Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Film Review

Note: Some film database websites list me as being an extra in this film. I want to clarify that this is not true and I’m completely in the dark as to why I’m listed in the cast list on multiple websites.

When a single mother – Callie (Carrie Coon) – and her two children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) move to a new town, they soon discover they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

The Ghostbusters franchise has always meant a lot to me ever since I was approximately nine years old. Growing up as a kid, I watched a ton of 80s movies and so naturally, I watched Harold Ramis‘ original film from 1984 and fell in love. I’ve probably seen it well over a dozen times at this point. But aside from that original film and the absolutely amazing and criminally underrated Ghostbusters: The Video Game, I’ve not enjoyed any other entry in the franchise really.

Ghostbusters II is fun and enjoyable but it doesn’t have that sense of charm or wonder that the first had. And the less said about Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot, the better. But as soon as I saw that initial teaser for Jason Reitman‘s Ghostbusters: Afterlife – which serves as a continuation of the original storyline set thirty years later – I was instantly hooked and wanted to see it as soon as possible. Of course, COVID happened and so we’ve had to wait two full years but alas, here we are.

So… how is this movie? Well, personally, I adored it. It’s one of the most outrageously entertaining movies of the year and the busting most certainly feels good this time around. In many ways, it can be more entertaining than the original, although that film definitely has more memorable moments and charm – plus, I mean, how can you go wrong with the original team? But Ghostbusters: Afterlife nevertheless serves as a wonderful, nostalgia-fueled follow-up that introduces audiences to excellent new characters such as Phoebe and Callie while also pulling a Star Wars: The Force Awakens card and making fans reminisce on the old.

This film actually has a lot in common with The Force Awakens. Both films have heaps and bounds of nostalgia, firstly. This is inevitably going to worry some people which is fair because after all, you don’t want a movie that’s just constant nostalgia bait with no real substance. But thankfully, Afterlife has lots of substance to go around. Like Star Wars, this new Ghostbusters outing introduces us to fresh faces and makes us love and care for them while also reminding us of what came before. It’s genuinely beautiful.

If you’ve been a fan of this franchise since the first, then you undoubtedly know just how funny the series can be with the right script. Well, Afterlife is no exception – mostly. Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman’s script for this film is not only incredibly fast-paced with little room for boredom, but it also packs tons of humor. A lot of it works and had me chuckling with a big grin on my face, but there were a few instances in which the humor was, well, terrible.

A lot of this missed humor is thanks to a brand new character quite literally named Podcast (Logan Kim). Yes, seriously. Although I didn’t mind him as much by the time the third act came into play, his character definitely got on my nerves for a while. He oftentimes says some truly cringe-worthy things, but really, it actually makes some sense because he’s just a kid. What kid hasn’t said some cringy stuff?

Gratefully though, not all of the characters are cringy – really, Podcast is the only one that got on my nerves. The best addition to the cast here is without a doubt Mckenna Grace who portrays the lead character, Phoebe. Not only is she the most well-written character in the franchise to date, but she also packs in a ton of charm and likability. She has quite an intriguing and detailed past, and it’s a genuine treat to get to learn more about her as the story progresses. Grace manages to deliver her best performance to date and is overall one of my personal favorite performances of the year so far.

Carrie Coon is also quite a delight to see here in an extremely nuanced and layered role that almost brought me to tears by the end. Finn Wolfhard sadly doesn’t get much to do here, which is quite interesting seeing as how he is one of the main actors in Netflix’s Stranger Things, so seeing him take a backseat here was quite a shock. As for Paul Rudd… come on, it’s Paul Rudd. You know he’s great here, because why wouldn’t he be?

Eric Steelberg‘s cinematography is deliciously vibrant and full of life and mystical wonder. The film’s main setting is a relatively deserted small town near an eerie farm, so instantly the film has a ton of potential to be visually striking, and Steelberg did everything in his power to make this film look unique. He succeeded. There were numerous shots in this movie that had me glued to the screen in wonder.

And of course, the music here is absolutely wonderful. There are tons of cues to the original Ghostbusters here which was delightful to pick up on, but the film also makes the wise decision to have its own music by Rob Simonsen who does a superb job. There are so many great elements on display here.

Some are going to walk out of Ghostbusters: Afterlife feeling a bit disappointed because there is a ton of nostalgia, whereas others are going to walk out with a huge smile on their face because they feel as though they just witnessed a delightfully entertaining, emotionally charged, and magical experience. Personally, I fall into the latter group of people.