GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE review by Mark Walters – Jason Reitman brilliantly continues his dad’s legacy

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE review by Mark Walters – Jason Reitman brilliantly continues his dad’s legacy

In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that the original GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) was a very important film for me. I was 10 when it hit theaters, and it made a BIG impression on me at the time, so much so that I went to see it over 50 times in a movie theater (I’m honestly not exaggerating, though it stayed in theaters for over a year), studied up on everything there was to know about the making of the movie and how they did all of the special effects, and even dressed up as a Ghostbuster for multiple Halloweens which entailed me making my own proton pack with lights and working electronics… it was a major event in my young life. But like many things from your youth, I sort of grew out of that phase, even losing interest by the time GHOSTBUSTERS II came out in 1989, which I did eventually see and somewhat enjoyed, but there just wasn’t any recapturing the magic of that first movie. The 2016 GHOSTBUSTERS gender-swap reboot met with controversial results, and while I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t think it was very funny or even all that memorable. The trailers alone for that effort sparked record-breaking negative response on YouTube, and the film received mostly poor reviews and disappointing box office results. But Sony Pictures wasn’t ready to bury one of their biggest franchises just yet. Jason Reitman stepped into the director chair, with his father Ivan Reitman as producer, for a new reboot effort titled GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, which was originally going to come out last summer, but like many recent films got pushed back due to Covid.

The story takes place in a small rural town that is experiencing earthquake-like tremors on a regular basis, but there’s no scientific reasoning for it. Couple that with single mom Callie (Carrie Coon) and her kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) settling in at a house left to them by their grandfather, a former Ghostbuster, and (of course) they find some of the items he left behind. Paul Rudd stars as local summer school teacher Mr. Grooberson, who just so happens to be a fan of the original Ghostbusters and their world-saving event in 1984. And yes, he becomes the single guy fascinated with this stuff who meets that single mom… and I’m sure you can’t predict what happens from there. Phoebe befriends a local nerdy kid named Podcast (Logan Kim) who is into weird stuff like her, and Trevor meets a girl close to his age called Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) who helps him get a job at the local burger joint and becomes a fascinating figure for him to hang with. When the kids start to discover some leftover Ghostbuster equipment on their farm, Mr. Grooberson suggest they take a closer look, but their actions might just unleash something very bad that’s hibernating just outside of town.

While GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is more of a direct sequel to the original GHOSTBUSTERS, it’s also setting up new characters and new concepts for potentially future films. Many expected this to feel like STRANGER THINGS, especially since Wolfhard is one of the main stars of both this and the popular Netflix series. But the style and tone of the new movie actually feels more like a Steven Spielberg film from the 1980s – if STRANGER THINGS captures the 1980s horror movie vibe, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE captures the Amblin-era sense of wonderment. Jason Reitman is a very different director from his father Ivan, so you could safely say much of the new production has its own unique identity rather than feeling like a carbon copy of Ivan’s films. This is also in many ways a loving tribute to Harold Ramis, who sadly passed away in 2014, and his character does get an amazing amount of closure in this movie. The studio has also made no secret that the original surviving Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson) appear at some point in the film, which is even teased in the trailers, and not just with archived footage. And without giving anything away, let’s just say that as far as franchise reunions go, they really got this one right. I found myself getting choked up at multiple points in the final moments of this movie, all while grinning from ear to ear.

The screenplay by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan (MONSTER HOUSE) smartly focuses on the kids and their discovery of what their grandpa used to do, and there’s a great moment where Paul Rudd’s character is asking them why they don’t remember the events from 1984, and they remind him they weren’t even born until several years after that – it’s a great sort of mirror to younger moviegoers who might be experiencing a GHOSTBUSTERS movie for the first time, or at least are experiencing it for the first time in a movie theater. But there’s also a magic that comes from watching these kids slowly unravel the mysteries of their own lineage, and Reitman brilliantly makes the journey a sincere and honest one. There’s conflict mixed in with the excitement too, such as Carrie Coon’s single mother having to move into her deceased father’s house out of financial desperation, and the fact that her father never spent any time with her and felt completely disconnected before he died. This makes things interesting as when Phoebe begins uncovering her granddad’s things, her mother gets angry because it just reminds her how much he wasn’t there for them. The relationship between Phoebe and Podcast is fun and their chemistry is great, though the slowly-budding relationship between Trevor and Lucky never quite seems to find its footing. It also feels like Reitman may have noticed this, as much of the film seems to focus more strongly on Phoebe’s adventures rather than Trevor’s. Make no mistake, this is Mckenna Grace’s movie, and she’s so terrific that you’ll be happy she gets the majority of the spotlight. Paul Rudd’s character is amusing, but the script doesn’t give him a whole lot to do, other than become a potential love interest for Callie, and occasional confidant for Phoebe… he then sort of devolves into something similar to Rick Moranis’ supporting character in the original movie. Reitman also smartly makes the Ecto-1 (the hearse driven by the Ghostbusters in the original films) a true character in the movie as well, featuring it prominently and giving it some exciting hero moments. In the original movies, Ecto-1 was just the vehicle they drove in, but here it’s becomes a shining element of fandom, much like the Delorean in the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies.

There are parts of the new film that come really close to being just a tad too familiar for hardcore fans, even the musical score mimics Elmer Bernstein’s 1984 effort, though that mostly works to great effect. It’s hard to talk about the film without talking about the ending, as it would really spoil things to discuss it, but let’s just say the final act works as a nice reward for the audience, especially if you’re a big fan of the original movies. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE knows hows to take a classic franchise and introduce it to a new generation of moviegoers, while simultaneously delivering elements that will make the classic fans cheer. It also nicely sets up future ideas to keep the franchise alive and well, and potentially involve the classic characters even further should they want to be involved. But most importantly, it’s a wonderful tribute to Harold Ramis, perhaps even cathartic for the original players. Considering this is Jason Reitman’s first time making a sequel, particularly one for such a beloved franchise, he definitely knocked it out of the park… Papa Ivan should be very proud. Make sure to stick around during the credits for not one but two fantastic stinger scenes.

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE opens November 19, 2021

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.