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After the lacklustre results from 2016’s reboot, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, Sony abandoned all hopes of an all-female sequel and went back to the drawing board. The results of that drawing board are Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Despite myself not minding the 2016 reboot too much, I have to say that returning to the universe of the original series was something that should have been done five years ago.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife picks up more than thirty years after Ghostbusters II with Callie (Carrie Coon) evicted from her home and forced to move to her late father’s decaying farmhouse in Summerville, Oklahoma. It’s a seemingly ordinary town where a series of unexplainable earthquakes and other strange things are occurring around the old mine. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard) soon discover that their late grandfather was a Ghostbuster, and using his dusty equipment, they try to solve the mystery of the mine.
A Legacy Sequel
Ghostbusters: Afterlife may not appease many fans who are still holding out on a movie exclusively starring Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray, but I found this third instalment in the original series to be a hoot!
As someone who isn’t a big fan of Ghostbusters II, I found Afterlife to be the second-best movie in the trilogy. And yes, it is very much a legacy sequel rather than a straight sequel. However, it’s certainly not a reboot. And as you can expect, the surviving three Ghostbusters aren’t in the movie nearly as much as I had hoped. Although, their eventual appearances brought a huge round of applause from the audience of my screening.
A New Generation
The new roster of Ghostbusters characters consists mainly of teenagers. This will be an instant turn-off for many, but please give them a chance because they each bring something to the table.
Mckenna Grace and newcomer Logan Kim are the main stars. They are closely followed by Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd’s Mr Grooberson. Carrie Coon is… present throughout pretty much all of the movie. However, unlike her co-stars, she isn’t the main focus until towards the finale. Even Rudd has more to do than Coon does for a lot of Afterlife. Despite this, Coon works with what she can and gets the job done. It’s just unfortunate that we have to wait until the climax to see her character have a noteworthy scene.
Grace continues to prove herself to be a powerhouse of a young performer, fully capable of leading her own franchise. She slots perfectly into Pheobe’s shoes and is able to channel the character of Dr Egon Spengler (Pheobe’s grandfather) so easily that you can tell Grace did her research.
Kim plays Podcast, Pheobe’s first-ever friend. He’s geeky and obsessed with the unexplained. At first, I thought Podcast would be nothing more than an annoying child character that didn’t need to be in the film at all. Boy, was I wrong! Kim steals the show and delivers a wonderful performance packed with hilarious quips. He ultimately became one of my favourite aspects of the entire movie.
The Boys Are Back
Surprisingly, Wolfhard’s Trevor takes a backseat for much of the first half, with Rudd filling in the gap until they are switched around midway through. Rudd’s geology and VHS-loving teacher, Mr Grooberson, is just as lovable as Rudd is himself. While his performance isn’t anything groundbreaking or new for Rudd, it, fortunately, matches the style and tone of the film.
While Rudd is playing the male lead for the first half, it’s during this time that Wolfhard’s Trevor spends most of his time chasing a girl and fixing up an “old battered Cadillac” found in his grandfather’s barn. It’s not until the plot fully kicks in about halfway through that Trevor begins to take part in the action, and when he does, he is sadly outshined by Grace and Kim. This is simply because we have seen Wolfhard in similar situations in both Stranger Things and It.
Wolfhard’s performance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife isn’t bad. However, his presence makes the film too reminiscent of the previously mentioned projects. I feel like it would have been better if they had cast an actor who hadn’t already made movies that involve venturing underground.
The Keymasters
Taking over directing duties from Ivan Reitman is his son Jason, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan. Reitman does a pretty decent job taking over the franchise and steering it into a new direction, all the while appeasing fans with a lot of nostalgia.
The nostalgia injected into the story has been one of the most criticised aspects of Afterlife. Although, I honestly didn’t think it was heavy-handed, as many are saying. There is a lot of fan service, but when a sequel with the original cast reprising their roles is made decades later, this is expected. The plot does become predictable and a tad too close to the original. However, they make it work by installing new elements – such as a more prominent role for the villain, plus two surprising cameos.
Rob Simonsen’s score is also something that I have to praise. Taking over from the late Elmer Bernstein (Ghostbusters) and Randy Edelman (Ghostbusters II), Simonsen uses the familiar Ghostbusters music within his new score. I’m not sure whether he’ll be eligible for an OSCAR nomination for Best Original Score, but I wouldn’t be mad if he found himself a nomination.
Sadly, Ray Parker Jr’s Academy Award-nominated song, “Ghostbusters”, is noticeably absent until the final scene. It’s played for such a short amount of time that the film feels a little empty without it. Sure, the song has become overplayed in the thirty-plus years it’s been around, but even the poorly received Ghostbusters: Answer the Call utilised it in its score with great effect.
Sequel Please!
The door is left open for a sequel. I’m really hoping we get one just as long as Aykroyd, Hudson, Murray, Potts, and Weaver all return with more substantial roles.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a wicked delight with great humour, visual effects, music, and enough nostalgia to eat your heart out! And remember to stay through the entirety of the credits!
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