Summary
- The new gadgets in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, like the Ecto-C and Phoebe's modified pack, enhance ghost-catching capabilities significantly.
- The upgraded containment unit in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire houses more ghosts but requires a trek to an abandoned aquarium for deposit.
- The introduction of charged proton barriers and the spirit extractor machine add new dimensions to ghost containment and study in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
the cast of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the follow-up film to the newest incarnation of the legendary franchise introduces a terrifying new threat in the ancient spectral deity Garraka. Luckily, the years since the previous film have afforded the Ghostbusters a whole host of new toys to help them in their close brushes with death.
The new technology utilized by the Spengler siblings and company comes in a variety of dazzling forms. Of course, the Ghostbusters' anti-ghost weaponry has evolved greatly since the original 80s films, going far beyond simple proton packs and ghost traps. In addition to the exciting arsenal upgrades, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also demonstrates some leaps and bounds in the science of ghost containment and study as well, with practical inventions that have applications extending far beyond mere combat. By the end of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the gadgetry available to the new team has been unequivocally enhanced.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Officially Resolves Afterlife's Ghostbusters 2 Canon Confusion
Ghostbusters: Afterlife created concerns about the franchise's canon, but a moment in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire officially provides an answer.
7 The Ecto-C
A new, more maneuverable take on the classic Ghostbusters car
The Ecto-1 is one of the most iconic cars in cinematic history, and has been through a lot over the course of the many Ghostbusters films. In the canon of the latest series, the Ecto-1 has undergone a serious makeover, having been refurbished from its dilapidated state in Ghostbusters: Afterlife to a shiny new mint condition. Considering everything the Ecto-1 has been through, however, with nearly every critical component of the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance replaced since its debut, it was a prescient idea for the team to incorporate an additional vehicle.
Enter the Ecto-C, an old police motorcycle and sidecar combination with a few key modifications to suit it for on-the-fly ghost catching. Though it lacks the ability to carry around the entire team, the increased maneuverability of the motorcycle format helps with quick errands, like important trips to the New York Public Library for some crucial research. The Ecto-C is no ordinary bike, having an integrated proton pack and neutrona wand hidden within the inconspicuous sidecar. This ends up coming in handy when Phoebe and Podcast are attacked on the way to the library, showing off the vehicle's combat readiness.
6 Phoebe's Modified Proton Pack
The new Ghostbusters lead is capable of some on-the-fly ingenuity
The proton pack is the premiere tool of the trade for the Ghostbusters, capable of generating a stream of positively charged ions that, when channeled through a neutrona wand, are capable of stopping ghosts dead in their tracks. Even by the time of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, this signature gadget has undergone little change in the years since the original models rolled out on the streets of New York in the original 1984 movie. Beyond a fresh coat of yellow paint and a slightly more efficient neutrona wand, the proton packs used by the next generation are essentially the same.
However, the dangerous career of Ghostbusting sometimes requires some haphazard field modifications, and Phoebe winds up having to modify her proton pack during the final confrontation with Garraka. Since the ancient god's spectral ice is able to instantly freeze and crumble away normal proton streams, Phoebe is forced to jury-rig her pack to allow for increased energy output. After some dizzying technobabble, the proton stream of Phoebe's modified pack has an increased effectiveness, complete with a striking new sickly green color capable of generating enough power to counteract Garraka's powers.
5 An Upgraded Containment Unit
Holds more ghosts at the cost of an inconvenient location
The crux of the climax of the original Ghostbusters revolved around the deactivation of the original containment unit. After the meddlesome E.P.A. bureaucrat Walter Peck has the Ghostbusters' illegal assets seized, he orders the deactivation of the spectral containment unit, unleashing an explosion of angry spirits that had been captured by the original Ghostbusters crew. It seems Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has taken some notes from this cataclysm in the design of their new containment unit, ultimately proving Walter Peck's concerns weren't unfounded.
Compared to the original containment unit, the total carrying capacity of the new version is a direct upgrade, able to house far more wayward spirits at a time. This was critical due to the original unit quickly approaching maximum capacity by the time of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a testament to the sheer number of ghosts the team had been able to catch. Located in an abandoned aquarium in New Jersey, the downside to the new containment unit is simply the distance from the Ghostbusters' primary base of operations, requiring a lengthy trek for each new deposit of angry specters.
All 15 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Easter Eggs & References
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire features a bevy of Easter eggs including callbacks to the original movies, The Real Ghostbusters, and horror classics.
