GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Following its release in 1984, Ivan Reitman’s supernatural comedy, Ghostbusters, was a success both at the box office, making over $295.2 million, and with critics who said that it was “an infectiously fun blend of special effects and comedy, with Bill Murray's hilarious deadpan performance leading a cast of great comic turns”. A sequel was released five years later, however, while it benefited from the amusing performances by its cast, it was mostly a disappointment. In 2016, Paul Feig released an all-female reboot starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Although I personally enjoyed it, the reception from audiences was negative. Now, almost four decades after the release of the original, Reitman’s son, Jason, has created a follow up, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

After being evicted from their home, a single mother, Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon) and her two children, Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) are forced to move to a decayed farmhouse in Summerville, Oklahoma, left to them by the children's late grandfather, where a series of unexplained earthquakes are occurring despite not being situated on any fault and strange things are happening in an old mine which once belonged to the alleged occultist Ivo Shandor. The children discover the history of their grandfather with the original Ghostbusters, who have since been largely forgotten by the world beyond their fan base. When supernatural phenomena relating to New York City's "Manhattan Crossrip of 1984" occur and threaten the world, the kids, along with their family and friends, must solve the decades-old mystery of the relocation of their grandfather and use the equipment of the Ghostbusters, and become their successors to save it.


With Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jason Reitman has created a follow up that will almost certainly be enjoyed by fans of the franchise, including the original film. It features many of the elements that made the first Ghostbusters so successful including exciting ghostbusting action, amusing comedy and fun performances by its cast. It’s not without its flaws, including a predictable story, however, these are easily overlooked as, for the majority of its 124 minute runtime, Ghostbusters: Afterlife makes for a highly entertaining watch.

Unsurprisingly, like the previous films, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is at its best when it’s focusing on its characters battling the ghosts. After Phoebe and her new found friend, Podcast (a scene stealing Logan Kim), discover a ghost, the famous green Munchler from the first film, Phoebe fights it off using her late grandfather’s proton pack in an exhilarating action sequence featuring the famous Ecto-1 car, driven by Trevor. This sequence is one of the many highlights of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, alongside the final battle against returning evil supernatural gods, Zuul and Gozer. What was most surprising about this climatic battle was that, not only was it thrilling, it was also quite emotional as it saw the return of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson as the remaining Ghostbusters. It also featured an appearance from the late Harold Ramis, who passed away in 2014, via impressive special effects and the use of archived footage. I can imagine those who watched the original Ghostbusters being moved by their appearances.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife introduces several new characters to the franchise who are all memorable and interesting individuals with the cast delivering performances. The standout is McKenna Grace who, despite only being fifteen years old, has had an impressive acting career, appearing in Gifted, alongside Chris Evans, I, Tonya, Ready Player One and Captain Marvel. As Phoebe, Grace is socially awkward yet incredibly likeable. Known for appearing in the hit fantasy series. Stranger Things, on the streaming service, Netflix, and for his role as Richie Tozier in Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel, It, Wolfhard leaves a lasting impression as Phoebe’s older brother, Trevor. Rudd provides most of the comic relief with his performance as the laidback school teacher, Gary Grooberson. Aside from Murray, Aykroyd and Hudson, other familiar faces include Annie Potts who appears early on in the film as Janine Melnitz, and Sigourney Weaver who doesn’t appear as Dana Barrett until midway through the credits. 

Speaking of, Ghostbusters: Afterlife features two bonus scenes that take place during the middle and after the credits and are worth watching. The first scene, as previously mentioned, takes place in the middle of the credits and sees Weaver and Murray that is an amusing nod to a memorable scene from the first film. The second sees Zeddemore talking about how he’ll always be a Ghostbuster to Melnitz. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is written by Reitman and Gil Kenan, who directed the 2006 animated horror comedy, Monster House. Their script pays tribute to the original film and one of its stars, Harold Ramis, in a heartfelt way. Although the original film was simply a supernatural comedy, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is surprisingly thematic as it explores themes of family, especially through the character of Phoebe who is Doctor Egon Spengler’s granddaughter. Throughout the film, Callie resents her father as she believed that he abandoned her, however, it’s revealed that he was trying to protect her. Following the action packed climatic battle, Callie is able to forgive her father. I can imagine that Jason Reitman was inspired by his relationship with his father, Ivan, who directed the original Ghostbusters, to write this script. With films such as Juno, Up In The Air (which were both nominated for Best Picture Oscars) and Tully, Jason Reitman has established himself as a talented filmmaker who is skilled at both drama and comedy, making him the right man (pun intended) to direct a follow up to Ghostbusters. With Ghostbusters: Afterlife, he has succeeded and created a sequel that is packed full of ghostbusting action, fun performances by its cast and should satisfy fans of the original film.

7/10