Director: Gil Kenan

Cast: Mckenna Grace, Celeste O'Connor, Carrie Coon

Synopsis:

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But 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.

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Goodness to ghosts, it’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 40 years since I saw the original “Ghostbusters” at the River Oaks Theater in Calumet City as the jam-packed house laughed and applauded the late director Ivan Reitman’s near-perfect, classic 1980s blending of action, special effects and comedy, with that iconic cast led by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver. “Ghostbusters” became an instant classic and was the launching point for a pop culture empire that included a number of direct sequels, the 2016 reboot, animated TV spinoffs, more than two dozen video games, comic books, slot machines, pinball games, you name it.

I haven’t always loved the theatrical-release follow-ups to the original, but I’m pleased to report that “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” carries the same endearingly goofy, science-nerd spirit of the first film and delivers a delightful balance of slimy ghost stuff, sharp one-liners, terrific VFX and a steady stream of callbacks to various characters, human and otherwise, from the 1984 movie. (Even the music by Dario Marianelli contains some lovely echoes of the original movie’s score by the great Elmer Bernstein.)

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