Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review – A Daring Continuation
“This instalment honours the original films whilst giving a new spin on the universe..”
*With how long ago the film released, please note that spoilers may pop up throughout this review.*
The original Ghostbuster universe hasn’t been visited since 1989. So imagine the excitement of fans everywhere when it was announced that a follow-up was in the works. Needless to say, the third instalment is a different direction from the original films, but does it work?
The story follows mother Callie, played by Infinity War‘s Carrie Coon, and her two kids Phoebe and Trevor, played respectively by Captain Marvel‘s Mckenna Grace and Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard, as they move to the small town of Summerville after being left a decrepit farmhouse from Callie’s deceased father – Egon Spengler. From there, we meet new faces such as Paul Rudd’s Gary Grooberson and Logan Kim’s Podcast and an old evil is unearthed.
The film is mainly told from the perspective of the youngsters in the film, primarily Grace’s Phoebe and Kim’s Podcast. Without a doubt, all the young performers are on form. All seem to have a lot of fun with the production of the film and it’s great to see these young actors carrying on a legacy from before they were even born. We also don’t have to worry about the film becoming too action based in the hands of these guys. Phoebe is there, like the original Ghostbusters, mainly using her intellect for the bulk of the story.
The original Ghostbusters, when they do show up, do not disappoint. They may only really appear for the final battle, but it feels just right and not overdone which is nice. The presence of Harold Ramis’ Spengler is also felt throughout the story which is a nice touch. From using a double in the opening, to central family turning out to be his offspring, to then getting a silent cameo using CGI…it’s just a great way of honouring the actor an his part in the franchise.
Related Article: House of Gucci Review
Paul Rudd’s Grooberson is a fun mentor character for the kids in the film, but it is now starting to feel like his acting isn’t really acting anymore. Rudd seems to be showing up to be himself, which is ultimately what he does in the Ant-Man films. As much as we love him, there’s not really much of a performance here. Then there is Carrie Coon’s mother of the piece. As much as we’re supposed to sympathise with her and like her by the time the credits roll, she just comes off as a bit of a freeloader. What doesn’t help this is Coon’s apparent shruggy performance. Her acting is extremely wooden and feels somewhat unlikable all in all.
The overall plot is a good U-turn from the original film’s big city setting. Scaling the whole thing down to a small town in Oklahoma (which is more suitable for the kids to cope with) is a smart move. We also get some great call backs to the original films directly e.g. the villain and metamorphosis of two characters, which at the time seems quite risky and repetitive but it actually works really well.
The main problem with the plot is how Stranger Things-esque it is. It’s just borrowing the idea of ignorant adults leaving it to the wide eye’d kids to the save the day. Hell, it even has a Stranger Things cast member as part of the main cast. Boring and overdone nowadays, right? Have the adults not be some useless and it may have picked this film up an extra point or two.
It is fair to say that the film’s director, Jason Reitman (yes, son of Ivan Reitman, director of the original Ghostbuster films), fills his father’s shoes comfortably. Clearly the nack for this franchise runs in the family. He ensures that the same sort of CGI is used – obviously updated, but still with a retro feel. Then there is also the ending. If this film doesn’t spawn another outing in the franchise, then Reitman has ended what his father started beautifully. It’s almost been like a poetic passing of the torch both in the story and behind the cameras. You’ll be hooping and or weeping as the credits roll.
This instalment honours the original films whilst giving a new spin on the universe and also tipping the hat to a ghostbuster who is sadly not with us anymore. Its a Ghostbusters movie for the current age that hopefully spawns a new series of adventures, we hope it just doesn’t keep to the same formula and takes us in yet another direction.
All in all, this is great new route for the franchise. It embraces a brave new future for the series without being scared to careful sneak in element’s from it’s past. The theme of only the kids can save the day can hopefully be shaken off before it’s too stale. But thankfully the youngsters churn out great performances all round, whereas the adult performers feel either too conventional or a bit type-cast.
We welcome the original Ghostbusters film series back with open arms – from us, this film gets a nice earned 7.9/10.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now in cinemas everywhere.