ghost movie review the hindu

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Ghost Twitter reviews: Shivarajkumar's first film after Rajinikanth's Jailer has 'top-notch action scenes'

Twitter has a positive reaction to ghost's first half, praises shivarajkumar's performance. the heist film also features jayaram and anupam kher..

The only Kannada release during the festive Navratri week is Ghost, starring veteran actor Shivarajkumar . This marks his first film after his blockbuster Jailer, which featured Rajinikanth in the lead role. Directed by MG Srinivas, Ghost is a heist thriller, which released on the same day as other south Indian biggies such as Vijay’s Leo and Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Bhagavanth Kesari , among others. Despite the competition, Ghost film has been getting rave reviews on X (formerly Twitter). Also read: Shivarajkumar promises rivers of blood in violent heist movie. Watch Ghost trailer

Twitter reviews Ghost

Ghost's first half has received praise from Shivarajkumar's fans for Arjun Janya's ‘excellent background score’, an engaging screenplay, and ‘breathtaking elevation scenes’ that showcase Shivarajkumar like never before. "His action is top-notch," read a tweet. A person wrote, "Ghost first half: Non linear screenplay. Action. Shivanna (Shivarajkumar) in a different avatar. Expect goosebumps in scenes..."

Another tweeted, “Ghost review: Completed first half. Proper heist thriller, Srini's (MG Srinivas's) mark is clearly visible, gripping screenplay, Shivanna screen presence (fire emojis), direction top notch bgm (background music) is a major... the story is like a puzzle... second half??”

However, some criticised the film's slow pace and lack of progress in the story. Others were disappointed that Shivarajkumar has limited screen time, while Malayalam actor Jayaram has a more prominent role.

About Ghost

The film is a heist thriller, with most of the narrative unfolding in a prison. Apart from Shivarajkumar and Jayaram, Anupam Kher , Prashanth Narayanan, Archana Jois, Satyaprakash and Dattanna are also part of the film's ensemble cast.

Ghost was released in Kannada, Hindi and Tamil on October 19, with the Telugu version coming a week later on October 27, as per a report by OTTplay. While the Shivarajkumar film released in Kerala too, it is being reported that the distributor is presenting the Tamil version in the state. Meanwhile, the Hindi version is being presented by Pen Studios, which is expected to give the film a decent outing.

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An ex-Interpol officer wreaks havoc and sends shock waves across the global underworld but goes missing in action, only to remerge years later, for his beloved family. An ex-Interpol officer wreaks havoc and sends shock waves across the global underworld but goes missing in action, only to remerge years later, for his beloved family. An ex-Interpol officer wreaks havoc and sends shock waves across the global underworld but goes missing in action, only to remerge years later, for his beloved family.

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• Runtime 2 hours 18 minutes

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Nagarjuna plays a brooding, troubled man with panache - but that's not enough to save this half-baked film

The Ghost Movie Review: Nagarjuna and Sonal Chauhan shine in this half-baked film

• Times of India

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moses jay 3 339 days ago

Rishitborra 124 361 days ago.

Felt like watched a parody of John wick (2014). And cringe worthy climax...

Suhas Jinka 262 383 days ago

best movie but no much thriller and gud climax

deepu rockzz 5 427 days ago

Best action film ever

Karthi User 461 days ago

Strictly for action movie lovers. No strong story line. Screenplay was good. Cinematography is nice. Nagarjuna’s show from beginning to end. Simran and Anikha gets crucial roles but doesn’t create the emotional impact. Action scenes are top notch. If you are an action movie lover, give this a try. For others, one time watchable..

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The Ghost Movie Review: Nagarjuna’s film tries too hard, but ends up being unintentionally funny

Director praveen sattaru’s the ghost, featuring nagarjuna, sonal chauhan and gul panag, is a lacklustre action thriller. the film lacks emotional connection, says our review..

Listen to Story

• Nagarjuna's The Ghost hit the theatres on October 5.
• The action thriller is directed by Praveen Sattaru.
• Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan and Gul Panag play lead roles.

Cast & Crew

Akkineni Nagarjuna

An Interpol officer, who suffers from PTSD, has to safeguard his family and save the country. No, we are not talking about Vikram or any other film of the same ilk. This is the one-liner of Nagarjuna’s The Ghost, which is a blend of Kamal Haasan’s Vikram and Ajith Kumar’s Viswasam. The film tries to stay true to the genre of the action thriller. And that’s about it.

Vikram (Nagarjuna), who is called The Ghost by the underworld, has had a troubled childhood. From losing his mother in the Hindu-Muslim riots to dealing with the trauma, Vikram’s formative years haven’t been easy. A colonel brings him home and raises him with his daughter Anu (Gul Panag). They become family to him.

Years later, Vikram becomes an Interpol officer along with his co-agent and lover Priya (Sonal Chauhan). An unfortunate incident during a mission forces him to quit the job. One day, he receives a call from his estranged sister Anu, who asks him to protect her and her daughter Aditi (Anikha Surendran) from her enemies.

On paper, director Praveen Sattaru’s The Ghost sounds like a proper action thriller with emotional undertones. However, the film ends up as a lacklustre story with hardly anything to keep it going. The story travels from Arabia to Dubai to Goa to Mumbai to Ooty. So does the screenplay. It travels to different places but doesn’t make a mark anywhere. Every so-called twist and surprise barely scratches the surface and doesn’t invoke any emotion, let alone positive.

The Ghost is an action-heavy film and most of the action sequences do justice to it. The stunt scenes are unabashedly gory. With bullets flying around and blood splashing all over, The Ghost is one of the most violent films in recent times. Nagarjuna and Sonal Chauhan make the stunts believable with their agility.

The climax, however, ends up being unintentionally funny. This is where a film like The Ghost falters. The lack of solid emotional connect and a ridiculous climax undo everything that had been built so far.

Coming to the performances, Nagarjuna tries so hard to shoulder this action thriller. He does his best when he’s raging angry and also in the emotional sequences. But, there’s only so much he can do to salvage this underwhelming screenplay. Similarly, Sonal Chauhan has delivered her best performance as an Interpol officer. Gul Panag as an entrepreneur and an emotional mother is adequate. However, it looks like Anikha Surendran has played a character similar to hers in Ajith Kumar’s Viswasam.

Overall, The Ghost is a simplistic film that has more flaws than positives. If only the film had a solid screenplay, it could have been an intriguing action thriller.

