★★★★ | A demo-worthy disc of an underrated film

The Film

★★★★ | Lovely and heartfelt adventure comedy for the whole family

I really, really, disliked Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I found it soulless at best, and deeply immoral at worst. Nothing about it worked for me, and yet, it was something of a commercial and critical success. Not an overwhelming one, but enough to justify more sequels.

So to say I was skeptical walking into Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire would be an understatement. I try not to have preconceived notions of a film before I see it, but sometimes it’s hard to get excited about certain properties. Especially when they’ve let you down for decades.

Imagine my surprise, when about twenty minutes into Frozen Empire, I noticed a weird sensation. I was having fun.

Sure, you could argue it was the low expectations, but that kind of relief doesn’t last. A film can be “better than expected” and still end up terrible. Frozen Empire exceeds that, even with its numerous faults.

Those issues are best laid out immediately. The film is overstuffed, with at least a handful of plot threads that go nowhere, and some that have no business being included. Why the filmmakers insist on bringing in members of the original film is still beyond me. William Atherton looks like he’s having fun, but did anyone really sit around for four decades asking: “Whatever happened to Councilman Peck?”

Bill Murray looks like he doesn’t want to be there, and his scenes all appear to have been shot separately from the main cast. He gets one good gag in, but all it does is highlight how much of everything else doesn’t work.

Elsewhere, Frozen Empire can’t decide which story it wants to tell. Like it’s worried that this is the last Ghostbuster film they’ll ever make, and they better put in every idea they’ve got. So you get a little bit of family drama as the Spengler descendants try to settle in as the new generation of Ghostbusters. There’s a frustratingly truncated potential love story between Phoebe Spengler and Melody, the ghost of a teenager unable to pass on to the beyond. Kumail Nanjiani shows up as a slacker who might be the last living firekeeper, an ancient version of proto-Ghostbusters. The aforementioned Peck is now mayor, and still out to close down the Ghostbusters for good. (Though why he didn’t do it in the four decades they were out of business is a mystery.)

It’s just all too busy and feels like at least two separate movies forced into one. Each storyline has the potential to be great, but they consistently trip over themselves to get even a chance in the spotlight.

The bits that work, really knock it out of the park. McKenna Grace is the shining star of the show, effortlessly carrying the picture on her back. Her tender friendship with Melody offers the kind of mystery and off-beat charm the original film had.

Returning founding member, Dan Aykroyd, is similarly fantastic. He’s more alive than ever, delivering his patented pitter-patter dialogue with gusto. Every scene of him, McKenna, and the slew of guest stars like Patton Oswalt, just talking about the unsolved mysteries of the universe is a pure delight. It’s a combination of whimsy, oddball seriousness, and love for the unknown that makes these moments shine. Personally, I would have loved to have an entire film of just this. Uniquely curious individuals who solve mysteries together in a way that’s just screwy enough to stand out.

The entire first half of the film is just that, and it’s enough to make Frozen Empire the best Ghostbusters film since the original. The second half isn’t as strong, but still delivers laughs and thrills to never truly stumble. If it did, this would easily be considered on par with the original. Now, it’s just a good sequel, and finally the kind of reboot that I can get behind.

I hope that Frozen Empire finds an audience, even with the lukewarm reception. There’s so much to love here that it would be a shame for it to amount to nothing. Finally, the franchise seems like it’s moving on from the nostalgia bait and allowing a new generation of characters to take over. Ernie Hudson is terrific as he ushers in the new cast, effortlessly charming his way from one expository scene to the next. His scenes with Aykroyd, where they muse about these being their golden years, are surprisingly touching, too.

If anything, Frozen Empire proves that Ghostbusters doesn’t need to cling to dated and toxic nostalgia. It has everything it needs right here. The winning cast is finally settling into their roles, and there are enough myths (real and imagined) to last another four decades. Let Aykroyd and Hudson visit and share their charisma when needed, but otherwise, we can move on.

That’s how these things are supposed to work, both with the living and the dead.

Technical Specs & Presentation

★★★ | Solid base package, no more, no less.

• Contents: 4K UHD + Blu-ray
• Subtitles: Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English
• Release Date: 1.7.2024

The Nordic 4K Ultra HD is a perfectly acceptable version, complete with a 4K Blu-ray and a regular 1080p Blu-ray version of the film. The regular Blu-ray also packs in a host of extras, most of which are quite good. Subtitles are spotty, with some of the extra material including them, while others are notably absent. The discs are housed in a regular double-disc case without any special packaging – though a collectors edition, complete with the previous film in the series, is available.

