Review: 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Resurrects More Than Just the Story

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now playing in theaters. Reader beware, Spoilers Ahead!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife hit theaters last Friday after being pushed back for more than a year due to the world wide pandemic. Now that it’s a hit at the box office, it’s clear that many fans had been waiting since 1989 to see what happened to Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis).

However, Ghostbusters: Afterlife wasn’t just about meeting our old heroes where they left off. It was also about bringing the timeline into present day and seeing where the story can go for a new generation of movie goers. Bringing the new storyline to life is Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), her family (Carrie Coon and Finn Wolfhard), and new friend Podcast (Logan Kim). After being evicted, her family heads to Oklahoma to Phoebe’s long lost grandfather’s home, which he left them when he died.

I was curious to see how the film would feel after it was taken out of New York, but was pleasantly surprised that the setting worked very well. The town takes viewers out of the hustle of a big city and sits them right down in the middle of a one horse town. As family begins to get their bearings, Phoebe meets her new friend Podcast who helps her explore the town. Along with a summer school teacher, Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), they discover the truth about the earthquakes plaguing their town.

Mr. Grooberson, the summer school teacher, begins to see how smart Phoebe actually is, and he along with Podcast become her own little support system in the new town. Grooberson is your classic checked out summer school teacher, and even tries to expand the class’s horizons by playing old VHS copies of Cujo and Child’s Play. Rudd‘s style of physical comedy and quick wit are right in step with the look and feel. The tense moments are aplenty in the film, giving Rudd many opportunities to shine.

While exploring, Phoebe stumbles into her grandfather’s workshop and discovers that she and Trevor (Wolfhard) have ghost-busting in their blood. After running into a mid-level specter, a.k.a the Muncher, they take the Ecto-1 on a wild chase and destroy lots of property. Which gets them into some trouble with the local police. Phoebe uses her one call to try the number on an old commercial for which rings through to Ray’s Occult Books. It’s during this call we learn what has happened between the old friends and we find out more about what is happening in their town.

Mckenna Grace as Phoebe is brilliant, she brings the awkwardness of growing up and dry humor as a perfectly relatable young girl. She is constantly trying to learn about those around her and herself, and while it’s clear she’s not sure of herself, she never backs down. She’s tenacious, funny but also brings anger and sadness to her character, and I hope to see her again with a jumpsuit on.

Gozar (Olivia Wilde, Emma Portner and Shohreh Aghdashloo) looks and feels like they should for Ghostbusters: Afterlife with that signature hairdo and jumpsuit that gave something extra in this film. The voice and the combination of all three actresses really paid off to give us the return of the God. The Gozar connection between the first film and this installment worked well for the plot provided a reason for the film to be placed in Oklahoma. It also was nice to see Venkman, Stantz and Zeddemore face Gozar again.

When the classic characters make their appearance, its as if they never left us. The humor, the heart and all the ridiculous supernatural themes collide to make Ghostbusters: Afterlife the sequel we needed as kids. But more than that it gives a new generation a way to bridge the gap to take ghost-busting into the future. The film makers also provided a special moment with viewers to say “farewell” to Egon (Ramis) with the rest of the team in a meaningful way.

I’ve seen a lot of other reviewers discussing “fan service” in regards to this new film. Which is unusual considering how many complained when there was a completely new Ghostbusters storyline in 2016. But sequels, particularly a third in a franchise, are usually for the fans. You know, the people the writers and actors are expecting to show up at the theaters to watch this movie, who have loved the other installments. In that line of thinking, yes, there is plenty of “fan service” happening in this film. But for those of us who have known these characters for all of our lives, that is what was expected.

We needed to see our heroes brought back in a way that made sense to the original story and to the world today. That is exactly what director/writer Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan gave fans. As a bonus we also got a great new story with ghosts, future Ghostbusters, and a heartwarming sendoff to the only late member of the group.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a thrilling adventure that takes a well known storyline and brings it into a new generation. The cameos of the original characters felt natural and stayed in step with their personalities. The film brought back that mix of family friendly fun with lots of inappropriate jokes (“Humpy?”). Moreover, it gave those of us who grew up in the time of Ghostbusters, not a send off, but a next step. 5/5

★★★★★

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now playing only in theaters, you can check out the trailer below. Have you seen the new Ghostbusters yet? Leave a comment below and let us know what you thought of the film. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for all things horror, sci-fi and more.