2 out of 5 stars for The Ghost. Published By: K Janani Published On: Oct 5, 2022 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ | Nagarjuna's The Ghost trailer clocks 3 million views in 12 hours. Watch

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Nagarjuna's The Ghost first movie reviews out: Fans say, 'Superb action performance'

Updated Oct 5, 2022, 10:13 AM IST

Nagarjuna's The Ghost first movie reviews out

• Nagarjuna Akkineni's The Ghost released today
• The film has clashed with GodFather
• Early reviews are positive for The Ghost

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The ghost (2022), common sense media reviewers.

Overlong epic action movie is extremely violent.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Indian movie set in India, Dubai, and Maldives, fe

Extremely violent action movie. Stylized action mo

Kissing, touching between romantic partners. Gratu

Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Also

Character mentions Pizza Hut by name.

Teens shown drinking and smoking from hookahs at p

Parents need to know that The Ghost is a 2022 Indian action movie in which a former Interpol officer goes to war against criminals who are trying to kidnap his sister and her daughter. It's a two-hour-and-18-minute epic action movie with constant stylized violence. Fighting with sniper rifles, assault rifles,…

Diverse Representations

Indian movie set in India, Dubai, and Maldives, features Indian actors playing the lead and supporting roles.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Extremely violent action movie. Stylized action movie violence throughout. Constant fighting with assault weapons, sniper rifles, guns, knives, swords, punches, kicks. Characters shot and killed at point-blank range; blood splatters. A child is shot and killed. In a flashback scene, a young boy is nearly killed by a man wielding a bloody sickle. A teen girl and her teen friends are kidnapped after being drugged at a party -- the villain suggests selling her to sex traffickers instead of killing her. A car is run off the road and explodes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Kissing, touching between romantic partners. Gratuitous scenes of the female lead relaxing on a yacht while wearing a swimsuit.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Also: "pr--k," "a--hole," "s--t," "damn," "crap," "hell," "wanker."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Teens shown drinking and smoking from hookahs at parties and nightclubs -- wine and shots. Teens are given bottles of cola that are laced with hallucinogens that make them drowsy, resulting in them being kidnapped. Lead character shown binge-drinking whiskey. A villian snort cocaine. Cigar smoking. Talk of teen daughter's cigarette smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Ghost is a 2022 Indian action movie in which a former Interpol officer goes to war against criminals who are trying to kidnap his sister and her daughter. It's a two-hour-and-18-minute epic action movie with constant stylized violence. Fighting with sniper rifles, assault rifles, guns, swords, knives, punches, kicks. Characters are shot and killed at close range, stabbed, and decapitated. A young boy is killed during a hostage standoff. During a flashback scene, a young boy is nearly killed by a man wielding a bloody sickle. Teen girls are drugged and taken prisoner, with the lead teen girl almost sold to sex traffickers. Villains use cocaine. Teens are shown drinking shots and wine and smoking from hookahs. The lead character binge-drinks whiskey. Cigarette smoking. Cigar smoking. Strong language throughout, including "f--k." In Telugu, with English subtitles. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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What's the Story?

In THE GHOST , Vikram (Nagarjuna Akkineni) and Priya (Sonal Chauhan) are romantic partners who also work together as Interpol agents. But when a hostage standoff results in the death of a child, a distraught Vikram decides to leave his life behind in the hopes of destroying the criminal underworld that thrives on kidnapping the children of wealthy family members. Five years into his disappearance, he receives a call from Anu (Gul Panag), his sister from when he was adopted by an officer in the aftermath of his parents getting killed during the Hindu-Muslim riots of the 1980s. Anu has been receiving death threats and ultimatums from unknown sources and her security detail and the police are unable to help her. These threats are also being directed at Anu's teen daughter Aditi -- whose spoiled and entitled behavior is causing problems. As Vikram works to protect Anu and Aditi, he learns that the men behind the threats are the same he has been pursuing all this time, and as he fights desperately to stop them, he also finds help from a source from his past.

Is It Any Good?

This is an action movie that is way too long and way too violent. The Ghost is an Indian movie that clocks in at two hours and 18 minutes, and it could easily be 45minutes less than this without sacrificing any important story points. There's an excess and bombast to this that's so over the top and obnoxious, even Michael Bay would blush at it. Killing, shooting, stabbing, decapitation, blood, and explosions. This movie "has it all," but what it doesn't really have is a worthwhile story.

It's a lot of excess for what amounts to a run-of-the-mill action movie story about a hero trying to make things right after a tragic incident during a hostage standoff. After that, it's more or less a story of said hero going after the villains and taking them down, one at a time, with each battle more detailed and "satisfying" than the one that preceded it. There are side stories and story threads that do little except make a long movie even longer. The result is too much of everything, resulting in over two hours of not much.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about action movies like The Ghost . How was it similar to and different from other action movies you've seen?

This movie has a ton of violence. How does the violence compare to that in other action movies, and how much of it was really necessary for the story?

If you could edit this movie, what parts would you cut? Why?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : November 1, 2022
• Cast : Nagarjuna Akkineni , Sonal Chauhan , Gul Panag
• Director : Praveen Sattaru
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 138 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : May 19, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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'The Ghost' movie review: High on body count, low on originality

2022 seems to be the year of swashbuckling spies, guns, and dead kids. While watching The Ghost it is hard to shake off the memories of Vikram and Beast in multiple instances. Similarities to one of these films should be leading to enjoyable results, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Every time we feel the film shows some promise, we are almost immediately given a reality check and told to keep our expectations under control. We keep rooting for the film to go a notch higher but it keeps refusing.

Nagarjuna plays an Interpol officer named Vikram (his first film in 1986 was named Vikram, allow me to remind you) and he is introduced in an Arabian desert, taking down a battalion of a suspicious, unnamed group of militants. He is joined by Priya (Sonal Chouhan) and together they wipe the hell out of the bad guys. They take down the last man and instantaneously begin kissing as the action sequence segues into a romantic montage song that plants information about Vikram’s struggles with trauma and his dear relationship with his adopted family.

It is a bit jarring and it assures you to gain momentum. The actual action begins—or you think so—after the song when Vikram and Priya are on a mission to rescue a kid from a bunch of kidnappers. It starts with an uninspiring chase and ends with a tragedy, propelling Vikram to take down the whole underworld. When the film’s title appears, we are brimming with excitement, but the pleasure is only momentary with our curiosity being put to rest almost immediately with a text, ‘5 years later’. What happened to Vikram’s rage and the mission he set out on?

