When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
I was 12 years old when the original “Ghostbusters” arrived in theaters in the summer of 1984. I remember taking my then-younger sister Cathy with me to see it and after we left the cinema, we both agreed that we wanted to be real-life Ghostbusters when we grew up. Aaaahhh the joys of innocence and incorruptibility. Five years later, “Ghostbusters II” was released, and while it was a big hit for Columbia Pictures, it paled in comparison to the first movie, although I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it, and watch it from time to time. For years, rumors swirled that a third film was in the works but nothing ever happened. Until 2016, and if you know, you know. I will just leave that iteration alone.
Ivan Reitman directed the first two movies but this time around, his son Jason, whose work includes “Juno,” “Up in the Air,” “Young Adult,” and “Men, Women & Children,” takes over the directing reins and does his father proud by creating a new generation of Ghostbusters, essentially, a passing of the torch from the original crew to their younger successors. Much like the characters in the story, who discover they are related to one of the original Ghostbusters, Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis), Ivan successfully passes the franchise onto his son Jason, and by the end of the film, the door is left wide open for future installments.
As the movie begins, we are introduced to the Spengler family, mom Callie (Carrie Coon), and her two teenage children, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard). Having just been evicted from their apartment in the city, she learns of her estranged father’s passing and that he left his home in the country to her. When they arrive in the small town of Summerville, Oklahoma, they are beyond shocked to discover a dilapidated, ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere. As the family does its best to settle in, they are surprised to experience daily earthquakes, even though they are situated nowhere near any fault lines.
The kids quickly learn that their grandfather was none other than Egon Spengler, one of the Ghostbusters from the 1980s who helped fight an outbreak of ghosts and specters, and who prevented the end of the world. After discovering some equipment from his days as a Ghostbuster, including the Ectomobile, the vehicle the Ghostbusters used to travel around New York City in the 1980s, and his old proton pack, a device that was used for capturing and entrapping ghosts, the town comes under attack from a new explosion of ghosts and the family, as well as three familiar faces from the past, must unite together in the hopes that they can defeat Ivo Shandor, an occultist who is trying to resurrect Gozer, an ancient, ultra-powerful, malignant entity from another dimension who the Ghostbusters fought in New York in 1984.
Director Jason Reitman infuses the film with enough nods and acknowledgments to the original movie that those of us who were old enough to experience it in theaters will understand and appreciate them. Whenever a successful film franchise switches things up and passes the torch to a younger generation, it invokes feelings of dread that the original cast will overshadow the new characters but that is not the case here, the young characters are slowly thrust into their positions as Ghostbusters, not in the first ten minutes, but throughout the entire 124-minute runtime. They don’t set out to become saviors, they just happen to fall into the roles and become natural protectors for those around them who can’t fight back.
Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace are perfect in their respective roles as typical siblings who can easily berate and belittle each other at the drop of a hat but when the time calls for it, support and look out for each other. Carrie Coon, as the mother of Trevor and Phoebe, takes after her father, Egon Spengler, replete with sarcasm and dry humor, and Paul Rudd as her prospective love interest, imbues the movie with his signature self-deprecating humor. Some might see “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” as a rehash of the original 1984 film, akin to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and its juxtaposition to “A New Hope,” but in the end, while some elements of the ’84 classic are evident, “Afterlife” stands squarely on its own two feet.
The end of the movie sets up future chapters with its young cast in tow but also extends an invitation to the original cast members that should they want to appear, the offer is on the table. There’s no question had Ivan Reitman directed “Ghostbusters III” back in the ’90s, it would have been a completely different tale, and the late Harold Ramis would have undoubtedly appeared alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, but in the end, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is a worthy successor to its two predecessors, proving that talent does indeed run in the Reitman family.
Opens exclusively in theaters Friday, November 19th
