Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review – Nostalgia Meter on Full Blast!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a 2021 supernatural comedy directed by Jason Reitman and stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd in the lead roles with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver reprising their roles from the original films. A sequel to the 1984 and 1989 Ghostbusters films, the storyline of the film revolves around a family, who move to a small town and discover their connection to a former Ghostbuster.

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The nostalgia meter was on full blast in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and it honestly hit the mark time and time again. You are given a score that matches the tone of the original movies and visual cues that bring you back into your childhood during the 80s. I felt how the story was able to weave the new generation of the Spengler family with the original Ghostbusters story made for a very entertaining movie.

The biggest impact that Ghostbusters: Afterlife had were the emotional pieces that they were able to really move the story. It will honestly tug at your heartstrings at times and the key to that was the relationship between Dr. Spengler and his granddaughter Phoebe played by the ultra talented Mckenna Grace. I have talked about Grace multiple times but she was magnificent once again being the socially awkward genius that was finding her place in life.

If I could buy stock in actors and how much they will grow over the years, I’d probably put the mortgage on her talents on screen. The movie is just overall incredibly fun throughout which will have you laughing at times, engaged in the story and have the occasional scare. The performances by Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd were solid as would be expected from the two as they had great chemistry with each other and the cast around them.

On to the negatives, I think with the nostalgia and build up story, there was a little bit of a slower portion of the film after the family moved to the small town. A bit of me wondered when they would jump into the busting of ghosts. I felt as though the movie didn’t develop Finn Wolfhard’s character (Trevor) enough being a part of the family.

Maybe it is me still seeing him as the young nerd from Stranger Things but I just didn’t connect with his character’s arc and wanted more of Phoebe rather than him. In terms of some other characters, the young Logan Kim is very funny at times but jumps the line back and forth in terms of being a bit too much on screen. Some may feel that this movie reuses some of the original story but I easily got over it.

I really enjoyed this movie but I should say that I grew up really loving the Ghostbuster films. I feel that this is a movie that a lot of parents will enjoy to sit down with their kids to enjoy the nostalgia and introduce them into a world that both will enjoy. There are some scary moments but it didn’t seem to impact the young kids sitting around us in the theatre.

I remember dressing up as Dr. Spengler for Halloween when I was young, so having a film focus on him and honouring Harold Ramis was a recipe that drew me in. So with that being said, how I felt about this movie as it was ending was that it gave me the same feelings of nostalgia, excitement and happiness that Star Wars: The Force Awakens had me feeling.

It used enough of the old story, introduced some great new characters and right now we are sitting with Luke on top of the mountain being presented a lightsaber. The question is, what will be next? This franchise now has life, has the right cast and I wonder where they will take it. I am really excited what the next steps are.

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Rating – 4/5

Review by Bobby Mack (@mmreview)

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