We have to wait for that. This, I believe, is the biggest problem with the film: its refusal to focus on the amusement—violence and action—and insistence to meander on a rather generic plotline for an excessive runtime.

We hope to see Vikram hunt down thugs of the underworld in style, but before we get to that, we have to sit through a painfully long and generic set-up that features the protagonist double up as a guardian for his sister-like Anu (Gul Panag) and her reckless daughter Adithi (Anika Surendran). The conflict is not just bad guys after their lives but boardroom politics too. I would be lying if I say I wasn’t reminded of Trivikram’s recent films where the conflict is all about shares and stocks in a company. These portions of the film make you restless to see the action we signed up for.

When the film eventually enters the action zone in the final 35 minutes, it is entertaining, despite lacking inventiveness. The reveal about the origin of Vikram’s sobriquet, 'The Ghost’ is strongly reminiscent of the Babayaga story from John Wick (2014). It is a concerned father warning his son about the repercussions of the grave mistake the latter has committed in both films. The highly hyped-up Katana sword is put to terrific effect here with dozens of glorious kills in the second half. The final 30 minutes of the film, suffused with bodies, blood, knives and guns, serve as a much-needed departure from the generic-ness that pervaded the set-up and the pay-off is indeed a treat to behold.

Dharmendra Kakarala’s editing complements the action choreography by Dinesh Subbarayan and Kecha Khamphadkee superbly in the effective flashback sequence, collectively infusing energy into the overall mood. Mukesh G’s choice to punctuate red in an action sequence—featuring a blood red moon—set in a boat with neon lighting, darkness, and silhouettes in other action sequences lend a wonderful style to the whole origin story. The wide image of a hooded man holding a sword in the rain while dozens kneel before him, begging for mercy, is perhaps the best frame in the film. I wish The Ghost was actually about… the ghost and less about Vikram and boardroom politics.

The action sequences are delightfully violent—bodies are chopped into pieces with the sword, a thug is beheaded and then his head is shot, making it explode like a watermelon, and there are countless headshots—and almost rescue the film. However, I wish there was a stronger purpose to the action here. The climactic action sequence, set in a church, is superbly shot but you can’t help but wonder about the futility of the whole sequence. The need for action and violence is barely registered, reducing the sequence to a deliberately crafted set-piece for the sake of spectacle.

While we naturally accept to suspend our disbelief when we walk into a movie theatre, The Ghost expects a tad too much from us, barely trying to care for the reality. Physics is secondary; it is fine if the hero dodges all the hundreds of bullets. Emotions are primary; shouldn’t a person who is raging with sadness and anger at least attempt to take a shot at someone when he is in a position to, instead of waiting for the hero to finish off every man standing? Such glaring direction errors break the interest the film just managed to grab from us.

If there’s someone in the cast who gets the best deal after Nagarjuna, it is Sonal Chouhan, who puts up a surprisingly effective show in the action sequences. She is believable and moreover, not once does her character seek help from the man here. She always saves herself and others. Sad that she couldn't save the whole film though.

The Ghost is, in a way, a quintessential revenge drama that’s packaged with the flourishes of a modern-day actioner. To rehash a classic review line—just like the film is a rehash of many films—The Ghost is an old bullet in a new gun. It could have been what Vikram was to Kamal Haasan, but ends up being what Beast was to Vijay.

Director : Praveen Sattaru

Cast : Nagarjuna, Sonal Chouhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran

Ratings : 2.5 out of 5 stars

(This story originally appeared in the Cinema Express)

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• తెలుగు

The Ghost Review: Nothing To Boast

Movie: The Ghost Rating: 2/5 Banner: Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP Cast: Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, Srikanth Iyengar, Bilal Hossein and others  Music: Bharatt-Saurabh, Mark K Robin Director of Photography: Mukesh G Editor: Dharmendra kakarala Action: Dinesh Subbarayan, Kecha Producers: Suniel Narang, Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, Sharrath Marar Written and directed by: Praveen Sattaru Release Date: October 5, 2022

Nagarjuna Akkineni and director Praveen Sattaru have teamed up for the first time. The film’s trailer and teasers created a lot of interest.

Let’s find out its merits and demerits.

Story: After a failed mission, Interpol officers Vikram (Nagarjuna) and Priya (Sonal Chauhan) part ways. They also break up their relationship. Vikram also quits his job.

Five years later, he gets a call from his estranged sister Anu (Gul Panag). He heads to Ooty and finds that his sister and his niece (Anikha Surendran) are under threat. 

Vikram agrees to stay there and protect them. Anu is a chairperson of a huge business empire. Another company is trying to take over Anu’s company. Despite his efforts, Anu gets killed in an attack.

Will Vikram protect his niece safely? 

Artistes’ Performances: For senior Nagarjuna, the role is a cakewalk. He has done such roles in the past. All he does in the film is wields swords, blast ammunition, and indulge in shootouts.

Sonal Chauhan appears as an Interpol officer. She does some decent action stunts. Gul Panag plays a typical sister’s role.

Anikha Surendran plays the role of rich brat convincingly. 

Technical Excellence: Mukesh’s cinematography is terrific. More than anyone else, the stunt masters have more work to do in the film, and they excel in their jobs. The background score is apt. Editing lacks sharpness as the lengthy action episodes go on and on. 

Highlights: Initial portions One or two action sequences

Drawback: Clichéd story Dated and artificial sentiment     Series of fights Mindless climax sequence

Analysis We all know that story takes a backseat in action dramas. But when the wafer-thin plot serves as an excuse to flip one action sequence to another, it feels dated. “The Ghost” is one such example. 

Praveen Sattaru who won the name for his slick execution of “PSV Garuda Vega '' wrote a one paragraph story. An Interpol officer who quit the job gets a personal assignment of saving his sister from the enemies. Praveen Sattaru has not developed any worth talking about moments other than this one-line story and filled it with a series of action stunts. 

One action sequence is set in a desert, the other on the busy city roads and the next one in a hill station. Another one is in a house. The next one is in another place. The locations change, and the scenes change, but the crux remains the same: a fight scene. 

No film in recent times has come with a series of action stunts with little to no story. Furthermore, given all the hype around threats that the hero’s sister faces, we expect a strong antagonist who might prove to be more than a match to the hero Nagarjuna, but what we get is a cardboard villain character.

To be fair, the first half of the film at least has some reasoning as it focuses on Nagarjuna’s Interpol days and a brief flashback about his family. The second half is a mess. The climax is excruciatingly bad. 

