WITH two movies released in the 1980s, the Ghostbusters franchise cemented itself as a pop culture icon. When the franchise came to end, fans were left wondering whether there would be a reboot of the Hollywood classic and if it could live up to the work of original director Ivan Reitman.
While the Paul Feig-directed Ghostbusters (2016) failed at the box office, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) managed to bust the franchise out of its misery thanks to director Jason Reitman’s unique narrative style which successfully merged various genres – sci-fi, horror and drama.
In Afterlife, the story focuses on single mum Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two children, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) who moved to a small town and begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
Although this movie redeemed Feig’s previous adaptation, the slow pace and lack of action in the first half of the movie might put-off some audiences, especially when you’re only there for the classic freaky ghouls. Fans do not get a glimpse of any supernatural entities in the first half.
However, Reitman’s idea to blend nostalgia and love created a layered narrative of friendship, family and character growth which still respects the film’s identity, while bringing in a whole new generation into the franchise.
Afterlife focuses specifically on Phoebe, granddaughter of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis in the original films), and the movie’s greatest moments are all due to Grace’s phenomenal acting skills.
I personally loved the pinches of humour that were sprinkled throughout this movie, especially when supporting character Podcast (Logan Kim) and Phoebe start becoming close friends.
While the original film went heavy on the special effects for the ghosts and had a comical touch to it, it is the opposite in Afterlife. The film has a combination of the old ghouls as well as new villains, and both are crafted with a more realistic approach that is just enough to leave audiences at the edge of their seats.
Although the first half was dreadful, the best bits of the movie, seen in the second half, are definitely worth the wait and are guaranteed to leave you emotional. Reitman definitely found the perfect way to pay homage to the late Ramis in Afterlife.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now out in cinemas.
CAST: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Annie Potts and Paul Rudd
DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman
E-VALUE - 7
ACTING - 8
PLOT – 6
