Movie Breakdown: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Pre-Screening Stance:

I like Jason Reitman and I like the cast he’s assembled for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Then again, I like Paul Feig and I liked the cast he had assembled for his Ghostbusters affair (back in 2016), and that didn’t turn out so good. Fingers crossed.

Post-Screening Ramble:

It has a couple of puzzling moments and the third act feels weirdly truncated, but overall, I had a great time with Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It takes place in 2021 and follows a down-on-their-luck family who move to a dilapidated farm left to them by a recently-deceased family member. This person, of course, turns out to be Egon Spengler (originally played by the late Harold Ramis), famed Ghostbuster. Or at least that’s how he should be known, but the Ghostbusters long ago disbanded and drifted into obscurity, and Egon spent his remaining years living in the middle of nowhere, where – according to the locals – he enjoyed farming dirt. What was he really up to though? Find out in Ghostbusters: Afterlife!

In case you’re wondering, yes, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a direct sequel to the original pair of Ghostbusters movies (the Paul Feig entry does not exist here). It’s also very much a tribute to those two films. Personally, I liked watching writer/director Jason Reitman pay homage to the movies his father directed, but if there’s going to be a hangup for people in regards to this film, I think it’s that it doesn’t have much interest in branching out on its own. Reitman goes hard on easter eggs, call backs and familiar faces, and while I thought he did a good job of mixing it up just enough to keep things fresh, it’s likely not going to fly with everyone.

I found Ghostbusters: Afterlife to be fun and heartfelt, but admittedly, it’s also the sort of film that will fall apart the more you dig into it. So, if you can shut your brain off, you’ll enjoy it. The movie hits theaters this Friday, November 19.

One Last Thought:

I have no idea what sort of career Finn Wolfhard will have once he ages out of being able to play a kid/teen. He’s cultivated a whole persona that renders him impossible to be seen as an adult – kind of like Haley Joel Osment did during his mega-run.