By adding “KGF”-like machine gun sequences and Kamal Haasan’s Vikram-like fight scenes, Praveen Sattaru has spoiled it further. For a film that also talks about sister and niece, the sentiment scenes are superficial. 

The blame entirely lies on Praveen Sattaru. It is his lame writing that is the villain. 

On the whole, “The Ghost” is another senseless action drama with no effective storytelling. 

Bottom Line:  Frightens the audience

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• Nagarjuna (Hero)
• Sonal Chauhan (Heroine)
• Praveen Sattaru (Director)
• Suniel Narang (producer)
• Puskur Ram Mohan Rao (producer)
• Sharrath Marar (producer)

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The ghost is Tollywood action thriller movie written and directed by Praveen Sattaru. The film have a brilliant casting in it Nagarjuna and Sonal Chauhan as main leads while Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, and Srikanth Lyngar acted in supporting roles. The movie got released on 5th October 2022 worldwide.

The movie open in Dubai, Vikram Naidu (Nagarjuna) is an Interpol officer in Dubai who has anger management issue and nightmares of his mother’s death in riot that happened in 1984 in New Delhi, in his childhood. After many years during a mission to rescue a business man’s son from Indian, along with Priya (Sonal Chauhan) Vikaram’s resoluteness in mission results the boy to get killed. After this accident Vikram builds a guilty complex and eventually becomes wild with temper, this eventually leads to breakup with Priya.

After 5 years, Vikram has retired from Interpol and working as a freelance agent, and often helps Interpol with their missions.

During all this he gets a call from his estrange sister an businesswomen Anupama ‘Anu’ Nair, daughter, who runs business Nair Group after 20 years. Vikram moves to Ooty and he calls his past days in Ooty. Back in his childhood Vikram was saved and adopted by Nagendra Naidu a colonel in the Indian Army, from riots. Vikram and Anu were brought up together in Ooty. Anu and her father got separated when he opposed her relationship with her boyfriend business mogul Ashok Nair. After few days result to this Naidu ‘s health gets serious and on Naidu’s deathbed, Vikram makes a promise to Naidu that he will protect Anu and take care of her.

After meeting Anu in her estate, Vikram gets to know that Anu is getting death threats and fears for her daughter’s Adithi life and can’t truth her personal bodyguard. Giving Adithi’s responsibility to Vikram Anu leaves for a business trip. Vikram starts his investigation, and enquires about Ashok Nair’s family, in the mean while Vikram slowly tries to change Adithi’s behaviour and habits.

On Adithi’s trip to Goa with her friends without Vikram’s knowledge, Adithi and her friends get kidnapped, and Vikram having their location saves them.

The rest of the story filled with power pack action sequence and fights abroad. How will Vikram protect Adithi from threats? will Priya and Vikram gets back together? who is trying to kill Adithi? who is behind this plan? To know all the answers watch the movie on Netflix.

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'Ghost' movie review: Shivarajkumar’s electrifying performance holds the fort in Srini’s multiverse

The terms spin-offs and multiverse are gradually making their mark in Indian cinema, and it is making its presence felt in the Kannada film industry with the introduction of Ghost. This cinematic endeavour, driven by director Srini, is a progressive step forward. More so, the inclusion of Shivarajkumar, who brings with him a strong fan base and an even stronger inclination to experiment, elevates the project.

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Undertaking a project of this magnitude comes with its fair share of risks, with outcomes never guaranteed. There are a multitude of factors, including commercial viability, technical prowess, authenticity, and the collaboration of every team member, which must align harmoniously to make it work. Ghost encompasses all the elements that a commercial film requires, but it does so on an ambitious scale, with a focus on plot-driven characters, technical excellence, and a deep respect for cinematic art. It’s a departure from the conventional formula, with the omission of songs, a traditional heroine, and the standard template. The question arises: Has Ghost, without all these, managed to fulfill every aspect of its unique approach, and does it offer more?

Now, let’s delve into the storyline. The film introduces a rare concept in cinema – prison privatisation becomes the central theme of this heist thriller. When former CBI agent Vamana (Prashanth Narayanan) is taken hostage, ACP Chengappa (Jayaram) is called in to resolve the crisis. The mastermind behind this predicament is Dalavayi Muddanna (Shivarajkumar). Known as ‘Big Daddy’ in criminal circles, Dalavayi is a feared underworld kingpin with a history involving Chengappa. The motive behind Dalavayi’s attack on the prison becomes the core mystery that Chengappa must unravel. Why has the prison been hijacked? Why have the inmates become his allies? What is Dalavayi’s new identity? Is he the Ghost? These questions slowly unfurl, gradually exposing the layers of this enigma. The film concludes by hinting at the arrival of Dalavayi’s son in the sequel.

At its outset,  Ghost  may be perceived as a thrilling action spectacle, particularly in its initial portrayal as a hijacking narrative. The film maintains its focus on action-packed thriller elements, with the heist holding the narrative together. The first half guides viewers through Chengappa’s perspective and sets the stage for a revelation. The puzzle pieces seamlessly fall into place in the second part, delivering a captivating storyline. The film’s thrilling, audacious elements, like the daring prison escape, may seem far-fetched, but they are skillfully executed to stir emotions. Even when a statue (Dr. Rajkumar) unexpectedly helps, questions about believability matter less.

Shivarajkumar’s charismatic portrayal as Dalavayi or what he calls ‘Ghost’ retains his enduring mass appeal with sophistication and grandeur, avoiding unnecessary extravagance. He engages in intense gunplay and delivers powerful dialogues, which is limited in the first half, but his presence on screen remains engaging, which only gets stronger post-intermission.

Jayaram is a valuable addition to the film, playing the role of a CBI officer, and he commands a commendable on-screen presence. His extended duration is justified. Anupam Kher adds a final touch of excellence while his character holds the promise of further development in the sequel. Archana Jois, in the role of a journalist, and Prashanth Narayanan, a former CBI officer, play pivotal roles in connecting the dots of the narrative. Dattanna has a key role to play along with some fresh faces showcasing their talents. The existence of a mouse in the film gets an unusual placement, and it’s something to take note of. Srini’s multiverse, featuring himself as Lawyer Mahesh Das from Birbal, makes a brief appearance, setting the stage for future intrigue.

