I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, directed by Gil (Poltergeist 2015) Kenan, who cowrote with Jason Reitman, is a sequel to the renewed franchise's sentimental Afterlife and the fifth in the cinematic series.

This time, Carrie Coon's Callie Spengler nurtures her paranormal-partial kids, Finn Wolfhard's Eric and McKenna Grace's Phoebe, at the famous, NYC, firehouse headquarters, where they're re-teamed with original, crew members, Bill Murray's Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd's Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson's Winston Zeddemore and Annie Pott's Janine Melnitz, capped by Paul (Ant-Man) Rudd's father-figure Gary Grooberson, who like his main squeeze, Callie, loves his save-the-day job. William Atherton's Walter Peck re-emerges within the mayhem, joined by Celeste O'Connor, Logan Kim, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, Kumail Nanjiani (as a significant yet humble firemaster) and Emily Alyn Lind (as a woeful, friendly ghost).

So, what have the Ghostbusters been called upon to quell this time? It appears a mysterious orb has been lifted from its imprisonment and (of course) tampered with to wreck a Day After Tomorrow, freeze down across the city, led by a vengeful, neo-Gozer/Steppenwolf-ish fiend named Garraka, aka the Death Chill.

The entertainment doesn't rise as much from the daunting scenario, which may be the most cataclysmic of any Ghostbusters flick or animated adventure, but rather the crew's reaction to it. (To succeed, any Ghostbusters chapter must be character-driven, and Frozen Empire proves no exception.) Also, as with Afterlife, the new strand isn't an all-out laugh riot, even if comic relief does occur (e.g. Slimer's gooey resurgence, accompanied by a gang of mini, Stay Puft Marshmallow Men; Nanijani is often quite the hoot, as well).

Frozen Empire could be considered a gift to the Alternative 3, conspiracy-theory crowd, which maintains that the world is changing enough to end. Such prophesized threats never quite seem to reach fruition (thank goodness), but at least Frozen Empire delivers the non-warming goods and with no less than a welcome onslaught of spiffy effects. It's a little, major film with a big heart, and as long as one perceives it along the lines of Haunted Mansion 2023 and not Dune: Part 2, it should more than serve its intimate intent. 

Also, let's not overlook the fact that Frozen Empire works as a cool (pun intended) springboard for yet another sequel. I mean, if something ain't broke, there's no shame in tapping it for all the spectral cheer it's worth. 😁