Ghostbusters: Afterlife
It is definitely great to be back in cinemas armed with pop corn, Maltesers, M&M’s and a ridiculously big drink which I had just about polished off before the movie started. I liked the original Ghostbusters which was released back in 1984, really showing my age now, and watching it again prior to seeing Ghostbusters Afterlife was a good refresher as both are connected by some very specific details without giving to much away.
With these types of films there is always going to be quite a disparity between the critics and what the fans will say after seeing a movie like this. No doubt there is always going to be challenges in rebooting an iconic and much beloved comedy as well. Let me say, I really enjoyed it! It was great! My kids really enjoyed it as well (probably a little more family friendly than the oroginal). I think they nailed the casting and two that stand out for me are Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Podcast (Logan Kim) who are two exceptionally bright kids drawn together for their interest in supernatural discoveries and phenomena. Both were quite funny with some very clever one liners which were right through the movie.
Paul Rudd plays Mr Groober, Finn Wolfhard as Phoebe’s older brother Trevor, Carrie Coon plays mum, Callie, and daughter to her estranged father Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis). Take from it what you will but Afterlife is a perfect tribute for both Spengler and Ramis. The way that they were able to reprise original characters played by while Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver was really clever. There’s even still plenty of grunt left in Ecto-1 as well!
The basic premise for the movie is that single mother Callie Coon is down on her luck and evicted from her apartment with her two children Phoebe and Trevor they move to a new town Summerville where they discover that they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy that their grandfather left behind. Phoebe’s science teacher Mt Groober tells her how current events seem to relate to the paranormal events of New York City in the 1980s. So when a paranormal presence starts communicating with Phoebe she starts to understand a whole lot more about her ‘eccentric’ grandfather. There are enough twist and turns to keep it interesting and the movie moves along at a good pace.
Ghostbusters Afterlife is a great film with the emphasis on its young characters opening the door to a whole host of future opportunities in the Ghostbusters world. Who You Gonna Call?
Movie Review By Rob Lyon