The film eventually reveals itself as part of Srini’s expanding Cinematic Universe, setting the stage for a potential multi-starrer and opening doors to various cinematic ventures in the future.  Ghost  also explores technological advancements, including the de-aging of Shivarajkumar, which adds an element of surprise. However, certain loopholes in this de-aged version require correction, especially if it becomes significant in the sequel.

The heist emerges as an ambitious and captivating production that transcends the confines of traditional commercial cinema, also introducing the concept of the multiverse in Kannada cinema. It possesses a distinct voice within the commercial framework and is a testament to its strong technical mastery—Mahendra Simha’s visionary cinematography and Arjun Janya’s evocative music enhance the overall cinematic experience.

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In conclusion,  Ghost  offers thrilling moments, with Shivarajkumar’s exceptional performance, along with the rest of the cast, elevating the viewing experience. It’s unquestionably a film worth watching, and the anticipation of a sequel promises even more excitement.

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Movie review: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is a ghost of franchise’s past

• March 25, 2024
• Sebastian Griffith

Bill Murray and Paul Rudd on the set of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Credit: Jaap Buitendijk | Columbia Pictures/Sony (via TNS)

One lyric in the iconic “Ghostbusters” jingle tells people to call the Ghostbusters if they see “something strange, and it don’t look good” — which is ironic, because that line pretty much sums up “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” the latest unnecessary sequel that refuses to let a classic franchise die in peace.

Contrary to what the theme song states, “busting” doesn’t feel good anymore.

“Frozen Empire” is the fifth “Ghostbusters” film in a franchise that probably could’ve tapered off two or three movies ago. It’s a direct sequel to the somewhat promising 2021 film “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and retains the core cast of Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace and Carrie Coon as the Spengler family, descendants of the original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis).

This time, the cast is joined by several familiar faces from the series’ previous films, such as Bill Murray as Peter Venkman and Dan Aykroyd — who helped write the film — as Dr. Raymond Stanz. The characters all work together to fight an evil deity called Garraka that feeds off fear, which strengthens his ability to freeze the Earth.

At one point in the movie, a character says they didn’t restore the firehouse that hosts the original Ghostbusters’ headquarters for nostalgia’s sake, which is another instance of blatant irony considering “Frozen Empire” certainly feels like a nostalgia-bait cash-grab.

There are far too many characters inserted into the film for the sole purpose of marketing and, as a result, none of them have enough time to develop chemistry with each other or undergo satisfying character arcs. Even Rudd and his undeniable charm can’t carry the movie, which is about as dire of an admonishment on a film as there can be.

Apart from the obvious character issues, the film’s script simply feels derivative of numerous other fictional story tropes. Phoebe Spengler (Grace) is a child genius who is told she can’t work with the adults because she’s “just a kid,” though she ultimately saves them all at the last moment, just in time for the team to defeat the one-dimensional villain through the power of family and friendship.

The story is so boring that the inhales from audience members’ yawns could probably trap a ghost more effectively than the Ghostbusters’ proton packs. It’s also bizarrely edited, with some scenes either cutting off directly after a joke with zero sense of resolve or running awkwardly long.

Rest assured, however, the filmmakers left plenty of time for a character to shamelessly plug Booking.com for some quick sponsorship dollars.

The original 1984 “Ghostbusters” utilized a perfect blend of campy horror, charm and creativity to cement itself as one of the great movie classics. Unfortunately, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” lacks almost every element that made the original so beloved.

“Frozen Empire” can’t resurrect the “Ghostbusters” franchise, though it will haunt its audience with the feeling they just wasted two hours of their lives.

Rating: 1.5/5

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Movie Review: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ clears a low bar

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Celeste O’Connor, Kumail Nanjiani, Finn Wolfhard and James Acaster in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, Dan Aykroyd and Patton Oswalt in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Mckenna Grace in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Dan Aykroyd, left, and Kumail Nanjiani in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Celeste O’Connor, Finn Wolfhard, James Acaster, Logan Kim and Dan Aykroyd in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” (Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)

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Forty years after “Ghostbusters” and following a string of sequels that never measured up to the 1984 original — beginning all the way back with 1989’s “Ghostbusters II” — it’s fair to wonder, well, who else ought we to call? It may be time to, if not give up the ghost entirely, at least give a flip through the ol’ rolodex.

But as the lackluster 2021 installment, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” showed, the half life of most film franchises today is an ever-lengthening long tail of diminishing returns. Though the options are many, sucking “Ghostbusters” dry would make a prime exhibit in Hollywood’s nostalgia fix.

Still, it’s not quite as simple as that. I’m glad for the female-led 2016 “Ghostbusters.” Aside from prompting a minor culture war, it assembled the best comic ensemble since the original with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and, yes, Chris Hemsworth.

And as easy as it might be to label the new one, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” another half-hashed retread — which it is, a little bit — it’s also a significant upgrade from “Afterlife,” which relocated the action to Oklahoma and forgot to pack any comedy. “Frozen Empire,” back, thankfully, in New York, is a breezier, more serviceable sequel that has a modest charm as an ’80-tinged family adventure.

The innate appeal of “Ghostbusters” had to do with its brash mixing of genres — adult-edged comedy with sci-fi toys — that summoned the spirit of “Abbott of Costello Meet Frankenstein.” When the sequels have gone astray, it’s usually because they get bogged down with solemnity or special effects when all they really need is the it’s-the-end-of-the-world-and-I-feel-fine smirk of Bill Murray. I’d forgive bad visual effects a lot sooner than I would bland comic interplay.

“Frozen Empire,” though, is organized less around a group of funny people wearing proton packs than it is around a family. The movie more or less opens with the Ectomobile racing down Fifth Avenue with Gary (Paul Rudd) at the wheel, Callie (Carrie Coon) riding shotgun and her kids — Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) — in the back, all in bickering pursuit of a “sewer dragon” apparition.

The cast is much the same as “Afterlife,” but the behind-the-scenes talent has been rejiggered. After Jason Reitman took over directing from his father, Ivan Reitman, he here is credited as a producer and writer. Gil Kenan, who co-wrote “Afterlife,” directs “Frozen Empire,” which is dedicated to the elder Reitman, who died in 2022.

More than before, you can feel the growing distance from the original “Ghostbusters.” Harold Ramis died in 2014 and while Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson all return, they no longer feel like the axis to this cinematic universe. (Aykroyd, though, gives the movie some soulful quirk as Dr. Raymond Stantz, and Ernie Hudson may be more a potent presence than ever.)

