It didn’t really start with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has what can best be described as a Force Awakens-ass trailer. There’s minimal suggestion of what the movie’s actual plot is, and a lot of familiar faces suiting back up, and everyone else reminding us they know about the specific Ghostbusters things you also know about.
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That’s a bit gripe-y, yes, but while Frozen Empire’s past trailers have largely tried to skirt around the returning familiarity to focus on the icy chills haunting New York this time around—except for the Ghostbusters firehouse, of course, but it’s kinda hard to skirt around a building like that—this new look is all in on reminding you that yes, the old cast are back, yes, they even got Annie Potts this time too, yes, they’re all in the uniform, and yes, they’re very aware that busting makes you feel good.
It’d be mostly fine if not for Paul Rudd’s strained nod to the legendary song as an earnest call to arms—a line so strained it managed to make the usally seemingly unaging Paul Rudd actually physically age trying to get through it—which really pushes this trailer over into the nudge nudge, wink wink nostalgia overload territory. Which is saying something, because it’s very much one of those trailers anyway the way it leans heavily on the remaining members of the old guard coming back. The international trailer, at least, dials back the nostalgia much more, and offers much more insight into the set up around the mysterious ghost army at the heart of the film:
But really, it’s Janine’s classic line in the main trailer that speaks to the whole thrust of the matter here: what does Frozen Empire actually want? What does it have to offer, beyond the cheap thrill of a few battered old suits and firehouse?
We’ll find out come March 22.
James Whitbrook is an editor with IO9 which, like The A.V. Club, is owned by G/O Media