Video

★★★★★ | Fantastic presentation with some of the best color and HDR available

• Widescreen (2.39:1)
• UHD 2160p
• HDR10 | Dolby Vision

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire looks absolutely mind-bogglingly amazing. No two words about it. This is a feast for HDR fans and a spectacular showcase for any OLED enthusiasts out there. Even on a regular QLED or LCD system, I found the image quality out of this world.

Blacks are inky, highlights punchy, and every time someone fires an ecto-beam it feels like it could come out of the screen at any moment. The big showdowns, including ice, fire, and numerous bouncing light sources, are some of the best I’ve seen reproduced in home media.

Skin tones are true to life, and there’s a great separation of character from background without anything looking artificial. It’s the kind of transfer you look at and wonder why everything can’t look this good.

I thought the film looked gorgeous in theaters, and worried it couldn’t achieve the same sense of wonder on a smaller screen. I’m glad I was wrong. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a pristine, faultless home video transfer that is some of the best work Sony has ever done on their releases. This is a home run.

Audio

★★★★★ | It will give your audio setup a run for its money

• English: Dolby Atmos (4K) | English – 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (Blu-ray)

The audio fares just as well as the image quality. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a feast for the ears as it is for the eyes, delivering a thoroughly impressive showcase for subwoofers and Atmos setups.

From the very first minutes onward, where we’re introduced to the villain of the story, it’s clear that Sony didn’t come to mess around. The low frequency shakes the entire room, and the small details fill every speaker with rich, vibrant activity. This is a film that makes New York feel alive in your living room, and every single scene is packed with something new to discover.

When the action picks up, the effects work is nothing short of staggering. I had to go back and rewatch multiple scenes over and over just to let the audio wash over me. There’s a moment late in the film involving a device that removes ghosts from whatever they’ve possessed, and listening to the machine hum on a good system gave me chills.

On a regular set, with double TV speakers, I found the sound clear and punchy, with crisp emphasis on dialog and the big effects. You miss out on the subwoofer heaven, but there’s still a surprising amount of heft to the mix. The 4K Dolby Atmos mix is clearly the showcase here, but the 5.1 Master Audio on the Blu-ray is equally compelling, presenting a compelling case for why even a good physical Blu-ray outshines streaming at every turn. For fans, this is one of the best versions of any Ghostbusters film out there, and one of the best tech demos this year.

Extras

★★★ | Decent extras that could have dived a bit deeper

The extras are fine, if brief. The commentary by director Gil Kennan is a highlight, and sets the bar for everything else, making it a difficult job for them to clear it. His talk is packed with trivia, fun details about the lore, how they approached the material to satisfy both new and old fans, and even some great techy bits for us nerds who want to know how the sausage is made.

The documentaries are more like featurettes, with a lot of talking heads and everyone repeating how great it was to make this film. It’s nowhere near as comprehensive as I’d wish, and there’s a sense that a lot of this is marketing material instead of genuine behind-the-scenes footage. The most compelling stuff is found in the tech departments, diving into how the creatures were made, what was practical, and what parts had to be done digitally.

It’s never bad, and there’s plenty of fun to be found here, but I doubt I’ll return to any of this in the future. It’s not the kind of must-see material that is educational or so compelling that it demands a second viewing. I’m glad it exists, and I’m happy that Sony still delivers bonus content on their physical media (please never stop doing so!), but I wish studios would be less precious about letting their material be more than just hype. We’ve already bought the film, let us know more about how it got put together!

Overall

★★★★★ | A fantastic release of an underrated film, well worth it for fans

Whatever complaints I might have about the extras, there’s no denying how good the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdom really is. This is a comprehensive, technically faultless 4K Blu-ray package that’s well worth the price. It delivers on nearly every level what film fans could want, and it packs in a regular Blu-ray to boot!

With some of the best audiovisual highlights of the year, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of the franchise, and anyone who wants a great family-friendly adventure film for their collection. It’s a sign that physical media is alive and well, and studios like Sony are still supporting them with quality titles like this one.

Full extras:

• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Easter Eggs Unleashed
• Manifesting Garraka
• New York, New Gear
• Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center
• Knowing the Score
• Commentary with Director, Co-Writer Gil Kenan
• Return to the Firehouse: Making Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
• Busted: Capturing the Ghosts of Frozen Empire