Multi-tasking is hard and the holiday week cut into some work time, but I have a lot of movies banked that I need to get to. So, let’s start big. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is as good of a renewal of the franchise as you could have hoped for, paying respect to the original films and paving the way for the next generation.
A struggling single mother and her kids stumble across a family secret that holds the fate of the world in the balance. It’s up to them to figure out exactly what that is before it’s too late.
Jason Reitman took the helm of the franchise popularized by his father Ivan in the 80s and incorporated a lot of connective tissue to bridge the gap between those of us who grew up with the original films and the new generation of fans who are only being exposed to this for the first time. Reitman and Gil Kenan did a wonderful job using existing Ghostbusters’ lore to tie the two ends of the spectrum together and make it a full-circle experience. It may even be a little heavy-handed with the fan service but, as a direct sequel to the 1984 film, it works very well.
Bringing in Carrie Coon was a great choice here. She played the role of the imperfect mother with humor, heart, and authenticity. The character was more flawed than you’d typically see and she brought a great deal of depth to the portrayal. As much as the film is about the kids taking up the mantle, it’s also very much about her broken relationship with her father and she made that count. Despite barely being featured in the trailer, it wasn’t a throw-away role and I see why she got top billing.
The trailers that I saw made sure to focus on Paul Rudd and rightfully so when you’ve got People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in your movie. It was a quintessential Rudd performance that capitalizes on his unique blend of sincerity and humor. If this movie reignites the franchise as I would expect, don’t be surprised to see more of Rudd in the future.
At the end of the day, Mckenna Grace (Phoebe) and Finn Wolfhard (Trevor) are the new stars. Grace didn’t have the kind of pop-culture fingerprint that made her a commodity heading into production, but you can bet she’ll have one now. There was a lot of weight on her shoulders as essentially the lead character, but she was fantastic. When you watch the movie, you can see exactly where the character design comes from and she wears it like a badge of honor. Wolfhard was almost certainly brought in because of the Stranger Things connection but considering how strongly that show was influenced by films like Ghostbusters, it’s a connection that makes perfect sense. He still plays the nerdy outcast type, but he’s older and more confident here in the capacity of the big brother.
We were also treated to some good performances from Logan Kim (Podcast) and Celeste O’Connor (Lucky) as friends of Phoebe and Trevor. They provided the necessary ballast to form the core group of the new young Ghostbusters. And, without getting into too much detail, it was nice to see some familiar faces in a capacity that wasn’t merely a cheap and superficial cameo.
Visual effects have come a long way since 1984 and it was great to see some of that play out on a large scale, but I greatly appreciate the work that went into the practical effects. In a film where two realities sort of overlap, grounding that idea by blending the digital and tangible goes a long way in creating an authentic experience.
I went in with pretty low expectations, to be honest. I didn’t rush to see it on opening night or even opening weekend. It wasn’t because I expected it to be bad or anything like that, but my appetite for a real franchise sequel had long been put to rest. That said, I really enjoyed Afterlife and it was some of the most fun I had at the movies in 2021.
Recommendation: I’m sure most people have already seen this one but, if you’re on the fence, check it out. It blends a lot of different genres together effectively and is palatable to several generations.
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