I am not afraid to say that I have enjoyed ALL THREE “Ghostbusters” films. Even “Answer the Call” for all of its flaws is still a fun film to watch. I truly don’t understand how people cannot separate themselves from things depending on what the creative minds behind the art are going for.
That being said, let’s get into “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. It’s been almost four decades since the phrase “Who ya gonna call?” cemented its place in the pop culture landscape, a sequel that took theaters by storm five years later, and the aforementioned “reimagining” a few years ago. After a familiar face fails to trap one of the biggest ghosts any of the team has ever seen while living in isolation in rural Oklahoma and disappears, Callie (Carrie Coon) winds up with the estate and after she is evicted from her apartment takes her two polar opposite children, Phoebe (Makenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) to take residence in what is known across town as the “dirt farm”. As unusual and possible supernatural events rock this in-the-middle-of-nowhere town, Phoebe, Trevor, and Podcast (Logan Kim) wind up taking the mantle established so many years ago to try and save the world again… for the first time.
This film has ALL of the things, and I really want to be as vague here as possible to keep it pure for those that have avoided spoilers. There is a real “Goonies” vibe here that fits the story (and the mythos) almost perfectly with a bit of “Stranger Things” thrown in (sorry, Finn). The cast knows where the pocket is here and stays in it. Add the amazing Paul Rudd to the mix and this cranks it up a few more notches.
The Easter Eggs are plentiful, which keeps things moving at a really nice pace for a film that clears the two-hour mark. And when I say “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” has all of the things, I MEAN IT: I laughed out loud multiple times and even got a bit misty-eyed just when I was supposed to. Oh yeah… did I mention that the Ivan Reitman (who directed the first two films) keeps his bloodline involved as his son, Jason, wrote and directed this?
I cannot say enough good things about this film, but I will keep doing so. For those of you that think the trailers give you enough to let you know all of the good parts, trust me; they didn’t. Be aware that in line with what seems to be geek universe law, there is both a mid-credits and post-credits scene as well. There will be those that will take their shots at this film, and to those people I will just shake my head and wonder if they truly understood the point here that not only can any of us be heroes, but we can do so walking in the footsteps of those who came before us and paved the way for us whether we want to believe it or not. I loved this movie so much that I am paying to see it again in a premium format this weekend and taking two of my dearest friends (and huge fans) with me so I can watch them see this for the first time through their eyes as well. Go, go now, go often, go again.
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