‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ lacks direction

There’s something strange in the neighborhood and it is the script for “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” The latest effort in the spirited franchise meanders through plots and ideas to produce a series of snippets of plot crudely sewn together with weak laughs.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” brings together the cast from the previous lackluster sequel, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” with most of the team from the original movies from four decades ago. The original Ghostbusters – including Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Bill Murray – are still involved in the ghost business and have developed a top-secret research lab to take the work to the next level.

The second-generation team – played by Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace – has moved from rural America back into the original Ghostbusters firehouse. Before they can deal with the primary villain, there is an endless stream of personal, professional and political potholes in the way.

Instead of taking a direct line to the busting, the writing team of director Gil Kenan, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman keep tossing out bits and pieces of ideas. Their tale examines teenage angst, the pressures of parenting, finding identity, political pressure and the collision of physical science and the supernatural. There’s even a major storyline about redemption.

This muddled mess starts with William Atherton reprising his role as Mayor Walter Peck. He seems to have forgotten how his vendetta against the original Ghostbusters almost ended the world. This time he is looking at child labor laws as a way to break up the team.

Then there is the constant blathering by Rudd and Coon – the dullest parents in recent film history – about raising children and the proper way to discipline the teens. Rudd is particularly annoying as in a scene where he starts quoting lines from the theme song. Making the teens watch this movie would not be a good idea as it would be cruel and unusual punishment.

Phoebe Spengler (Grace) must split her time between being the family brain and being a psychologist for a trapped spirit who is looking to move on to the other side. Their relationship is forced and never delivers the emotional impact it should have had.

Hudson tries to lift the film but his work in the movie comes across as being too much like the role he is playing in the TV series “Quantum Leap.” Potts looks bored and Murray must have negotiated as little on-screen time as necessary to get a paycheck.

Only Aykroyd shows any life as he returns to the role of Ray Stantz. The way he spouts nonsensical facts and figures is presented with a gusto that gives the movie its only real life.

Mixed in with all these elements are nods to the original films including the return of Slimer. Every sequence with the green gobbler stops the movie. Those moments reflect how the filmmakers have brought together the new and nostalgic but all that calling up the past ends up doing is creating reminders of the quality of the original films.

The winks and nods to bygone years are not alone in slowing the movie already going at a snail’s pace. There are numerous scenes where Kenan gave up trying to make a linear film and just went for singular sensations.

That might have worked but the jokes are weak and the special effects pale in comparison to the original films. Even the chasing of ghosts through busy streets looks like material not used in previous productions.

It appears that offerings in the franchise will continue as it has been 40 years since the question of who should be called when there is something strange in the neighborhood was asked. The “Ghostbusters” franchise has gone through two revamps starting with an all-female version and then one focused on the second generation of busters. Each revamping has less quality than the one before it.

This busting will not make you feel good.

Movie review

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Grade: C-

Cast: Starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts.

Director: Gil Kenan

Rated: PG-13 for language, supernatural action sequences, suggestive material

Running time: 112 minutes.

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