- N Adult:
- PG-13 Rated:
- IMDB link IMDB:
- 7.1 / 10.0 IMDB Rating:
- 2021-11-19 DatePublished:
- 2018-09-07 Added:
- Drew Pearce, Writer:
- Director:
- Dan Aykroyd, Peter Kiernan, Ivan Reitman, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Producer:
All subtitles:
Trailer:
Ghostbusters the next Generation
I have to admit I had certain expectations and thought about seeing certain people/characters in this. Let's say if I was just rating the movie based on that, I probably would have rated it lower. I also missed out on the opportunity to rewatch the first two movies. But I don't think it would have mattered that much. Even a female character that had a small cameo in here, I sort of remembered her (small) part in the original movies.
That being said this adds a few cool people - namely Paul Rudd and the kids. Especially the daughter and the kid who befriends her (Podcast) are a great team together. Really funny and with great respect to the movies that came before it. Maybe minus the one with the all female cast. Now I personally liked that too - if you didn't enjoy that fair enough, can't compare those two anyway.
So much weirdness and comedy that works here, because of the script and because of the actors. And yes many flashbacks still - that even if you don't have the movies fresh in your memory work wonders. Also stay through the credits - one mid credits scene and one after credit scene.
What it feels like to be nine years old again!
About ten months before the release of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife", and without any knowledge whatsoever that a belated sequel was in production, I re-watched the 1984 original for the first time in 25 years, and together with own kids (aged six and ten). Needless to say, my offspring wasn't the least bit impressed with special effects from the early eighties, and to be totally honest, I found that my childhood favorite had badly dated as well.
My biggest regret was that I couldn't pass on that magical feeling of "discovering" the world of horror, monsters, F/X, and ectoplasm! But when we saw publicity for the brand new "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" on television, it were my children who spontaneously asked if we could go and see it on the big screen. So, yes, with a slight delay they experienced how I felt when I saw "Ghostbusters" for the first time. And I felt 9 years old again, myself.
Undoubtedly the best thing that could have happened to the franchise, especially after the flopped 2016-remake, was a return to the roots. The story links straight back to the original, the beloved protagonists show up (albeit briefly) and the co-writer/director is none other than the son of Ivan Reitman; - Jason. "Afterlife" is chock-full of gimmicks references towards the original, varying from subtle to plain obvious. The young cast members are refreshing, and fit wonderfully well in the "Ghostbusters" universe, but it feels even better to reconnect with the old-fashioned familiar trumps, like the legendary Ghostbusters-vehicle and - of course - the Ray Parker Jr. Theme song. The homage to Harold Ramis, one of the creators of the original concept and the only cast member who passed away, is beautiful.
Good cast but too little story.
"Callie" (Carrie Coon) is a bit short of cash, so must retreat to her late father's dilapidated pile with her son "Trevor" (Finn Wolfhard) and geeky daughter "Phoebe" (Mckenna Grace). When the young girl discovers that she has a chess partner that she cannot see, then a "ghost trap" under their frequently shaking old house, she and her brother - alongside her seismologist teacher "Gary Grooberson" (Paul Rudd) are soon doing what it says on the tin. It takes for ever to get going, this film - far too much time is spent on character development and by the time it actually gets up to speed I was just a little bit bored. It is redeemed by the last ten minutes, to a certain extent, but I could have been doing with a bit more of Rudd's character - and quite a few more ghosts to bust. It looks ok, the effects are fine - there is just a paucity of them - and the two youngsters work well together with a decent (if wordy) script that has some amusing scientist jokes.
Worthy successor
This reboot of sorts did it all right in terms of being respectful to the original, maintaining a plausible storyline, and having awesome cameos. The story was a bit slow to develop but had some cool moments and a lot of small laughs. All of this proudly sponsored by Walmart.
Surprisingly good.
I'll be honest, after the last Ghostbusters movie, I wasn't keen on it, reluctantly I went along, and have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It feels like a worthy successor to the original film, it doesn't just ignore the past, it supports it. I would advise seeing the original movie ahead of this, as there is a lot of nostalgia surrounding it. I feel like they wanted it to respect the original, that it does.
Some really nice special effects, a few perhaps not so good, but that's just me being picky. A good atmosphere, and a really good pace, there's nothing slow about the film, it doesn't lull, nor did it feel overlong. It's a bit goofy, it doesn't take itself too seriously.
Great to see Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, and many other faces, if you're a fan of the original, you really will appreciate seeing them all here. Paul Rudd was awesome I thought, he stood out for me.