Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Released: November 2021

Director: Jason Reitman

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 124 Minutes

Distributor: Sony Pictures/Columbia

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Cast:
Carrie Coon: Callie
Paul Rudd: Grooberson
Finn Wolfhard: Trevor
Mckenna Grace: Phoebe
Logan Kim: Podcast
Celeste O’Connor: Lucky
Bill Murray: Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd: Ray Stanz
Ernie Hudson: Winston Zeddemore
Annie Potts: Janine Melnitz
Sigourney Weaver: Dana Barrett

Sometimes, the story of a how a film is made can be just as interesting as the film itself.  Take a look at Blade Runner.  That movie had serious issues being made.  It was so notorious that it ended up getting an entire 2+ hour documentary on the film’s production and issues.  One of the most notorious/infamous sequels to NEVER get off the ground has always been Ghostbusters III.  After the second film hit theaters, Dan Aykroyd began work on a third film that was titled: Ghostbusters III: Hellbound or Hellbent whichever it was.  The story involved our four main characters, Peter Venkman, Ray Stanz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore going into a Hell-like dimension that was a twisted mirror of our own.  It didn’t happen because Bill Murray didn’t want to do it.  At least, that’s one of the reasons.  Murray was a notorious holdout when it came to Ghostbusters sequels.  He didn’t even want to do the second movie, from what I understand.  Ghostbusters III had been on and off again for the better part of 28 years now.  Each time Dan Aykroyd tried to restart it, Bill Murray wouldn’t do it.  Unfortunately, Harold Ramis, who played Egon, passed away in 2014.  As a result, the project was permanently shelved.  BUT, Sony wouldn’t give up on the franchise, so they talked to Dan Aykroyd about doing a “reboot” of the series with four female leads.  THAT film was released in 2016 to….mixed, yet mostly negative reactions, to put it mildly.  Well, towards the end of 2018, we got word that Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, the director of the original film, was going to helm a NEW Ghostbusters movie.  Well, ladies and gentlemen.  That movie has arrived: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

The film follows Calli, Phoebe, and Trevor as they are evicted from their apartment and forced to relocate to Summervillle, Oklahoma.  Once they arrive, they take possession of a run-down farmhouse and the surrounding property that used to belong to Calli’s father, Egon Spengler, who died the week before.  As they struggle to rebuild their lives, strange things begin happening in the town.  Earthquakes that occur with no epicenter and strange sightings from a nearby mine or just a number of strange things that the family encounters.  Phoebe soon discovers hidden proton packs and scientific equipment left behind by her grandfather and she learns that an ancient evil is trying make its way back into our world.  To say anymore about the plot would be to spoil the film, and as usual, I try not to do that.  As someone who grew up with Ghostbusters, I was incredibly skeptical that Afterlife would measure up to the original movie.  Let’s face it, most sequels don’t.  While I don’t think Afterlife surpasses the original movie, it’s easily the best Ghostbusters movie since and a worthy follow-up.  The story is smaller than the previous movies and it focuses more on the family dealing with paranormal activities.  It ties in with the original film almost perfectly.  There were moments where I was genuinely moved by some of these characters and events.

Characters are at the heart of every story and Afterlife has some really great character work.  Everybody here is on their A-game.  Calli is the cynical mom who feels that her father didn’t care for her or her family. Trevor is the typical teenage boy who wants to fit in.  Phoebe is the ultra-intelligent, introverted, nerdy kid who has more interest in science than dealing with people.  Mr. Grooberson is a summer-school teacher who also happens to have his hands in science.  Podcast is the bizarre microphone-carrying kid who befriends Phoebe.  All these characters are fantastic.  While the appearances of Peter Venkman, Ray Stanz, and Winston Zeddemore are fantastic, the real heart of this movie is Phoebe, played excellently by Mckenna Grace.  While most movies featuring kids in the lead tend to be fairly obnoxious, that isn’t the case here.  Phoebe’s nerdiness hides her desire to prove that her grandfather wasn’t insane.  It was the characters that made the original film work so well, and thankfully, Jason Reitman makes sure that is the case here, because that’s also where a lot of the humor comes from.

One of the original film’s greatest strengths was it’s use of visual effects.  It was mostly done with optics, miniatures and practical effects.  It made for a visually exciting film.  I mean, the terror dogs were incredibly terrifying.  In fact, they gave me nightmares as a kid.  The effects in Afterlife are more CG-oriented because the degree of movement and things that they do, but they’re still impressive.  In fact, we still get some practical puppetry in a number of scenes, which is incredibly impressive.  The creature and make-up effects are impressive.  The set-pieces are also really cool.  There is a chase sequence in which Phoebe, Trevor, and Podcast are chasing around a ghost in the Ecto-1 that is one of the most fun sequences in the entire movie.  It’s awesome because Phoebe is essentially in a gunner’s seat that moves to the outside of the vehicle allowing her to try and blast the ghost.  There is a LOT of fun to be had here.

I’ve been reading about a lot of people complaining about the film and how it throws a lot of nostalgia at people and that there are too many references to the original movie.  These were the same complaints that were made about the 2016 film.  The difference between this movie and the 2016 film in terms of fan service, is that Afterlife actually respects the source material.  It’s definitely there, but it’s done in a way that’s not blatantly intrusive, and the movie doesn’t grind to a halt when an Easter egg shows up.  THAT was a huge problem with the 2016 reboot.  It spent a lot of time saying, “Hey look at me!  I’m a Ghostbusters movie.”  They should’ve spent the time writing an actual story that didn’t come across as self-parody.  The Easter eggs that show up here are definitely for fans, but even non-fans will be able to pick up some of them.  But again, it doesn’t slow the film down.  THIS is how you do fan service.

At the end of the day, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is definitely an homage to the original film, but it does bring new characters and ideas to the table.  Truth be told, my expectations were VERY low going into this movie, even with Jason Reitman at the helm.  This was a movie that could’ve gone very, VERY wrong.  I’m very pleased to say that it didn’t.  It’s not a perfect film by any stretch, but after 30 years, this was probably going to be the best Ghostbusters sequel that we were ever going to get.  For fans of the original, I think there’s plenty here to enjoy.  I left the theater with a huge grin on my face.  That hasn’t happened in years, so thank you, Jason Reitman and company for getting me to believe in ghost-busting again.