Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review

Synopsis
When Phoebe (McKenna) and her family learn of her grandfather’s passing, they move to his home in Summerville, Oklahoma. When Phoebe learns about her grandfather’s work, she must pick up where he left off and stop the impending apocalypse.

Review
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is Hollywood’s latest attempt to create a sequel to a popular franchise decades later, this time it’s fan favorite supernatural comedy, Ghostbusters. I will say that it is one of the better examples of how to create a follow-up film many years later; paying homage to what came before while building its own identity. With the passing of Harold Ramis years ago, he obviously could not be in this film. The way his character of Egon was handled in this film pays respect to the character (and Harold himself) in a heartwarming way. As a Ghostbusters film and starring Paul Rudd, you can be sure to expect plenty of laughs. In that regard, the film did not disappoint. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times throughout the movie.

However, the overall pace of Ghostbusters: Afterlife felt slow as it tries to tie into the previous films and characters while building up towards the final showdown. It’s not that it was bad, it’s just that it didn’t feel that exciting. The ending was the best part but before that, not was relatively slow, and not in the good, deliberate way. Nonetheless, I am not turned off from these new characters completely and would enjoy another outing with them. I’m always interested to see how a younger generation picks up the reins and I think that the franchise could be in good hands with Mckenna Grace and Fin Wolfhard.

I thought Ghostbusters: Afterlife was OK 😐 If you are a fan of the original Ghostbusters films, there are plenty of homages and respect given to those films, while at the same time introducing a new generation of characters. It also has plenty of heart that a story like this needs and deserves. But overall, there is a lack of substance that prevents it from reaching the heights of its widely loved predecessor.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Jason Reitman – Director / Writer
Gil Kenan – Writer
Rob Simonsen – Composer

Mckenna Grace – Phoebe
Fin Wolfhard – Trevor
Paul Rudd – Grooberson
Carrie Coon – Callie
Logan Kim – Podcast
Celeste O’Connor – Lucky
Dan Aykroyd – Ray Stantz
Bill Murray – Peter Venkman
Ernie Hudson – Winston Zeddemore