‘GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE’ Rated PG-13

Forty years ago, the start of the “Ghostbusters” franchise began with perfect casting of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis as parapsychologists forced out of their positions at a New York university (maybe it was Columbia, just not sure).

Denied their research grant funding, the trio became ectoplasmic exterminators working out of an old firehouse in Manhattan, tooling up in a converted Cadillac ambulance for their forays throughout the city in response to distress calls.

The original 1984 “Ghostbusters” was ripe with humor and wisecracks, the latter coming mostly from Bill Murray’s Dr. Peter Venkman with his knack for snarky remarks, often directed to the officious, arrogant EPA inspector Walter Peck (William Atherton).

Four decades later, Bill Murray’s Venkman is joined by Dan Aykroyd’s Dr. Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore, and Annie Potts’ Janine Melnitz as original members of the team, who also appeared in 2021’s “Afterlife” installment with Sigourney Weaver.

But first, the story of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” starts with a prologue in 1904 when New York firemen lead by a daring captain (Stephen Whitfield) discover frozen scientists, setting up the scenario implicit in the film’s title that comes to fruition with the release of a demon god.

This fifth installment (if you count the all-female version from 2016) brings back from “Afterlife” members of the Spengler family, including Callie (Carrie Coon), estranged daughter of the late Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), and her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace).

The Spenglers, along with former science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), relocate from small town Oklahoma where they uncovered Egon’s equipment to the Ghostbusters’ firehouse headquarters in the original film.

For his part, Grooberson is a Ghostbuster and a father figure to the Spengler kids, while the whole family wheels around town in the old reliable Ecto-1 mobile in chasing the usual ethereal creatures with the help of Phoebe’s new gear.

This kind of film works best with the right kind of villains. The return of Slimer brings welcome familiarity. But an ancient evil monster released from the prison of a metal orb results in the kind of fearsome creature similarly found in the climactic challenge of the first film.

The loathsome Walter Peck (William Atherton) returns this time as the Mayor of New York City, even more obnoxious than when he was just an annoying environmental bureaucrat with a grudge.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” like most sequels in any genre, does not match the thrills and excitement of the classic 1984 original, but it does have enough nostalgic moments that fans of the franchise should find enjoyably entertaining.

What does the future hold for the franchise? The original Ghostbusters are getting long in the tooth, even though they remain delightful mainstays.

New characters on the scene would be welcome to return. Kumail Nanjiani’s Nadeem, taking on the role of Fire Master, brings much needed comic relief, as does Patton Oswalt’s library researcher.

It’s also great to see the Stay Puft little Marshmallow Men wreak havoc (be sure to stay for the end credits), and one would hope these silly creatures (think Minions) would return and play a bigger role in future mayhem.



‘Mr. Bates vs The Post Office’ on PBS

How often does a miscarriage of justice prompt a swift reply by political leadership following a firestorm of public indignation? The answer may be found in what happened in the United Kingdom in a scandal involving the British postal system.

“Mr. Bates vs The Post Office” tells the story of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history, and this comes from the unforgivable errors of the Post Office’s own computer system.

Imagine the nightmare of being a sub-postmaster wrongly accused and charged with fraud crimes due to a faulty technical system. Hundreds of sub-postmasters within the system got caught up in a terrible situation years in the making.

Lives were needlessly ruined, but the four-part drama has British actor Toby Jones in the role of Alan Bates, a postmaster standing up in a David versus Goliath heroic story ripped straight from the headlines.

Following a broadcast of this program in the United Kingdom, the public outcry over injustice to the postal workers forced the hand of the British Prime Minister to announce a new law to pardon the victims who had been wrongly convicted.

When money started to seemingly disappear from local postal branches, the government-owned Post Office wrongly blamed their own managers for its apparent losses. For more than a decade, hundreds were accused of theft and fraud.

Many were even sent to prison, leaving lives, marriages, and reputations in ruins. With the problems triggered by their own computer system, the Post Office denied they caused these errors.

“Mr. Bates vs The Post Office” is the story of the fight for justice by the decent ordinary people who were relentlessly pursued, coerced, and vilified by a powerful government entity, and their ongoing battle against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.