Familiar-faced ghosts return, too, in “Frozen Empire,” which, like its predecessor, doesn’t skimp on the fan service. That instinct to cater to “Ghostbusters” diehards (a kind of ridiculous kind of diehard, if we’re being honest) continues to diminish a franchise that recoiled defensively after the 2016 “Ghostbusters.”

But if you accept the low-bar aspirations of “Frozen Empire,” you may get a pleasant-enough experience out of it. It’s a movie that feels almost more like a high production-value TV pilot for an appealing sitcom, with Rudd as the stepfather, than it does a big-screen event on par with the original.

The family has moved into the famed fire station, but trouble abounds. The contamination unit is stuffed, the mayor (Walter Peck, who played the nemesis EPA inspector in the 1984 film) wants to evict and there are disturbing rumblings connected with an object that turns up — the Orb of Garraka — that may awaken a particularly fearsome spirit.

People get slimed. Ghosts get busted. New Yorkers shrug. The formula is adhered to, albeit with a few lively twists. The standout here is Grace, who’s drawn into a brief but tender relationship with a ghost (played alluringly by Emily Alyn Lind) after a nighttime chess match in Washington Square Park. And Kumail Nanjiani more or less steals the movie playing a Queens man and reluctant heir to the mystic role of “Firemaster.” He’s funny enough that you’re almost convinced, in an overextended movie franchise, not to give up the ghost just yet.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” a Sony Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references. Running time: 115 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

The 10 Best Ghost Movies, Ranked

• Ghost movies offer innovative twists on familiar tales, drawing on folktales and religious beliefs.
• Japanese horror films inspire some of the scariest ghosts, adding depth to grief narratives.
• Animation and VFX technology enhance the visual storytelling of ghost movies in unique ways.

Whether they're horror movies or not, ghost movies have captured the attention of audiences for many years, and the best movies involving ghosts put an innovative twist on familiar tales of paranormal activity. No matter what kind of afterlife a film draws its inspiration from, there are plenty of folktales and religious philosophies to draw upon when making a movie about ghosts. Ghost movies differ from traditional horror and monster movies because they deal with the fear and mystery of an entity that might not be visible, capitalizing on the human fear of the unknown.

Outside of horror, ghosts can appear in films about grief and play an instrumental role in the healing process for the characters still alive onscreen.

Japanese horror movies are known for having the scariest ghosts in the horror genre, and many films on the list take direct inspiration from their style and stories. Outside of horror, ghosts can appear in films about grief and play an instrumental role in the healing process for the characters still alive onscreen. Similarly to other genres that deal with fantasy, ghost movies excel in animation because of the limitless opportunities for visual styles and effects. Conversely, live-action ghost stories have come a long way because of the innovation in VFX technology.

10 Supernatural Horror Movies That Aren't About Ghosts

Paranorman (2012), directed by sam fell.

ParaNorman is a stop-motion animated movie about a young boy who uses his ability to see and communicate with the dead to save his town from an ancient witch's curse. The voice cast includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland, Bernard Hill, Tucker Albrizzi, and John Goodman.

Director Sam Fell

Release Date September 13, 2012

Studio(s) Universal Pictures

Cast Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick

Runtime 93minutes

Genres Family, Comedy

Stop-motion is well known for its contributions to horror, and ParaNorman is a criminally underrated addition to the stop-motion canon. The film follows the story of pre-teen Norman, voiced by Kodi Smit-Mcphee, a boy who can commune with the dead. He's a shy boy who struggles to communicate with the living, so ParaNorman characterizes the ghosts as friendly and informative presences who are looking out for the land of the living. The antagonists of the movie are not the ghosts themselves but a witch's curse that was placed many years ago.

In this way, ParaNorman grapples with the history of the Salem Witch Trials and their violent legacy in the United States. ParaNorman is notable for its ability to convey a complex message about history within a traditional children's format and relate it to the ups and downs of childhood. I t's not uncommon for children to turn to imaginary friends or ghosts when they feel that the living world doesn't understand them. The film is also notable for including the first openly gay animated character.

Watch ParaNorman on Starz.

Casper (1995)

Directed by brad silberling.

Director Brad Silberling

Release Date May 26, 1995

Cast Spencer Vrooman, Chauncey Leopardi, Bill Pullman, Ben Stein, Eric Idle, Christina Ricci

Runtime 100 minutes

Genres Family, Comedy, Fantasy

Although there are sad facts about Casper's backstory , they only imbue Casper with more heart and emotion. Based on the character Casper The Friendly Ghost from the Harvey Comics series, Casper is just as friendly as his original name suggests. A young Christina Ricci moves into the home that the kindly ghost is haunting, and the two children, one living and one dead form a connection. They bond because Casper still feels a pull to the world of the living and has been lonely after all these years.

Additionally, Kat (Ricci) has recently moved and feels isolated while trying to build new friendships and adapt to her new environment. Though there are small elements of the scary ghost narrative, that's not really what Casper is about. It's about moving on and healing from past traumas by sharing them with a friend. Though Casper doesn't break boundaries in its discussion of childhood, it has a serious emotional message. The visual triumph of blending live-action and animation shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

Beetlejuice (1988)

Directed by tim burton, beetlejuice.

Tim Burton's Beetlejuice stars Michael Douglas as the titular "bio-exorcist", an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.

Director Tim Burton

Release Date March 30, 1988

Studio(s) The Geffen Film Company

Cast Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Jones, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara

Runtime 92 minutes

Genres Comedy, Fantasy

There are many reasons why Beetlejuice has become such an iconic piece of ghoulish filmmaking and why it has become a significant touchstone in popular culture. From the expert direction of Tim Burton to the stellar cast that includes Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, and Alec Baldwin, Beetlejuice was a case of a film being set up for success. Since its premiere, Beetlejuice has been adapted into a stage musical, and there's plenty more on the horizon for the source material. This kind of relevance so many years after the original indicates the quality of the film.

The use of ghosts and the conflict of Davis and Baldwin's characters trying to use their ghostly powers to scare a family away from moving into their house is rife with comedy. Beetlejuice excels by subverting the common tropes of how ghosts are supposed to act and framing through two newly minted spirits who have no idea how to be ghosts or how to cross into the afterlife. Additionally, the memorable and well-developed characters contribute to how easily viewers are sucked into the plot and can't look away.

8 Actors Whose Greatest Performances Are In Tim Burton Movies

Ghostbusters (1984), directed by ivan reitman.

