Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As expected, this became a fine presentation.
At all times, sharpness appeared positive. As such, I thought the image seemed accurate and well-defined.
I noticed no signs of shimmering or jaggies. The movie lacked any print flaws.
Teal? Check. Amber? Check.
Color-related creativity? Not really. The hues followed predictable stylistic paths, but the Blu-ray executed them in a positive manner.
Blacks were always deep and tight, and I saw good contrast as well. Shadows seemed clear and appropriately opaque. The Blu-ray became a strong reproduction of the film.
Empire came with solid audio, as its DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix used all the channels in a lively, involving manner. Ghosts, vehicles, weapon-fire, and other action elements popped up from all around the room and delivered a smooth, engrossing soundscape.
This meant a high level of audio from the surrounds. The back speakers created a great sense of place in that domain. All of this melded together in a vivid, satisfying manner.
Audio quality was also strong. Music seemed full and bold, while speech was consistently natural and crisp.
Effects became the most prominent component, of course, and packed a solid punch, with positive clarity and range. The audio of Empire delivered the goods.
When we head to the set’s extras, we launch with an audio commentary from writer/director Gil Kenan. He delivers a running, screen-specific discussion of story/characters, the continuation of Afterlife and connections to the larger Ghostbusters universe, Easter eggs, sets and locations, cast and performances, various effects, music, costumes and props.
I only heard one prior Kenan commentary: his discussion of 2006’s animated Monster House. That piece worked really well.
Happily, his Empire chat follows suit. An enthusiastic participant, Kenan covers a solid array of topics and makes this a chatty and informative track.
Six Deleted/Extended Scenes take up a total of eight minutes, 44 seconds. We find “Headlines” (1:19), “I Am a Doctor” (1:11), “Ghost-chopper” (2:51), “News Report” (1:03), “Rooftop Consolation” (1:49) and “Slime Bath” (1:00).
Of these six, “Doctor” easily becomes the most interesting. It features a short conversation between Gary and Venkman that seems a little unnecessary in terms of plot but offers too much amusement to have gotten cut.
“Ghost-chopper” sticks mainly with exposition and runs a little long. Still, it comes with some funny bits as well.
The others appear less compelling but they’re largely interesting. The movie doesn’t need the but they’re worth a look.
A mix of featurettes follow, and Return to the Firehouse occupies 21 minutes, 40 seconds. It provides info from Kenan, co-writer Jason Reitman, production designer Eve Stewart, and actors Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Celeste O’Connor, Kumail Nanjiani, Finn Wolfhard, Bill Murray, Patton Oswalt, Dan Aykroyd, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, James Acaster, and William Atherton.
As implied by the title, “Return” looks at the firehouse location along with the New York setting and various sets, Kenan’s impact on the shoot, cast, characters and performances. Expect a mix of facts and fluff.
Busted takes up 11 minutes, 28 seconds. It comes with notes from Kenan, Grace, Coon, Rudd, Wolfhard, Acaster, O’Connor, Reitman, Kim, Nanjiani, Aykroyd, visual effects producer Nicole Rowley, visual effects supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, special effects supervisor John van der Pool, special makeup and animatronics creature effects artist Arjen Tuiten, puppeteer Robin Guiver, and actor Emily Alyn Lind.
Here we learn about the various ghosts of Empire. Though not a deep piece, “Busted” offers a satisfying little take on the topics.
After this, Easter Eggs Unleashed goes for six minutes, 34 seconds. Following an intro from Kenan, a narrator leads us through hidden nuggets strewn throughout Empire. Some seem more obscure than others but this turns into fun peek at the details.
Manifesting Garraka runs three minutes, 55 seconds. It boasts remarks from Reitman, Kenan, Nanjiani, Rowley, Baumann, and Coon.
This piece examines the movie’s main villain. “Manifesting” becomes a good discussion of that subject.
Next we go to New York, New Gear, a seven-minute, five-second reel. This one brings statements from O’Connor, Kenan, Coon, Rudd, Rowley, Wolfhard, Grace, Kim, motorcycle consultant Troy Lee, head prop modeler Ben Lee, and property master Colin Mutch.
Here we find into about the gear, vehicles and props seen in the film. This turns into a fun look at the various gadgets.
Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center arrives next. It spans four minutes, 44 seconds and features Reitman, Kenan, Coon, Hudson, O’Connor, Rudd, Stewart, Nanjiani, and co-costume designer Alexis Forte.
Unsurprisingly, “Welcome” discusses aspects of the movie’s “Paranormal Discovery Center”. Though short, it becomes fairly satisfying.
Finally, Knowing the Score lasts six minutes, 33 seconds. We find info from Kenan, composer Dario Marianelli, score consultant Peter Bernstein, and principal percussion performer Wade Culbreath.
As implied by the title, “Knowing” covers the film’s music. It turns into a useful summary.
The disc opens with ads for The Garfield Movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Gran Turismo and Madame Web. No trailer for Empire appears here.
A second disc offers a DVD copy of Empire. It includes the “Firehouse” and “Busted” featurettes but none of the other extras.
Two films into the Ghostbusters reboot/sequel series and Frozen Empire offers a disjointed affair. Too reliant on nostalgia and not especially fresh, the movie gives us occasional entertainment but it disappoints in the end. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with a nice array of bonus materials. If one emerges, I’ll see another Ghostbusters movie, but Empire doesn’t give me confidence it’ll offer anything special.