Man, so many Ghostbusters to call.

In theaters this week, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is the follow-up to the largely enjoyable 2021 adventure “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” The latter, which saw Jason Reitman — son of Ivan Reitman, director of 1984’s original “Ghostbusters” and its 1989 sequel, “Ghostbusters II” — at the helm, introduced a new generation of brave spirit-catching souls while also bringing back key legacy characters.

Well, the “Ghostbusters” franchise obviously isn’t ready to let go of the past.

“Frozen Empire” — co-written, like its predecessor, by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, who takes over directing duties this time — is similarly packed with multiple generations of Ghostbusters. As a result, it doesn’t feel as fresh as “Afterlife.”

Nonetheless, it’s again a pretty entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

Following a prologue set in 1904 New York City in which a few frozen folks literally fall to pieces, we move to the modern Big Apple and catch up with the family at the heart of the new movie, descendants of deceased original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. Mom Callie (Carrie Coon), son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) are out on the hunt, packed into the vehicle synonymous with the Ghostbusters, Ecto-1, being driven by Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), who’s graduated from being Phoebe’s teacher to her, um, “step-teacher,” as he awkwardly puts it.

The Ghostbusters, in Ecto-1, chase the Sewer Dragon Ghost through New York City in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Courtesy of Sony Pictures)

Bankrolled by Ghostbuster-turned-philanthropist Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), the family now resides in the Ghostbusters’ old Tribeca firehouse, traveling by pole from where they sleep to the other levels of the aged building.

Another hero is, again, Dan Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz, the former Ghostbuster now spending his time buying old objects he eagerly scans with his PKE reader for paranormal energy and hosts an online show with the help of Podcast (Logan Kim), who has migrated to New York from Oklahoma along with the Spenglers, as has Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), Trevor’s friend.

Ray Stantz, portrayed by Dan Aykroyd, left, and Nadeem Razmaadi, portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani, make a deal in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Courtesy of Sony Pictures)

We also get — and no complaints here — Bill Murray’s original Ghostbuster Peter Venkman popping in for a few meaningful minutes of screentime.

Expect another familiar face or two, while newcomers include Patton Oswalt’s Dr. Hubert Wartzki, an expert in ghostly and ghastly folklore, and James Acaster’s Lars, a scientist working with Winston’s new Paranormal Research Center. (Making his film debut, Acaster is a very creative comedian who earns a few lab-related laughs.)

The more important new characters, however, are Melody (Emily Alyn Lind of “Gossip Girl”), a ghost trapped in this world who befriends Phoebe, and Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani), a neighborhood hustler who must embrace his destiny as “the firemaster” if humanity is to survive a coming threat.

That danger is Garraka, a terrifying demon with the power of “the death chill” who has been trapped in an ancient artifact for more than a century.

Garraka is the big, chilly bad of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Courtesy of Sony Pictures)

With so many characters to juggle and seemingly determined to give us a reasonable runtime, Reitman and Kenan don’t even try to give many of them arcs. The major exception is Phoebe, who’s benched after the fact that she’s only 15 becomes an issue for New York’s mayor, who’s not exactly a longtime ally of the Ghostbusters. (Meanwhile, Trevor is now 18 and wants to be treated like an adult, but “Stranger Things” star Wolfhard rather quickly becomes an afterthought in “Frozen Empire.”)

Related Articles

Lily Gladstone’s upset loss to Emma Stone was expected for this reason

‘One Life’ a true tale of Holocaust hero

How ‘Frida’ director Carla Gutierrez rediscovered material about the iconic Mexican artist

With Travis Kelce as a producer, Iraq veteran’s film debuts to ovation, praise

What to stream: Many of 2023’s Oscar-winning films are ready to access at home

The most fun is provided by Nanjiani, the star of “The Big Sick” and “The Lovebirds” sticking some comedic lines as only he can as the increasingly important Nadeem.

Overall, even as “Frozen Empire” is essentially going through the ghostbusting motions, it is consistently pleasant thanks to its appealing cast. For example, Rudd (“Ant-Man”) is his usual brand of everyman-charming as Gary, who is asked by girlfriend Callie to start being more of a dad to her kids, which will mean being the bad guy sometimes.

Tastes surely vary on this kind of thing, but we’re pleased that, after building up the threat of Garraka, “Frozen Empire” doesn’t devolve into a seemingly endless supernatural battle sequence — like certain “Ghostbusters” installments we could name. Fear not, for there are ice spikes and proton packs aplenty in the climax, but we all know how this affair is going to end, so there’s no need to drag it out.

