Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ever since the original "Ghostbusters" premiered back in 1984, the franchise has carried a rather obtuse legacy since. What with "Ghostbusters 2" in 1989, which didn't fair well, and then a female version in 2016 was released with less than impressive reviews, it has had a varied existence. Now, with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" premiering as a continuation of what happened to Dr. Spengler--one of the original ghostbusters, we are offered a new story filled, once again, with several ghosts to conquer.

When a single mom, Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenzie Grace) arrive in a small town in Oklahoma, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. As the kids ultimately befriend their school instructor, Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Phoebe's classmate Podcast (Logan Kim) and a coworker of Trevor's Lucky (Celeste O'Connor), they soon help Trevor and Phoebe in uncovering a hidden cave where the Ghosts dwelled. 

Others to round out the cast are Bokeem Woodbine as Sheriff Domingo, Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson as Dr. Winston Zeddmore, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett and Oliver Cooper as Elton.

This was directed with wit and thoroughness by Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking" '05, "Juno" '07, "Up in the Air" '09, "Young Adult" '11, "Labor Day" '13, "Men, Women & Children" '14, "Tully" '18, "The Front Runner" '18) plus TV and shorts. This is a director who seems to direct somewhat odd or quirky films which has to be more fulfilling as a filmmaker, but since his dad, Ivan Reitman directed the original "Ghostbusters", I can certainly understand that it would be so appropriate for him to be behind the director's chair for this, even though this is basically a commercial film. This director definitely gave the same feel of this as his dad outlaid in the original, and seeing, not only some original cast members, i.e. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts, but the old Cadillac vehicle used in the original allowed the audience to walk down memory lane. It was effectively written by Gil Kenan ("A Boy Called Christmas" '21) and Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking" '05, "Up in the Air" '09, "Labor Day" '13, "Men, Women & Children" '14, "The Front Runner" '18) plus shorts, based on the 1984 film "Ghostbusters", an Ivan Reitman film by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Certainly, Jason Reitman gave this script a thorough continuation of the original's story and I even wonder how thorough it would've been if there wasn't a family tie with Ivan Reitman. One thing that caught my eye is that instead of the Pilsbury dough boy being huge--like in the original, he was small and there were many of them. It was a nice detail and connection. Was this film flawless? No, however, other than a couple of small places of the need for more clarity, this was spot on. And, as usual, the visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company) and Double Negative were seamless and truly added to the story. And the cinematography by Robert Elswit asc was amazing as well. 

If you're a Ghostbusters freak, you'll love this, and seeing all the connections with the original film only help the film be the film we all were waiting for. I can't help but think that this would've been killer in IMAX which is also formatted in. This is a fun, and great escapism film which we all could use today.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                           Rated: PG-13                                               124mins.