Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) Dir: Jason Reitman
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When the first couple of trailers came out for this, I was pretty excited. Yes, it's another remake of a classic franchise. Yes it's another sequel.
But I really got the impression this would be very different from what we had seen already, particularly from the widely considered disappointment of a 2016 reboot. When it came to watching this however, I was a little unsure at first.
My initial feeling was that this was a bit of a miss for the franchise, but upon thinking thinking and reassessing my feelings, I've actually changed my mind.
There's some undeniably cheesy moments here and there, but for the most part it is an exciting, fun and easy to like affair. There was plenty of homage and tribute to the prior films, without it being too much.
Furthermore, the use of animatronics was honestly a really appreciated touch. It really made me feel like director Jason Reitman, who also directed Ghostbusters 2, cared about the film he was making. It didn't feel at all lazy.
The narrative was solid, if not overly inventive, and allowed the new characters to flourish and feel unique.
There was only one point where I thought the film really relied on its predecessors too much, although honestly, I didn't mind that much.
McKenna Grace easily steals the show here. Her character's little quirks and traits really come through and the extra additions that relate to her character origins are very well thought out - see the production documentary to see what I mean.
Finn Wolfhard was a big, young, name to bring in for the franchise, but I was a little worries we would simply see Mike from Stranger Things. However, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the variety he showed. That said, his character is not entirely unique, neither is his performance, but again, that isn't a major issue.
The much loved Paul Rudd also carries a substantial role, and brings his typical blend of nonchalant and witty comedy to his character to great effect.
Carrie Coon has some good chemistry with Rudd, and manages to have some decent moments, but can't quite live with the bigger names here.
Logan Kim was a welcome addition to the cast, his charisma and likeability was reminiscent of 'Chunk' from 'The Goonies' - which made for some genuinely quite funny scenes.
Celeste O'Connor has her moments, but I can't help but feel that she was only really included for one scene, which is a little bit of a shame.
Olivia Wilde might be new to the franchise, but her character is not. Her role doesn't really require much from her, but she does exactly what she needs to to deliver what is required.
Now, the next fee entries are technically spoilers so if you don't want to see those, skip to the 'Overall' section of the review.
There were a number of familiar faces here, though I am happy to report that they were kept to a minimum - I say happy because we don't need more significant nostalgia-fueled cameos.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts all return for a few scenes towards the end of the film, bringing their familiar chemistry and comedic timing to the fore, as if they were right back in the 80s.
Sigourney Weaver also returns, if only for a post-credit scene. There are actually two post-credit scenes, one of them teases what has since been announced as a further addition to the franchise, due to be released in 2023.
Overall, I think this could easily have been a phoned-in, unimaginative reboot, but instead we were treated to a fresh take and a unique look at the world of the Ghostbusters. The film successfully manages to tell a new Ghostbusters story for a new generation of ghostbuster fans.
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