Ghostbusters is a 1984 fantasy sci-fi movie from director Ivan Reitman. The movie stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson as Raymond Stantz, Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore, paranormal investigators who travel New York hunting and capturing ghosts. The movie eventually became one of the most iconic films of the '80s, spawning a multimedia franchise including a sequel, spinoffs, books, and video games.

Director Ivan Reitman

Release Date June 8, 1984

Cast Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Rick Moranis

Runtime 105 Minutes

Genres Comedy, Action, Fantasy

Few movies have become as definitive of the ghost genre as Ghostbusters . The many sequels that have come out since the original in 1984 have tried, but nothing compares to the first film or can capture its humor. Part of this is due to the original cast’s chemistry and also because audiences had never seen anything like it when it premiered. Using iconic buildings in New York City as its setting lends itself to the film’s timeless nature and the nostalgia that it already had in 1984.

Part parody of horror films about ghost exorcisms and part exploration into the intersection between science and the supernatural, Ghostbusters was an underdog when it hit the box office. It wasn't predicted to be the success that it was, and the theme song has become one of the most iconic featured songs in a comedic movie. There are many reasons Ghostbusters stands alone among similar films, and it's due to the witty dialogue and smart writing that don't rely on equally strong special effects to carry the narrative.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Directed by m. night shyamalan, the sixth sense.

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller about a young boy who can see and communicate with ghosts. Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who tries to help Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, while grappling with his own personal demons. The movie features a twist ending that has become iconic in pop culture.

Director M. Night Shyamalan

Release Date August 6, 1999

Studio(s) Disney

Cast Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Donnie Wahlberg, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams

Rating PG-13

Runtime 107 minutes

Genres Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror

The director, M. Night Shyamalan, is known for making films with incredible twists that are nearly impossible to predict. He gained this reputation through films like The Sixth Sense, which always leaves first-time viewers stunned when they realize that the entire film's meaning has changed in the final few moments. For this reason, watching The Sixth Sense only once is almost impossible because it's just as fun to watch knowing how it ends. Having insight into the twist allows the audience to truly appreciate the foreshadowing and the hints that are dropped along the way.

Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is a child who sees ghosts, and he delivers the famous line, "I see dead people." However, The Sixth Sense is much more than this iconic and frequently parodied line of dialogue. Bruce Willis gives a show-stopping performance as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a man trying to help Cole. Despite the dramatic elements, there are still many scary scenes in The Sixth Sense . Though many films have explored what happens when someone can see the dead, few have done it better than The Sixth Sense .

Spirited Away (2001)

Directed by hayao miyazaki, spirited away.

From Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who discovers a hidden world of spirits while traveling with her family. When her parents fall victim to the machinations of an evil witch, Chihiro is forced into servitude in a magical bathhouse in order to save their lives. Helped by her friend Haku, Chihiro sets about finding a way to save her parents and get her family home.

Director Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date July 20, 2001

Cast Jason Marsden, Aoi Nakamura, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hragi, Daveigh Chase, Bob Bergen

Runtime 125 Mins

Main Genre Fantasy

Spirited Away is one of the best anime movies of all time because of its gorgeous visual style, the moving story, and the brilliant director from Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki. Though Spirited Away stands out not only in animation but in filmmaking in general, ghosts are more a means to an end in telling the story, which is why it doesn't rank higher on the list. Spirited Away is more concerned with folklore and legends of Japanese mythology than ghosts. However, this makes the story even more impactful because of its ability to translate long-held beliefs into the modern era.

The protagonist, Chihiro, is a young girl transported to the spirit realm and starts working at a supernatural spa/bathhouse after her parents are transformed into pigs. Like all children in Miyazaki movies, Chihiro is uncommonly brave and goes through more than many children her age. However, Spirited Away understands that the emotions of children should be taken as seriously as adults and communicates this within a beautifully realized world. Though the spirit world is different from reality, in some ways, it captures the human experience more fully because of this.

Watch Spirited Away on Max.

Poltergeist (1982)

Directed by tobe hooper, poltergeist.

Director Tobe Hooper

Release Date June 4, 1982

Cast Sam Rockwell, Nicholas Braun, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Jane Adams

Genres Supernatural, Horror

Based on the creative team behind the original Poltergeist , it's unsurprising that it's one of the best-known ghost movies and one of the scariest. Steven Spielberg collaborated on the script with Tobe Hooper directing due to his work on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , a film that has come to embody the modern definition of a slasher film. Poltergeist is an exceptionally frightening film, and even with the technology of the 1980s, that doesn't stop it from being terrifying to this day. When viewers think of ghosts in a horror context, the first thing that comes to mind is often Poltergeist .

Outside the scares, Poltergeist is also a well-made film that was nominated for three Academy Awards. This achievement is no small feat since the horror genre is habitually overlooked and underrepresented during the mainstream awards season. However, Poltergeist transcended this because it told a compact and intriguing story and knew better than to lean too far into special effects. Aspects of the thriller genre are implemented, making the moments between scares feel just as high-stakes as when the ghosts are onscreen.

A Ghost Story (2017)

Directed by david lowery, a ghost story.

Director David Lowery

Release Date April 24, 2017

Cast Grover Coulson, Liz Franke, Brea Grant, Augustine Frizzell, Barlow Jacobs, Kesha, Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck

Genres Drama, Romance, Documentary, Fantasy

Fantasy, reality, and grief come together to weave a story that spans centuries in David Lowery's A Ghost Story . Even with a microbudget of $100,000, via Box Office Mojo , the film managed to feel both enormous in scope and painfully intimate in its storytelling. A Ghost Story takes the question of what happens after death and takes it to the extreme when a man comes back as a ghost and is unable to move on because he left behind his wife in the living world. He remains on the fringes of reality until he finds closure.

Starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, A Ghost Story is not an easy watch and can border on harrowing for the audience and performers. There is a scene consistently of a single take of Mara eating an entire pie by herself. Haunting takes on many forms in A Ghost Story , and the audience can't help feeling as if their own regrets and unfinished business are lingering behind them. Despite its limited release, the film generated decent returns but deserves much more popularity than it has.

Rebecca (1940)

Directed by alfred hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock may be the king of thriller movies, but he rarely dipped his toe into the supernatural outside his 1940 film Rebecca . The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. Though it has paranormal elements, Rebecca is still wholly a Hitchcock film, and all the marks of his work are present. The ghost of Rebecca, the first wife of the man that Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) marries, haunts her throughout the film, and though Rebecca is never seen, she is a persistent presence in every scene.

