★★★☆☆ (3 stars)

Forty years after the original “Ghostbusters” hit theaters, the franchise is back with a fourth installment, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Despite the excitement surrounding its release, it may not be what film audiences were hoping for.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” takes place three years after “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and focuses on the Spengler family relocating to New York City, where they reunite with the original Ghostbusters. After an evil god known as Garraka, who uses the power of ice, is unleashed and seeks to take over the world through an army of ghosts, both the old and new generations of Ghostbusters team up to try to stop the incoming ice apocalypse.

Even though the “Ghostbusters” franchise has been a successful franchise for four decades, none of the installments in the series have come close to matching the quality of the first film, which is still a comedy classic. “Frozen Empire” definitely has a lot of very talented people working on it, who perhaps had the most excellent chance of meeting the original’s greatness, but unfortunately, it still slightly missed the mark.

One of the biggest problems with “Frozen Empire” is that it does not feel like it adds anything new or memorable to the franchise. With the addition of a new generation of Ghostbusters in the previous film, it felt like a world of possibilities could come with having two sets of Ghostbusters in one film. While the dynamic between the younger and older members of the team is not entirely wasted by any means, that is about all that feels fresh in this installment.

The “Ghostbusters” franchise has not had much variety in terms of the stories used in the films, especially in “Frozen Empire.” A ghost is trying to take over the world, and the Ghostbusters have to stop them, and that is it. Every story beat and moment is utterly predictable from the movie’s beginning, leaving little to surprise the viewer.

On top of that, a lot of the movie feels boring and padded beyond belief. “Frozen Empire” is not even two hours long, but so many of the scenes felt stale, uninteresting and never-ending, which is really surprising considering it is a movie about catching ghosts and saving the world. 

There is definitely a lot to complain about in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” and it certainly is not a good movie. However, there is a charm that every installment of the “Ghostbusters” franchise has, and this film is no exception. While it is not perfect, there are some highlights that make it far from a terrible movie.

The original trio from the first two “Ghostbusters” movies, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), still have the great chemistry that made those films so successful. All of the scenes that pair them together are the best in the movie, and they still have a lot of really funny lines and moments throughout the film.

Though the original actors are definitely the funniest, the rest of the cast do their best and have some pretty great moments of their own too. Paul Rudd and McKenna Grace do particularly great jobs in the film. It is clear that they are giving the film their all and having a great time, which translates to the audience enjoying every moment they are on screen.

Though the film drags in many places, the scenes that focus exclusively on comedy or action are captivating enough to keep things interesting. Although the “Ghostbusters” movies are not necessarily action films, this one is filled with many great special effects and exciting scenes that take advantage of the cool gadgets the team now has.

There is definitely a lot to complain about with the latest “Ghostbusters” film, and it is nothing if not imperfect, but like all of the previous installments, it has a few standout elements. It absolutely will not please everyone, but that is not to say it will disappoint everyone. Anyone who is looking exclusively for some laughs and excitement will probably walk away satisfied.

There are definitely many highlights of the movie, but for anyone looking for a film with a little more substance, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” probably is not who you want to call.