Afterlife is in awe, in thrall to not only the first films but also the “idea” of them, the whole Ghostbusters phenomenon, of how they made you feel when you were young. Some critics have dismissively called it “a feature length, high budget fan film” and whilst I do not agree with that, I understand where that extreme exaggeration is coming from. The pacing is off early on, and much of the fan service is thoroughly in your face. It’s easier to point out flaws than highlight victories, but it needs to be said that Afterlife is far from 100% perfect. And Carrie Coon… can Carrie Coon be in more things please? And in bigger roles? That would be just great, thanks. Logan Kim, who plays Phoebe’s classmate “Podcast”, also deserves a proper shout-out as arguably the funniest character in the movie, immediately likeable in a microphone-swinging audiophile role that in the wrong hands could have been jarring and annoying.
Taking a look at the cast, Paul “2021’s Sexiest Man Alive” Rudd is charm personified as ever, playing a Ghostbusters nerd who explains to the young ‘uns just what a big deal their grandfather is, but the real star is Mckenna Grace, an adorkable young mini-Egon - Shegon? - who is utterly loveable, relatable and preposterously winning. It’s an emotional, entertaining family film that wears its heart (and its references) on its sleeve, and for that to be a success is in of itself a minor miracle. Whether that’ll suit your tastes remains to be seen, but I do admire them for making what changes they did make from what’s come before. Ultimately, it has a decent bash at dealing with the “I want the same but I want it also to be different” issue all sequels to beloved originals face: it’s no longer city-focussed, it has a young cast with young problems, and it’s no longer cynical, it’s saccharine (but more on that later). I’ll say more on just how much it leans into the franchise’s past glories later, but this Force Awakens-like “legacy sequel” retells - more or less - the story of the first film and I highly recommend rewatching the 1984 classic before you dig into this one. After the undeniable misfire of the Paul Feig 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, here’s a “for the fans” film that answers the question Ghostbusters fanatics have long wondered: “What has happened to our spectre-catching heroes since the ‘80s?” Without giving too much away - unlike some of the trailers for this movie, might I add - certain characters seen in the originals do make an appearance at one point or another, adding to the veritable treasure trove of Easter eggs and references to spot along the way.
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