square, trying to make sure these meddling kids don't get away with anything. Nostalgia on the nose doesn't have to be nuanced when it's in fabulous service of the fans.

Hallmark haunts help this dry ice atmospheric feature from Gil Kenan survive the winter. Not to mention the pre-summer blockbuster march of film fodder. Co-writing a script with Jason Reitman in tribute to his father Ivan, this film is as spirited as the New York it occupies is all pizza grease and subway grime. In the time it takes, here in an NYC minute, you're reintroduced to friendly ghastly faced favourites and a whole new gang of ghosts that still wow like the holograms of a 'Haunted Mansion' at Disneyland. Figure in the recruiting return of the cool Celeste O'Connor and the literal Podcast, Logan Kim, and this fifth film feels as fresh, yet as fond, as all the others in the franchise. Walking around like a Statue of Liberty Easter Egg (just like those classic 80s toy commercials) or Marshmallow Man monster, as we "stay puft" with the new mini scene-stealers of the roasting marshmallows as cute as Groot or Grogu. Then in this spectral spectacle the fire of Kumail Nanjiani, the comic timing of Patton Oswalt, the great British sarcasm of James Acaster looking like the pulp of Jarvis Cocker's son in this fiction, and the Ricci like haunting spectre of Emily Alyn Lind give this empire a new state of mind that stops it from freezing over. For the 40th anniversary like Disneyland, Tokyo, these old ghosts still rock like the boombox busting theme. And as stone lions come alive like the tigers, bears and "oh my" of a 'Night At The Museum' this film and franchise is far from the fridge. Epic exposition chilling us to the core like a Robert Frost poem or an Aykroyd monologue that chews the scenery. Still, if this crew in the coolest cab don't want to be left out in the cold ready to thaw out, they might want to chill for a Big Apple minute and go back to the core. There, this old dog might find some new tricks that aren't so easy to scare up. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife', 'Ghostbusters II', 'Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania'.