Rebecca also boasts the legendary actor Laurence Olivier performing in the film as her husband, Maxim de Winter. He and Fontaine play off each other brilliantly as she becomes sucked into his web and find out the truth behind Rebecca's death. There isn't a second of respite in the film, and the sense that there's something hidden in the shadows permeates the story. If not for one other film, it would be the best ghost story ever told.

20 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked

The shining (1980), directed by stanley kubrick, the shining.

Stanley Kubrick's horror classic starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall tells the story of the Torrance family, who move to the isolated Overlook Hotel so that father Jack Torrance can act as its winter caretaker. Stuck at the hotel due to the winter storms, the malevolent supernatural forces inhabiting the building slowly begin to drive Jack insane, causing his wife and psychically gifted son to be caught up in a fight for their lives when Jack is pushed over the edge. 

Director Stanley Kubrick

Release Date June 13, 1980

Cast Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, Jack Nicholson

Runtime 146 minutes

Genres Drama, Horror

The Shining is arguably Stanley Kubrick's best film and the best ghost movie ever made. The film is the benchmark that all horror movies aim to hit, but few compare with the iconic story. Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall devote everything to giving fantastic performances, and without them, the movie wouldn't be half as compelling. As Jack (Nicholson) slowly unravels before the eyes of his wife and child, the audience feels themselves slipping away along with him.

Although it wasn't an immediate hit at the time of its release, The Shining has come to be recognized as an incredible contribution to the horror genre and filmmaking in general. As critics and audiences have realized the importance of the film, many negative reviews have been rescinded. Arthouse horror has always had a difficult time being properly appraised, and though The Shining suffered from this, it's now an example of true excellence in the genre. Kubrick was a master of his craft, and The Shining was no exception.

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‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Review: Something Weird, Multiplied

This overstuffed entry in the franchise is an eclectic, enjoyable barrage of nonsense.

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By Amy Nicholson

How many spirits can “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” fit in a firehouse? This overstuffed, erratically funny entry in the 40-year franchise crams in four main characters from the original 1984 blockbuster, six characters from the 2021 Oklahoma-set spinoff, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and introduces three new occultists along with an assortment of ghosts, poltergeists, horned phantoms and miniature marshmallow men. At one point, a dozen or so heroes amass at the old Ghostbusters headquarters in Manhattan to protect a storage trap of ghouls that has, like the movie itself, gotten perilously sardined.

In the scenes where the director, Gil Kenan, who wrote the script with Jason Reitman, ponders what it might feel like to let the dead dematerialize for good, the film seems to be asking its fan base if it’s ready to release Bill Murray’s weary parapsychologist, Peter Venkman, from haunting the series when his soul clearly isn’t in it.

“Afterlife” introduced the estranged daughter of Harold Ramis’s Egon Spengler, a single mother named Callie (Carrie Coon), and her teenage children, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard). After the death of their paterfamilias, the family fended off his killer, the Sumerian deity Gozer, with a helpful boost from a high school physics teacher named Gary (Paul Rudd); two young pals, Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Podcast (Logan Kim) — yes, Podcast; and the first generation of Ghostbusters, Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Dr. Venkman (Murray) and the sassy secretary, Janine (Annie Potts).

Now, the Oklahomies (even the unrelated children!) have relocated to Manhattan to speed around town harpooning wild ghosts from the Ectomobile, that beloved vintage hearse. In New York, the posse meets an ancient languages expert (Patton Oswalt), a paranormal engineer (James Acaster, a kooky English comic making his big-screen Hollywood debut) and an in-over-his-head huckster (Kumail Nanjiani) who inherits a nasty little spherical cryptogram with a very bad thing locked inside that’s yearning to unleash a fatal attack of the shivers — a neat idea that, in execution, just looks like a Roland Emmerich disaster movie.

My fingers have taken to their death bed simply typing out the basics. Yet, “Frozen Empire” is an eclectic, enjoyable barrage of nonsense — a circus act that kicks off with a Robert Frost poem and climaxes with Ray Parker Jr.’s titular synth banger. Each scene gets laughs. Strung together, they sputter along with the fragmentary logic of a dream: Characters vanish at key moments and then reappear unexpectedly covered in goo. A demon goes to a vape shop. Once, I could swear the fire station’s brass pole was smelted down. A few beats later it was back in place.

And the subplots are so gauzy and intangible that you’re not sure if they’re real. Is Phoebe, lonely and 15, trying to connect romantically with a pretty blond ghost (Emily Alyn Lind)? Are Callie and Gary actually dating or was that a buddy-buddy fist bump about the time they hooked up as demon dogs? Is 18-year-old Trevor’s entire story arc just that he wants to drive the Ectomobile?

Grace, as Dr. Spengler’s geeky granddaughter, bears much of the mechanics. She can really act, and her Phoebe is quirky and cerebral with an intriguing tickle of goth. You can see hints that the series would be game to have her shoulder the whole thing in a kiddie comedy spin on the “Conjuring” franchise, with Phoebe poking into fresh ghost stories while exploring her own attraction to the Great Beyond.

Perhaps that might have happened if the franchise hadn’t been scarred by the internet flame wars over the 2016 all-female reboot (which does not exist in this timeline). But the film seems spooked to stray from its touchstones: the particle streams, the New York Public Library, Slimer and Murray rattling their chains. At least it reworks them in ways that make us chuckle, like when tiny maggoty versions of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man torture each other with cigarette lighters, or when Paul Rudd recites the Ghostbusters theme song with utter sincerity, as if he were convincing his therapist that busting does make him feel good.

Kenan and Reitman seem to accept that the core audience is over 30. No one younger would giggle as hard as I did at a Discman possessed by an evil Spin Doctors CD. Yet, the nostalgia works best when it captures the rude tone — not the totems — of classic 1980s comedies. The family has an incuriosity about one another’s lives that feels refreshing, a throwback to a time when parents could quip about their kids getting tattoos. And Kenan deftly modulates the tension, toggling between screeching bombast and an eerie hush.

It’s all pleasant enough in a warm-bath-of-ectoplasm kind of way that by the time things wound around to the familiar sight of the Ghostbusters engulfed in a throng of cheering civilians, I felt a flush of futility that I’d bothered to question any of the confusion that herded us toward the inevitable. At risk of provoking Benjamin Franklin’s ghost, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and proton packs.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Rated PG-13 for language, suggestive references and Ghostbuster-on-ghost violence. Running time: 2 hours 5 minutes. In theaters.

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