Not to open up a can of worms, but there’s no easy way to say this. The Ghostbusters reboot/sequel/no one on earth can tell what it is, directed by Paul Feig, wasn’t met with the critical and financial success it should have had in the summer of 2016. Having no issue with it being a star loaded female cast and having a successful comedic director attached should have been a no brainer, and it’s not to say that the marketing for the movie helped it, when you include the unnecessary hate from the internet or simply for the fact that the promotional campaign for the movie wasn’t all that special to begin with. Again, this is not an indication that the movies flaws come with the movie being led by women, in fact, the actresses that starred in it are some of the best and most well respected actresses in Hollywood. It’s an unfortunate because the movie they were in missed the mark completely. The Ghostbusters franchise is almost rebooted in its time and place, particularly with the first one that started it all. For over 30 years, Ghostbusters has been so beloved by generation after generation, it’s no wonder why studious try to revamp it for the next generation. There’s so much that can appeal to a much wider audience. It’s got comedy, scares and thrills but not in the sense that only older people can enjoy. The problem with 2016 Ghostbusters is that it really didn’t know what to make of itself. Was it a sequel? Reboot? No one, quite frankly, has a clue. What’s even more odd is that you had cameos from Bill Murray and even Dan Aykroyd, but they weren’t even playing their established characters.
Be that as it may, that movie put the franchise on hiatus for some time, that is until the son of Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, was announced as the director for follow up that was connected to the original two films. Having a huge set back and being delayed around fours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife finally broke through the theaters this weekend in time for the holidays and it’s the follow up we should have received a few short years ago. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a warm and cozy blanket of nostalgia, while simultaneously catering to newer fans of a beloved franchise that desperately needed rejuvenation to it. It’s charming, heartwarming and admirable with its humor and themes of family. Having the son of Ivan Reitman shepherd this ship where his father left off felt poetic and incredible sincere by honoring the pre established material.
Serving as a sequel to to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters: Afterlife is set around 30 years or so after the events of those two films and focuses on a single mother and her two children, Phoebe and Trevor, who are struggling from financial troubles as they relocate to their grandfather’s house in a small-town in Oklahoma. When they first get settled in, the family starts too discover some connections to the original Ghostbusters and learn more about their grandfathers secrets.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is what every blockbuster should have in mind and more importantly, it’s exactly what 2016 reboot was missing. This is a movie full naturalness, amusement and sincerity while still having the spectacle and flavors of a fun blockbuster. That’s kind of what makes the timing of this movie really special because around this time of year is where we start seeing more of the awards movies getting pushed and expanded into wider markets, but with something Ghostbusters: Afterlife, it manages to be both a fun and adventurous tale but also a movie with insightfulness and character. That’s no disrespect to Paul Feig, but something about Jason Reitman as the captain for this Ghostbusters adventure felt more of a perfect match. Jason Reitman is also a fabulous director and having him continuing the work of his father felt more appropriate and more genuine. What Jason Reitman applied to this Ghostbusters movie is something that might turn off some people, and that’s the fact is that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is deep in nostalgia by offering some great fan service and throwbacks, that never take anything away from the essences of the movie. Having a coming of age angle with this is something the franchise has yet to do and it’s probably why that nostalgia really shines. It simultaneously caters to the die hard fans of the franchise by going more younger with it’s perspective and characters, which reminds that generation when they first saw Ghostbusters and has big child stars that the current generation have fallen in love with. Jason Reitman, single handedly, pulls off this movie so meticulously by operating on so many distinctive levels, which proves his unbelievable talents as a storyteller and as an orchestrator.
Another surprising aspect about Ghostbusters: Afterlife is how thematically strong and rich it is with it’s central focus about family. We see this happen often in other movies, but certainly not with this franchise and one of the many reasons this movies emotional weight works is that the family dynamic feels real. It gives the franchise more juice and way more substance than anyone will ever anticipate.
The cast of Ghostbusters: Afterlife is another ingredient of the movie that gives that extra layer of pleasure. Finn Wolfhard seems to a child star that’s tailor made for movies that harken back to a 1980s attire. Some might find that as a gimmick, but nevertheless, it works out every single time. He fits in with stories like this but he also is an actor who continues to impress the public. Mckenna Grace is a damn delight in any project she’s associated with and her performance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife is no different. She plays one of the most lovable and endearing characters in any family movie this year and it continues to make things more exciting for her career going forward. We all love Paul Rudd as Ant-Man and clearly the world has voted him as this years sexiest man alive. No argument to be had there. Paul Rudd is a terrific and well rounded actor and his performance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife is an exceptional element.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is exactly what the franchise needed. It needed a new direction, fun and still having a deep love for why people fell in love with these movies in the first place. It’s a vast improvement over the previous Ghostbusters movie and while canonically we know where it takes place, Ghostbusters: Afterlife feels like a brand new Ghostbusters adventure that feels self contained and features a ton of fun and thrills to be had with this.
My grade for Ghostbusters: Afterlife: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 