Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Starring: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim, Celeste O'Connor, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, Bob Gunton, J.K. Simmons, Bokeem Woodbine, Olivia Wilde (uncredited)
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A single mom (Carrie Coon) and her kids (Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard) arrive at their grandfather's farm and soon suspect he had been part of the Ghostbusters.

Review:

Tim: Growing up, I was a massive Ghostbusters fan. I've seen both of the original movies many times and I just love them. It has been a bit hard to be a fan of the franchise lately, though. We got the 2016 reboot, which suffered from misogynistic reviewers, but ultimately, wasn't a good movie. I feel like it got an unfair share of hate and vitriol online for the wrong reasons. Although decent, it's clearly a disappointing movie. So, there was some skepticism going into Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I love that Jason Reitman took over the directorial chair for his father. While there's some obvious flaws to the film, I found myself shocked by how much I enjoyed the movie. It's a worthy sequel to the original movies and it's a movie I really like quite a bit.

The most obvious complaint about the film is that it connects too closely to the original movie. It mostly recycles that film's plot. That was somewhat frustrating to me. I wish the movie would have branched out a bit more. However, by staying so close to the original, Reitman is able to deliver a movie that feels intimately connected to the first film and feels like a worthwhile sequel. It's a bit similar to what Star Wars: The Force Awakens did. It recycled the plot from the first movie, but it uses that familiarity to launch new characters. It worked in that film and it works again here. I mostly loved how the script was connected to the events of the original films. It felt like a logical extension of the original stories. If we did get another sequel set in that same world, this feels like logically it fits. That's not easy to achieve. So, the most obvious complaint is a valid one and it does hurt the film a bit, but it also grounds the movie as well. In the end, I think it helped more than hurt, although it does hurt a bit.

The key to this film was introducing new, worthwhile characters. You'll never replace Egon, Ray, Venkman, or Winston. It's impossible. Yet, this film brings in new characters and gives them enough room to breathe and develop. I found myself very invested in the characters, especially because of their connection to the original Ghostbusters. The script, in this sense, was brilliant. By having Egon's estranged daughter and his grandchildren as our protagonists, it allows them to bring in a younger cast while seamlessly connecting to the original. I was absolutely there for that. It helps that the cast is really, really effective.

I've long thought Mckenna Grace has the potential to be extremely successful in her career. She has a ton of talent for someone so young. I loved how they changed her appearance for this film. She manages to connect emotionally with the audience and emerge as an interesting, worthwhile character. Finn Wolfhard has done a great job establishing his persona in Stranger Things and the It movies. He's toned down and restrained here, but he still brings his nerdy charisma in a way that really works. Carrie Coon was fine. I didn't love her performance, but it mostly worked. Paul Rudd was a great addition and his humor, his energy, and his comedic timing absolutely elevated the film. Logan Kim was a surprisingly great addition as Podcast. He was really funny, instantly likeable, and gives a memorable performance. You can't overstate his importance to this film. Celeste O'Connor was solid, but not given enough to do. Olivia Wilde was excellent in an uncredited role and I loved seeing J.K. Simmons here, even if his presence was almost completely wasted in a pointless role.

And then, (SPOILER ALERT unless you looked at the cast list), we get the original characters back. To see Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts reprise these roles was an absolute joy. I wish they had bigger roles, but they're older now. Their presence feels slightly more than a throwaway cameo, but not nearly as large as I would have liked. Still, given the circumstances, I thought their inclusion was powerful. I loved seeing them again. I also thought the film brilliantly handled the death of Harold Ramis. His loss is absolutely felt here, but the movie addresses his death in a surprising (occasionally shocking way). It felt perfectly fitting within the context of this universe, though. I didn't quite get teared up, but I got closer than I would have expected. It's a beautiful tribute to Ramis and what he meant to this franchise. It also adds unexpected emotional depth to this film. It's a big reason why I liked the movie as much as I did.

For the story itself, it does a nice job of establishing these characters and paying tribute to the original films. The homages are wonderful, even though the plot itself does tread too much familiar ground. It still creates some wonderfully exciting moments and the adventure and comedy were top notch. I'll always remember the Ecotomobile swerving on the dirt road with sirens blaring- to see that depicted again on the big screen was such an unexpected, incredible delight. I felt very grateful to be able to see that again. The visuals throughout the film were excellent. The story creates these really nice moments throughout, even though it eventually just recycles much of the plot from the first movie. This is oftentimes frustrating, but sometimes wonderful- the "Are you a God?" revisitation was excellent, for example. We might have seen this before, but it closely connects this film to the original, it ramps up the nostalgia factor, and it opens up the door for a sequel to break new ground.

I really enjoyed Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It's not as good as the first two films, but it's miles better than the failed reboot. This was a fun, entertaining film. Jason Reitman did his father proud and the entire cast paid tribute to Harold Ramis in a powerful and emotional way. I didn't anticipate liking this movie as much as I did, but I had a blast with it. Bring on the sequel.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters (2016)