I was a big fan of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, so I was pretty excited to go and check out its sequel. But I was then surprised to see that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was getting some pretty lukewarm reviews. But I figured, why not go and check it out regardless. While not quite the surprise Afterlife was, Frozen Empire is a pretty fun movie, albeit one that’s a lot busier than its predecessor.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is directed and co-written by Gil Kenan, taking over from Afterlife’s Jason Reitman, who gets a co-writing credit here after leaving the project. After a quick intro set in 1904 establishing the MacGuffin of the film, the story jumps us to modern-day New York City and the Spengler family we met in the previous film, who are now full-time Ghostbusters, living in the firehouse and everything. After an opening action set piece where the family busts a ghostly sewer dragon and inadvertently causes a lot of property damage, they’re summoned to Mayor Walter Peck’s office, where he lambasts the family for their recklessness, including letting a minor partake in dangerous activities. So McKenna Grace’s Phoebe Spengler is effectively benched from Ghostbusting, at least until she comes of age. But what teenager actually listens to their parents, especially when they have a rather unique perspective on things, and of course, this puts Phoebe on her on plotline.

Meanwhile, Kumail Nanjiani’s Nadeem Razmaadi, in need of some cash, pawns some of his grandmother’s possessions to Ray Stantz (Dan Ackroyd, the original Ghostbuster with the most screen time in the movie), including one sinister-looking orb. Of course, this is the film’s MacGuffin and everything in the plot hinges on this device. There’s also stories of the ghostly containment units being filled to capacity, Zeddemore’s secret ghost lab, Phoebe’s new ghost friend she meets while doing her own thing, and the various side quests to gain information on the main plot line. Plus, making sure Bill Murray’s Venkman and Annie Pott’s Melnitz from the original films get their moments to shine while also giving Lucky Domino and Podcast from Afterlife something to do. Plus, Kumail Nanjiani is more important to the plot than just being the guy who sets things in motion, there’s a few new characters to introduce, and of course, we have to focus on the main family dynamic between Paul Rudd’s Gary, Carrie Coon’s Callie and Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor, who gets more than a few run-ins with Slimer.

As you can see, a lot is going on in this movie. It’s never confusing or convoluted, but it does feel busy and as a result, a lot of characters end up feeling sidelined. I feel removing the subplot with Nanjiani’s character, for example, would’ve changed nothing to the plot of the film apart from allowing more importance to be given to the Ghostbusters, both past and present. I also didn’t feel like there were any stakes for the city or the world, despite the overwhelming odds the Ghostbusters faced. There’s a lot of plot armour in the script.

Those are my main concerns with the film. Apart from that, it’s not a bad little movie. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire leans heavily into the 80s filmmaking style, marrying practical and digital effects quite nicely while ensuring the score has a certain whimsicalness to it. It felt very Amblin to me and I say that as a compliment, of course. I particularly liked how Paul Rudd’s Gary was trying to find his place in the family, trying to learn the fine line between being a friend and a parent to Callie’s kids. I also appreciated the balance between 80s campfire horror and comedy. There’s some definite scary imagery here that may spook younger viewers, so just bear that in mind if you’re a parent. It was also nice to see New York City back in the franchise, I know that may seem trivial, but it certainly felt right to have them back in the Big Apple after the previous film was set in small-town Oklahoma.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire may not be as strong or as personal as Afterlife was, but it’s not as bad as the mainstream critics are saying. If you’re looking for a light, turn off your brain adventure and can accept that the film is quite busy with too many characters, it’s a fun movie that doesn’t push the envelope, unlike its predecessor.