A follow-up to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Frozen Empire continues the story of the next generation of Ghostbusters as Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), daughter of the original Egon Spengler. Along with kids, Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and one-time science teacher now father-figure Gary Gooberson (Paul Rudd) have taken over the family business of catching ghosts.

With their proton packs in tow, the family now resides in New York, in the iconic firehouse. While it was fun to see ghosts in rural Oklahoma in Afterlife, the franchise was always something born and bred in New York. and it feels right to have it back in its hometown.

The Big Apple never seems to run out of Class III spectral anomalies or some such, so the pickings are good, to the dismay of Mayor Waltert Peck (William Atherton) He is of the opinion that they are more a bane than a boon to the good citizens of his fair city, and will take any and all opportunities he can to get them shut down permanently.

Of course a Ghostbusters movie wouldn’t be complete without a god-level entity bent on total world domination and/or destruction, so enter Garraka, an ancient entity (Aren’t they all?) with a bone to pick with humanity. Finally released after centuries of imprisonment, the big bad wastes no time in getting to work.

The movie is genuinely fun and funny with lots of Ghost-bustery moments and humor. The original Ghostbusters show up as well, this time with more significant parts. They get more screen time and are a bit more integral to the story compared to Afterlife, which is always a good thing. Dan Akroyd’s Ray Stantz is as geeky as ever, even in his golden years. Winston Zedmore (Ernie Hudson) is the practical, calm voice of reason. It is Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) Who seems underused. His deadpan look and charm were a big part of the original movie, and he doesn’t seem to get enough time to spread his wings.

There are some moments where the story feels crowded and there are a bit too many characters, but overall, it is a great way to spend a couple of hours. There are a lot of laughs, some great effects, and cool action set pieces. Plus, you get to hang out more with the OG Ghostbusters, who started it all forty years ago.

If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, you better head on down to the cinema because Ghostbusters Frozen is now showing.