4 Charged Proton Barriers
Now the Ghostbusters can not only catch ghosts, but safely observe the
One downside to both the new and old containment units used by the Ghostbusters is their inability to allow the spirit-catching team to observe and study their inhabitants. Once placed within the containment unit, ghosts are simply out of sight and out of mind, meaning that the vengeful wraiths can't be studied or analyzed much without risking their escape. Luckily, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has dreamed up a solution to this problem with the introduction of charged proton barriers, clear panes of energy that keep ghosts safely contained while still clearly visible.
Similar to the sea life that used to inhabit the New Jersey aquarium, ghosts can now be safely viewed and studied in safe enclosures thanks to the new technology. The proton barriers are clear, allowing for easy observation of their detainees, while preventing the new ghosts of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, like Pukey, from simply phasing through the walls and escaping. Unfortunately, allowing ghosts to roam around, even within such a limited environment, is still not without its risks, as demonstrated when Garraka's orb disrupts the device and ultimately allows the Possessor ghost to escape.
3 The Spirit Extractor
Can forcibly remove ghosts from objects...and people
One of the most ingenious new creations of the Ghostbusters' Paranormal Research Center is a curious machine that can extract the spiritual essence from any haunted object, safely removing the ghost within. Possessed objects were never a huge focus of the series, compared to something like the horror films of The Conjuring's universe, but finding a home within inanimate items is evidently one of the many powers ghosts of the Ghostbusters franchise are capable of. Thankfully, the creation of the spirit extractor machine has gone a long way to securing and containing ghosts using this method to circumvent normal capture.
Chillingly, the machine winds up being capable of much more than simply cleansing the spiritual influence of a ghost on a haunted object. In one of the most exciting scenes of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Phoebe winds up entering the chamber herself to become a ghost, having her spirit extracted from her body in a harrowing journey to the other side. This stunning moment not only shows off the awesome power of the spirit extraction machine, but the danger of trusting ghosts, as it was the spirit Melody who tricks Phoebe into turning into a ghost in order to re-awaken Garraka.
2 The Neutrona Gauntlet
Wands and traps aren't the only tools in the Ghostbusters' arsenal
For a long time, the simple combination of the proton pack, neutrona wand, and ghost trap were the bread and butter of the Ghostbusters' weaponry, an effective, if limited, set of tools for catching undead ghouls. In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it seems as though this classic combination has been iterated upon and miniaturized, forming a single arm-mounted weapon. Though it never gets an official designation, fans have taken to calling the device the neutrona gauntlet, a fitting name considering the device's convenient handheld size.
Sadly, the neutrona gauntlets barely get used in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, mostly existing to set up a tease for future appearances in a third installment of the new Ghostbusters series. The weapon bears more than a ing resemblance to the proton glove of the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, a striking hand-to-hand weapon utilized by that film's Ghostbusting quartet. For all the criticism that can be leveled at 2016's Ghostbusters, the movie introduced some incredibly cool gadgetry, including twin proton pistols and laser-ringed bear traps. Hopefully, some of this equipment will make a return in future installments.
1 The Ghost Trap Drone
The natural evolution of the trap featured in Ghostbusters: Afterlife
One of the simplest, yet most ingenious gadgets of Ghostbusters: Afterlife was the RC car trap. By strapping a typical ghost trap to a four-wheeled toy car, the Ghostbusters could precisely and easily maneuver the trap into position without exposing themselves to a spectral counter-assault. In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the concept is taken to its next logical step with the introduction of the ghost trap drone, a flying remote-controlled vehicle that bears the trap. Cleverly adapting the technology of real-world drones, the Ghostbusters have created one of their most practical gadgets yet.
When the team comes across the chaotic and fast-moving sewer dragon ghost, they have little hope of capturing it without the use of the ghost trap drone. The coolest part of the new trap is its integration with other Ghostbusters gadgets, releasing from the roof of the Ecto-1 while being controlled via optics fed into the Ecto goggles, just like the VR headset integration some drones have in the real world. The ghost trap drone is one of the shining examples of adaptation when it comes to the evolving gadgetry of the next generation of Ghostbusters in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
10 Most Exciting Moments From Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
From the freezing of New York to the arrival of Garraka to the Sewer Dragon chase scene, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has plenty of exciting moments.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
- Release Date
- March 22, 2024
- Runtime
- 115 Minutes
- Director
- Gil Kenan
Cast
Mckenna Grace
WHERE TO WATCH
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire continues the story of a new generation of ghost hunters composed of Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Podcast (Logan Kim), who received help from the original team in the previous movie. Paul Rudd returns as Gary Grooberson and franchise co-creator Ivan Reitman returns to write and produce.
- Franchise(s)
- Ghostbusters
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