Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Starring Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon
Directed by Jason Reitman

In the grand scheme of sequels set to original films, more often than not they're designed specifically as cash cows - soulless endeavors bent to bring in audiences due to name recognition to add more income to the coffers of the already wealthy. You can tell that when you're watching the film, and you feel like it's missing...something. That "something" is the essence of the film, something that's almost impossible to duplicate, and contains everything that makes a film memorable and significant. In 2016, they decided to exploit the "Ghostbusters" name by offering up a female-led Ghostbusters team, which is still considered a total train wreck - but if they had branded the movie as a female-led ghost hunting adventure team, it would've fared better, but people were expecting to feel that warm fuzzy nostalgia feeling - that essence - that the original 1984 (and in some respects even the 1989 sequel) possessed. Instead, it felt soulless, meaningless, and a waste of time and talent, and that's due to the fact that they tried to capitalize on the "Ghostbusters" name. So when it was announced that there would be another "Ghostbusters" sequel - one that completely forgets the 2016 "reboot" - people were wary. Would it be possible to metaphorically resurrect the dead and bring back that classic sense of nostalgia and essence? The answer, most simply, is "yes."

After being evicted from their apartment, single mother Callie (Carrie Coon) takes her 15-year-old son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and 12-year-old daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) to Oklahoma to her estranged father's farm - the only thing he left her after he recently passed away. Callie and her father weren't close, and it seemed no one in the small town he lived in even seemed to know his name, only referring to him as "the dirt farmer." Trevor wants to fit in and falls for Lucky (Celeste O'Connor), a waitress at a local diner, where he gets a job. Phoebe is more of a loner and is socially inept, but when she's forced to attend summer school she finds a friend in Podcast (Logan Kim) - who's called that because he has a podcast. Their summer school teacher is Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), an amateur parapsychologist, and someone who's investigating the strange earthquakes happening in town.

Back at her grandfather's house, Phoebe discovers a PKE Meter that goes off, as the spirit of her grandfather is directing her to a hidden ghost trap that he hid moments before he died, and before an evil spirit could inhabit him. Phoebe continues to investigate with the help of her grandfather's spirit, and discovers that he was an original Ghostbuster, but with no ghost sightings in decades the group went defunct and he isolated himself in the town in order to prevent an upcoming apocalyptic event. With the help of Gary, Trevor, Podcast, and Lucky, Phoebe sets out to do what her grandfather couldn't, and trap the evil demon that's slowly awakening in the small town.

"Afterlife" serves as a direct sequel to the first two "Ghostbusters" films (along with the animated television series), and as it is with other sequels that are released long after the original (it's 37 years since the original), it seemed like it was destined to fail from the start. Most sequels that come out decades after the original fail to recapture that essence that the original possessed, and as time passes by the original becomes almost forgotten: or at least that's what happens with lesser known films. "Ghostbusters" has had a long lineage of rich history, one of the quintessential 1980s movies that's been viewed by generations since, and even though it suffered a severe misstep with the 2016 "reboot," it still had a good clout of good will going for it. That alone helped establish "Afterlife" as something worth seeing, but after viewing the film it's so much more than that: it's like you're actually watching a film made in the 80s but restored in 4K glory.

To some that might sound like a bad thing, as something gets lost in the translation of time, and jokes and stories that occurred in the 80s don't hold up well in the 2020s, but "Afterlife" breaks that mold. It serves as nostalgia for the adults who were grown up with the "Ghostbusters" (I, myself, included) while also passing the mantle to a new, younger generation who are fully developed characters in their own right, and whom I wouldn't mind seeing in more sequels - something I rarely say. The comedy is airtight, the story is compelling while continually entertaining, and there's even some truly emotional moments that brought a tear or two to my eyes. Much like the horror film "It," "Afterlife" feels like a movie that takes place in the 80s (although this one obviously doesn't, but the spirit of the film makes it feel that way): the kids, while still tied to modern technology, go out and explore the town and the mountain that looms over it like kids used to do back in the olden days. There's a lighthearted feel to the entire project that's reminiscent of the original two films. It's chill-inducing when Ecto-1 is revealed, and when you hear the iconic wail of its siren. There's special cameos that literally pulls "Afterlife" into the annals of "Ghostbusters" lore. Through it all, there's no sense of cheap tricks to play at your emotions - it's all natural, and done with a real sense of heart and commitment to the franchise.

Maybe it has to do with director Jason Reitman, who takes the reins of the "Ghostbusters" franchise after his father, Ivan, who directed the first two. You can tell this is a pedigree film with the close attention to detail Jason gives to almost every frame, and how they connect to the bigger picture. Why did Egon leave the Ghostbusters and move to a remote town? What has the other Ghostbusters been up to since ghost sightings diminished? Not only does Reitman bring back the classic cast, but he also connects them to the future of the franchise in the new class of Spenglers and their allies, weaving together a new story mixed with flavors of the past like a professional chef seasons his signature dish.

The new cast is a wholly committed bunch, who each have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies that gives them layered meaning. Mckenna Grace is a unique actress in that she's appeared in some of the biggest blockbusters, television series, and acclaimed films in recent memory, but she hasn't really helmed her own film (even her role in "Gifted" is overshadowed by Chris Evans). Here, she unleashes her young talent with reckless abandon, playing Phoebe as the perfect blend of social outcast and awkward tween, a science wiz who communicates with her grandfather's spirit and who finds all the clues he left behind. She's a character worth rooting for, and is infectiously sweet and captivating. Thankfully the film didn't center on Finn Wolfhard, because honestly to me I feel he's a bit played out (I'm actually not too excited about the final season of "Stranger Things," because it's been so long I feel the kids should be in college by now), but he does an admirable job as the brooding teenager trying to acclimate himself into a new society, while utilizing his talents to bring Ecto-1 back to life. Carrie Coon performs the traditional single mother trope well, as she more often than not has moments where she's discussing how hard it is being a single mother or talking about how estranged she was with her recently deceased father. Paul Rudd (People's Sexiest Man Alive) injects his traditional humor and heart and really grounds the film, providing insight and serving as that "bridge" between the old and the new as he explains the history of the Ghostbusters. With a solid cast running the show, everything else falls into place - the action, the story, the effects, and the emotions - that proves "Ghostbusters" still has a life and a pulse, long after it was thought to be dead.

Serving as a bridge between the old and the new, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" maintains the soul of the original film while propelling the story forward all the while maintaining a nostalgic sense of 80s comedy that's ultra rare to accomplish in today's age.

The Score: A+