Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Review)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Ghost Traps the Spirit of the Original
Before I get into Ghostbusters: Afterlife, I want to talk about the downside of nostalgia. It’s said “you can never go home again”, and I would argue that, “you can never watch Ghostbusters for the first time again.” The original movie still remains one of the most masterful blends of “stars and popcorn” I’ve ever seen, and the greatest horror-comedy ever made. That doesn’t make it perfect though, and that’s okay. When the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters hit theaters, I was cautiously optimistic about it, but inevitably disappointed. That’s probably why my inner child felt so guarded going into Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I still wanted to like it just out of love for the originals, but it was going to have to work for my approval this time. Fortunately, Jason Reitman is as brilliant a director as his father and approaches the franchise with a sense of humility and respect. Not only is Ghostbusters: Afterlife a proper spiritual successor, it also opens up opportunities for the franchise to continue on with all new characters and ideas while respecting the integrity of the original.
Bad news about the original Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Harold Ramis), kids. They broke up. In fact, as of the start of Ghostbusters: Afterlife there hasn’t even been a ghost sighting in decades. That all changes the night Egon Spangler (Ramis) dies in Summerville, Oklahoma. He’d spent decades shut away from the world doing mysterious things up at that old farmhouse just outside of town, and now all his worldly possessions have been left to his estranged daughter, Callie (Carrie Coon), and grandchildren, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace). In a twist of fate, Phoebe seems to have a lot in common with pop-pop Egon, especially when it comes to being socially awkward and an unparalleled genius. She starts discovering some pretty interesting secrets about him and what he was doing in Summerville. It turns out that their inheritance comes with a legacy they will have to continue in order to save the world from an apocalyptic evil brewing just beneath the town. Good thing that inheritance also includes proton-packs, ghost traps, and the ever-reliable Ecto-1.
It took me a bit of time to warm up to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but by the time the first act was wrapping up and the call to action was starting to sound, the characters managed to win me over. That’s probably because Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan created Phoebe as a neurodiverse pre-teen struggling to fit in, and she’s initially as off-putting to the audiences as she is to her peers. However, once I started to understand who Phoebe was, everything about her made perfect sense, and she developed an awkward charm that I came to love. Wolfhard brings the same gangly allure that made his character in Stranger Things so popular, and it fits Trevor like a tailored jumpsuit. They both give solid performances, but the memorable ones belong to Logan Kim as Phoebe’s classmate and BFF, Podcast, and Paul Rudd as her “cool” teacher, Gary Grooberson. Grace, Wolfhard, and Kim are joined by Celeste O’Connor as Lucky Domingo, the fourth new member of their band of misfits. The four have a very similar balance to them as the original team, and once things kick into high gear, they prove to be just as scrappy.
It’s not just the characters in Ghostbusters: Afterlife that captured the feeling of the original, but everything about the production held the same eerie, urban fantasy vibe as the 84 classic. Even the ghosts combine practical and digital effects just like the old specters I loved as a kid, which is a good thing because a few familiar faces pop up over the course of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The original Ghostbusters were never a well-oiled machine or even knew what they were doing half the time. Heck, their gear was often held together with duct tape and a prayer. Ghostbusters: Afterlife leans into that same feeling from the rusted, rattling Ecto-1 to the dilapidated farmhouse the heroes inherit from Egon. Still, it’s the characters that Reitman is really invested in with this film. He gives them personal stakes not only in seeing the planet not get destroyed but in this new team coming together.
The one thing I will complain about in Ghostbusters: Afterlife is how the story plays it safe and seems hesitant to stray far from concepts established in the originals. At the same time, I see it as a transition film there to remind audiences of what they loved, while proving these new characters are not only capable of doing those same things but worthy of them as well. There’s also the fact that Reitman has his own stake in making not just the best movie he can, but one that honors the source material. There are a few new pieces of tech tossed in there for the sake of merchandising, but they blend seamlessly with the aesthetic and are actually pretty practical (specifically a remote-controlled ghost trap and a gunner’s seat on the Ecto-1). In fact, all the changes and updates Reitman made feel like a natural continuation of everything we have come to know and love. In the end, Ghostbusters: Afterlife not only feels like a fitting farewell to the old guard but opens a new chapter with endless possibilities for the next generation.
While Ghostbusters: Afterlife might not be as good as the original, it gives you the same sense of unabashed joy by the end. It took me a while to warm up since this was a series I watched countless times as a kid and that reboot was a swift kick to the pants. Once I let my guard down, the film won me over despite any flaws it had in the narrative. Sure, there were some cheesy moments, but Ghostbusters had plenty of “you can’t be serious” moments as well. All that really needs to be said is that I’m happy with Ghostbusters: Afterlife and more importantly it made me feel happy watching it. It’s not quite the same, but I feel confident calling Ghostbusters a trilogy now.
