In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

For in-depth thoughts on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire offers a fine uptick in quality over the already dazzling accompanying Blu-Ray for a true standout effort. This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including notable gains in clarity and color. The highlights in the film are more firmly defined with whites pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with impeccable detail. Elements taking place in shadows are more vivid and finely delineated.

Skin tones appear more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail visible on faces such as stubble, age lines, and pores. The improved range of the color spectrum is a wonder to behold. The HDR/Dolby Vision maximizes the colors from already impressive to simply unbelievable when it comes to vibrancy. There are so many unique hues in this outing that get the proper saturation thanks to this release. The Blu-Ray is no slouch, but Sony has delivered another showstopping transfer on this latest 4K release.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray employs a Dolby Atmos track that gives the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track on the Blu-Ray a crucial expansion that works wonders. Dialogue is crisp and clear without ever getting overshadowed by the music or sound effects. The score provides a grandiose soundscape that continues to drive things away more from the comedy roots to something closer to an adventure film. It effectively permeates the room in an enveloping way.

There is a deference to the front channels for many of the sounds, but activity kicks into the surrounds and rears during the plethora of kinetic and action-oriented bits. The implementation of the height channels makes the environment much more three-dimensional especially when things are flying above you. The low end effects from the subwoofer dig deep during the big set pieces. Atmospheric sound effects are rendered appropriately within the mix so that directionality is never in question. The film has been provided with a track that brings it to life with the necessary care. Audio fans will love this upgrade in sound.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director and Co-Writer Gil Kenan provides an interesting commentary track in which he discusses the inspiration for various story moments, some of the easter eggs in the film, the special effects work, bridging the legacy between the two eras, collaborating with Jason Reitman, and more that is worth a listen if you like the movie.

Return to the Firehouse – Making Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: A 22-minute featurette in which director Gil Kenan and various members of the cast and creative team discuss returning to the iconic firehouse for this film, the development of the narrative, establishing bigger stakes, the themes of the narrative, the characters and performances in this film, and more.

Busted – Capturing The Ghosts of Frozen Empire: A nearly 12-minute exploration of the ghosts of the film including their look, how they fit into this world, the process of bringing them to the screen, and more.

Easter Eggs Unleashed: A nearly seven-minute exploration of the numerous secrets within the film including cameos, tributes, props, and more.

Manifesting Garraka: A four-minute piece on the ancient deity who serves as our antagonist, his place in the story, and the process of bringing him to life.

New York, New Gear: A seven-minute look at both the new props developed for this film and those making an appearance from the past.

Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center: A five-minute piece that takes a look at the new location and how it opens up the world.

Knowing The Score: A nearly seven-minute look at the development of the score for the film.

Deleted Scenes: Six scenes totaling nearly nine minutes of unused material are provided here. These scenes were mainly cut for pacing reasons, but they are worth a look.

Previews

Final Thoughts

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire continues down the path set up by its predecessor of stepping further into the realm of adventure rather than comedy. The movie is passable entertainment, but there simply doesn’t feel like there is much new added to the experience. The narrative still feels burdened by nostalgia, and the various threads never feel as cohesive as they should. We continue to be impressed by McKenna Grace, who often saves some of the more inconsistent parts of the film. Even if this is not a failure by a long shot, there has to come a point where we should reflect on whether this ever should have been a franchise to begin with. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fabulous A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. If you like the new era of this series in general, the quality remains fairly steady. Recommended

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.