GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

(12A) 109mins

★★★☆☆

THERE should be a rule for film posters – the prominence of an actor on one should reflect the amount of screen time they get.

On Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ads, Bill Murray is second only to Paul Rudd in the size of his image.

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If it was to truly reflect the amount of lines his character gets he would be a thumb-nail.

Murray’s wise-cracking Peter Venkman was the star of the two original 1980s movies and I hoped he would have a bigger role in this one than in 2021 reboot Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

He does — but only just.

Souped-up hearse

It wouldn’t matter so much if the comic genius had been given better lines than “we’re going to need a bigger trap”.

These kinds of posters are about as honest as the phrase “fresh frozen”, which would, be a pithy description of the plot here.

The storylines from the previous movies about a gang of people chasing after ghouls in a souped-up hearse has been defrosted and freshly repackaged.

As usual our intrepid and often bungling heroes risk unleashing a force beyond their control while investigating strange goings-on.

It is a winning formula which I love, but director Gil Kenan takes far too long heating it up and spends too little time on the grand finale.

Thankfully, though, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud gags to keep an audience amused as meandering subplots cross like proton streams.

British stand-up comic James Acaster steals scenes with withering put-downs as scientist Lars Pinfield and Kumail Nanjiani from The Big Sick is perfectly cast as dodgy wheeler dealer Nadeem Razmaadi.

Dan Aykroyd, returning as Dr Stantz, gets plenty of screen time, including a very funny gag where he assesses whether a digital watch is possessed.

Keeping the humour up to date, the Ghostbusters now have a flying drone trap to capture ghouls and there is a fine joke at the expense of hire bikes. It is a shame, though, that they didn’t make more of the very cute Minions-esque mini Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men.

Most of the film is instantly forgettable, but the one element that might haunt you is the relationship between 15-year-old Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace) and a human spirit.

There is just enough emotional pull there to stop the Ghostbusters empire from crumbling.

ROAD HOUSE

(15) 121mins

★★★★☆

IT can be all too easy to dismiss a remake or sequel of a beloved film as, let’s face it, there are plenty of reboots to choose from these days.

I went into this version of the 1989 action film with trepidation, concerned it would not reach the heady heights of Patrick Swayze’s sweaty fight sequences.

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But the direction of Bourne Identity’s Doug Liman and a superb performance from Jake Gyllenhaal left me far more entertained than the gritty original.

Gyllenhaal is former UFC fighter Dalton, whose tortured past has seen him become a cool and calm badass bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse bar.

So gracious is he that he asks how far away the local hospital is before putting several men in it. He has hit bad times and lives a nomadic life, sleeping in his car or bashed-up boat.

But things are about to get worse, as gangsters are after him, including a smiling psychopath played by real fighter Conor McGregor. The fight sequences are first class, while being ludicrous enough to be thoroughly entertaining.

This is a remake that certainly packs a punch.

ROBOT DREAMS

(PG) 102mins

★★★★☆

THIS delightful animation about the relationship between a dog and a robot lacks dialogue, but delivers an abundance of silent charm.

Adapted from a graphic novel of the same name, it features Dog living a lonely life in 1980s Manhattan, playing video games and eating microwave meals for one.

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When he spots a TV advert selling robot companions, he decides to order himself a new flat-pack best friend.

And they soon develop a genuine, heartwarming relationship.

There are uplifting scenes – which are beautifully drawn – of the new besties bouncing joyfully in sync, chomping hot dogs and roller-skating in Central Park.

And there’s plenty of gentle humour and wit too, with Dog reading Stephen King’s Pet Sematary in bed, and Robot fascinated by the Tin Man in The Wizard Of Oz.

The pace is a little slow but when a water-induced malfunction means Robot starts to rust after a day on the beach, prepare for some waterworks of your own.