Counting the disappointing 2016 reboot, “Ghostbusters,” “Frozen Empire” — appropriately dedicated to Ivan Reitman, who died a few months after the release of “Afterlife” — is the fifth film in the franchise, and we’re guessing a sixth isn’t too far off in the distance.

We wouldn’t mind that, but maybe don’t invite quite so many folks to that paranormal party.

‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’

Where: Theaters.

When: March 22.

Rated: PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references.

Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Stars (of four): 2.5.

“Too many nonprofits are waiting on money owed by the same city that tells nonprofits to prepare to do more with less, again and again.”

John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit

A budget-related rally last year.

CityViews are readers’ opinions, not those of City Limits. Add your voice today!

If you’re only reading headlines and press releases from the Mayor’s Office, you might feel relieved that the city’s budget challenges have been overcome. Maybe you’ve also read that the Independent Budget Office, the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, and City Council have all projected a surplus in the fiscal year 2024 budget rather than a deficit. And in January, you may remember Mayor Eric Adams talked about restorations and canceling cuts that had been scheduled for April.

That all sounds good—but unfortunately it’s not the whole story. Instead of feeling relief, nonprofits across the sector are deeply anxious on behalf of their staff and the people they serve —hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who engage with city-funded programs. The recent 3 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) announced for human services workers is a great start and win, but our work is not over.

As a city councilmember and as Nonprofit New York’s vice president of policy, we constantly hear from our constituents about the precarious position they are in due to the Adams Administration’s budget dance. These nonprofits range from preschool and afterschool providers, to organizations that operate food pantries or older adult centers; from nonprofits that care for our parks to those creating opportunities in the arts. They are all struggling in this environment.

A remarkable lack of transparency around the numbers and rationales for cuts means these organizations cannot plan. This has real consequences on the people they serve. Our communities have faced unnecessary, severe service disruptions when the city asks organizations to develop and implement plans with unacceptably limited information.

To make matters worse, many of these nonprofits are still waiting for long-overdue payments from the city, compounding the financial distress that threatens their missions. For those that can, they take out loans to make payroll and rent. Those that can’t brace for operation pauses and prepare painful remarks about not being able to make payroll within weeks. Too many nonprofits are waiting on money owed by the same city that tells nonprofits to prepare to do more with less, again and again.

We have been disappointed to see how messaging from the Adams administration glosses over deep and harmful cuts made in November and January to nonprofit services, which have not been restored. Even worse, at the City Council’s budget hearing on March 4, the administration again suggested further cuts may be coming.

Here’s what we know so far: in September, Mayor Adams announced the city budget would be cut by 15 percent across the board, and the nonprofit sector anxiously waited for information about what this would mean for current and future contracts. In November and January, the city released budget documents that provided some more information, but little clarity or certainty.

The November documents included immediate programmatic cuts to services that are important to huge swaths of New Yorkers. These include: language access and legal services ($600K); environmental protection ($4M); Department of Education after school community programs ($10M); library services ($23.6M); cultural development and cultural institutions ($8.6M); as well as the popular participatory budget program, racial equity initiatives, and civic engagement efforts ($643K total), among other services.

The November release also included a significant cut to the Department of Youth and Community Development, which funds programs that families rely on for youth services, educational enrichment, and more. The organizations that run these programs include many culturally specific, BIPOC-led organizations. The $4 million cut for this year was followed by news of an additional cut of $32.5 million for the next fiscal year.

In January, the city’s budget documents included more devastating news. Three major parks programs were cut by $10.9 million in fiscal year 2025; arts and cultural institutions were hit again, with a cut of $11.6 million. The Department of Probation’s Impact program was eliminated, and older adult centers were cut by $18.8 million.

Those numbers seem at odds with the administration’s messaging. During the January budget address and the State of the City, Mayor Adams made it a point to acknowledge the importance of the nonprofit sector. He recognized the critical work nonprofits do to make New York City all that it is. These words are welcomed, and we are very encouraged human services workers will finally receive a COLA, but nonprofits and New Yorkers need this recognition to be backed up with action.

New York City’s nonprofits need the restoration of the November and January budget cuts. We need meaningful, substantive partnership with the administration and city agencies that rely on nonprofits to provide critical services, and increased transparency in the budgeting process. We need structural changes that finally fix the pattern of years-long contract delays, not just temporarily clearing a backlog.

The city relies on nonprofits to provide essential services, care for our communities, and make us a cultural capital. Nonprofits, and the New Yorkers they represent, should be able to rely on the city.

Councilmember Shekar Krishnan represents the 25th District in Queens. Chai Jindasurat-Yasui is the vice president of policy at Nonprofit New York.