March 28, 2024 – Some critics enjoy dumping on movies that aren't perfect, I don't, which is why I usually avoid mediocre movies in the first place, but I did go to see this one, and it is about as underwhelming as I feared it would be.

This is the fourth movie sequel in the Ghostbusters franchise, following the original 1984 beloved blockbuster (some say there are only three sequels, by excluding the 2016 film as a reboot, even though there are cameo appearances by the main original actors do appear in it, but I think that's just petty misogyny speaking). This is maybe the worst of the four sequels, although “Ghostbusters II” (1989) was pretty bad too. The best movies in the franchise are the original, the 2016 film, “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (2021) in no particular order.

This movie brings back most of the cast from the 2021 film, and the main cast members from the original film as well (except for actor Rick Moranis, who appeared only in the first two films, and the late Harold Ramis). The story involves a very familiar kind of supernatural threat to humanity, yet another ancient god, Garraka, who is trapped inside an ancient bronze ball. Perhaps the only thing surprising about this movie is the fact that it opens with “Fire and Ice,” a poem by Robert Frost. The rest of the movie is lacking in that kind of literary heft.

The movie opens with a flashback scene from 120 years ago, introducing the ancient menace. Then it skips ahead to the present day where we find the new team of Ghostbusters from the 2021 film chasing down a large “Hell's Kitchen Sewer Dragon” which barely fits into the old firehouse ghost containment device that dates back to the first film.

The new ghostbusting team from the previous film consists of Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon) and her children Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard). They are sort of a family, but Gary and Callie remain unmarried. It is awkward, but Hollywood writers actively avoid “married, with children” scenarios.

Oddly separated from these Ghostbusters is original Ghostbuster, Dr. Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson, reprising his role from the earlier films) who is secretly supervising advanced paranormal research, based on the previous work of the other original Ghostbusters, at a secret laboratory in New York City.

Another original Ghostbuster, Dr. Raymond “Ray” Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) is still running a curio shop where he buys the ancient bronze ball, last seen in the 1904 flashback, from Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani of “The Big Sick”) because it is loaded with psychic energy. Razmaadi inherited the object, without knowing anything about what it is or anything about its significance to his own family's heritage. This all becomes clear, and relevant, later in the movie.

In yet another subplot, Phoebe Spengler is visited by a friendly, chess playing ghost, Melody (Emily Alyn Lind of “Doctor Sleep”). The two become such good friends that Phoebe decides to use one of Dr. Zeddemore's machines to visit Melody on her own ghostly plane of existence, not realizing that this was Melody's evil plan all along. How would that plan even work, and how could you not suspect that you can't trust a ghost to have pure motives?

The Ghostbusters are opposed by their old enemy from the first film, Walter Peck (William Atherton) who has inexplicably advanced from his disastrous tenure at the EPA to become mayor of New York City. Peck, citing child labor laws, bans the underage Phoebe from participating in Ghostbuster missions, and vows, once again, to destroy the Ghostbusters, just because.

Once again, the Ghostbusters are the only thing standing between humanity and the destruction of all life on earth at the hands of an angry ancient god, but who else you gonna call? Bill Murray shows up once again, as Dr. Peter Venkman in a cameo role, and I fully expected him to say, “Ghostbusters: Assemble!” Also reprising her role as a Ghostbuster is the adorable Annie Potts (playing Janine Melnitz again) who finally gets to wear the uniform and proton pack this time.

This sequel looked to be seriously under baked, which is not surprising given its relatively short development time, plus the damaging effects of the pandemic and the writer's strike in Hollywood. The plot, including the characters and their motivations in the film needed more work, more thought and more polish. The basics are there for a good movie, but it is developed only far enough to reach a disappointing level of mediocrity. This film rates a C.

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