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Ghostbusters: Afterlife

I avoided seeing Ghostbusters Afterlife because the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters wasn’t very good. Neither was the 1989 sequel to Ghostbusters--and, admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the original 1984 Ghostbusters, either. I didn’t hate the original movie, but I was never caught up in the wave of adoration for it that swept through the country back then. I guess you can say I’m not a Ghosthead, one of the rabid fans of the franchise, and the subject of a very well-made documentary that you should see, especially if you really enjoy the movies.

But I eventually saw Ghostbusters Afterlife because--well, why not? I assumed beforehand that I would dislike it, but that it wouldn’t matter, because I’d only watch it once, and just forget about it, just like I did with the other Ghostbusters films. But something interesting happened: I would up enjoying Ghostbusters Afterlife a great deal. The new Ghostbusters film tries to be the true sequel to the original film, despite the death of one of its stars, and it succeeds admirably.

The new film leans into the fact that Harold Ramis, who played the coolly Spock-like Egon, has left us by killing off his character (played by Bob Gunton in a shadowy, spookily thrilling prologue) on-screen right at the start of the film. His grown, estranged daughter, well-played by Carrie Coon, brings her kids to Egon’s house--a place located in the boonies in Oklahoma--to claim what winds up being not much of an inheritance. The late Egon was known by all as having ran away from his family and friends to live in the boonies, where he went insane.

Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Mckenna Grace (who should know a thing or two about ghosts, thanks to her lead role in the equally entertaining Annabelle Comes Home) play Egon’s grandkids. And it’s Grace who shines here, giving a perfect ‘chip off the old block’ performance that marvelously mimics Egon’s studious nature without becoming a caricature. Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, easily handles the drama scenes just as well as the special effect moments, making Afterlife a truly gripping and satisfying film overall. It’s the perfect call back to the original film while also being its own unique story.

And by leaning into the fact that the actor who played Egon is deceased, by making his character’s loss a major part of the storyline, Afterlife takes advantage of a golden opportunity to present us with a truly emotional ending. Jason Reitman winds up giving us a popcorn movie with gravitas, making Ghostbusters Afterlife the best of all of the Ghostbusters films. I enjoyed it so much that, instead of ignoring Afterlife, like its brethren, I went out and got a physical media copy of it. And I’m even considering getting the original Ghostbusters film (but I might still ignore the sequel and the 2016 version…because, you know, ugh!). --SF

Ghostbusters Afterlife can be bought here.

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