Ghostbusters Afterlife

 

There's a lot to be said for nostalgia and "the good old days" particularly when it comes to

our entertainment.  It brings up memories and stirs feelings that make you all warm and gushy. 

One of those for me is the original Ghostbusters.  37 years later and it's still a favorite that I

find myself watching at least once a year.  After the last go round with the franchise (shudder)

I was more than prepared to write off any further attempts to continue these films.  Then

writer/director Jason Reitman (son of original director Ivan) decided to throw his hat into the

ring.  If anyone could deliver on the promise of resurrecting  the franchise, who better than

the kid that grew up around the original films?

The promise has been kept and exceeded in Ghostbusters Afterlife.  The hook of original 

Ghostbuster Egon Spengler's (the late Harold Ramis) grandkids picking up and running

with the torch feels organic and lends itself to the many homages to the first films while

keeping the story fresh and engaging. Reitman has created a tribute/legacy film to be

proud of.

Casting is wonderful.  Something that can be a bit dodgy when it comes to kids.  But,

Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace have acting chops to spare. Relative newcomer

Logan Kim as Podcast is adorable and more than holds his own.  Paul Rudd delivers the

charm and funny, naturally. Carrie Coon (Proxima Midnight anyone?) as the bitter, hurt, and

angry abandoned child is the perfect hot mess of a mom. And with one notable and not

surprising exception the special appearances are exciting and bring the warm fuzzies.  

Ghostbusters Afterlife is a 2 hour 4 minute entertaining trip down memory lane, filled with

excitement, thrills, laughs, and heart.  I confess I enjoyed the hell out of this one.  

The special effects, cinematography, and direction are solid.  The soundtrack is on point

and the finale? Damn! It delivers, and delivers hard. Suspense, emotion, drama,

laughs...a fitting and wonderful end to this film and worthy of being the exclamation

point on the first two films.

This is how a throwback film should be made. Plenty to offer long time fans without

alienating new ones and delighting  both. Not an easy thing to pull off.  If you can, I say

check this one out at the theater.  And be sure to stay all the way through the credits,

you won't want to miss the two bonus scenes. 

I'm giving Ghostbusters Afterlife a 9.5.