Since the 1984 original film, the Ghostbusters franchise has struggled to find a cohesive and clear path forward for the series. From animated series to video games to gender-swapping films, Ghostbusters has seen a steady stream of releases and new voices but has ultimately failed to find that defining next chapter.
The newest voice taking their swing at this franchise is Jason Reitman with the newest feature in the Ghostbusters universe: Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Taking place 30-years after the events of Ghostbusters II, and choosing to continue that established story instead of creating something from scratch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife might not be perfect, but is a loving tribute to the franchise it joins, and breaths new air into what some felt was a dying series.
Facing eviction, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and her family are forced to move into a family home in the small and rural Summerville, Oklahoma that belonged to her grandfather – who Phoebe only knows was a scientist of some sort. Strange things have started to happen around Summerville and after some digging, Phoebe learns that her grandpa was none other than Dr. Egon Spengler, who was part of the Ghostbusters team that battled a mob of spirits in New York decades earlier. Alongside her new friend from school who goes by the name Podcast (Logan Kim), Phoebe begins to connect the dots, but finds herself in the middle of a much larger threat than she could have ever dreamed of.
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When continuing a franchise, there is an inherent dilemma, especially when it has been a large amount of time between substantial editions. While a project needs to be able to justify its existence with a newfound purpose and identity to not feel like a cheap rip-off of the original, it also has to give enough fan service and respect to what came before it – to please the fans who ultimately will make their way to see the project.
It is clear from early on that this dilemma is a major force at the core level of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Largely standalone outside of iconography, Ghostbusters: Afterlife immediately feels somewhat out of place with its identity within the Ghostbusters franchise. The screenplay will awkwardly attempt to work in classic lines, and the characters come into contact with core pieces of the franchise, like the Ecto-1, but largely these moments clash and feel unnatural with the project surrounding them.
This especially stands out because of how inconsistent the plot of the film feels. Really there are three sides making up the feature. The first is the family drama. As Phoebe is trying to figure out her new life and the mysteries of her family, her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) is also going through his own emotional journey of growing up and dealing with teenage drama. Their mom Callie (Carrie Coon) is also falling under the pressures of being a single mother with the relationships felt between these characters feeling authentic enough.
The second side of the film is the ghost mystery. Taking concepts from the first couple of films and elevating them into a layered mystery filled with prophecies and magical mountains. This is easily the most boring side of the film, as it feels as if it is just going through the motions of the magical mystery genre that has been done to death over the past decade.
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The final side is the humor. Largely led by Paul Rudd, who plays Phoebe’s teacher and Callie’s love interest, there are some genuinely hysterical moments and sequences within the film that will have audiences audibly laughing.
While nothing is outright terrible within these three points, it does lead to an incredibly messy and at times convoluted narrative that doesn’t help the deeper identity crisis the film is facing. There is no better place to see this, however, than at the end of the feature that brings not just the film but the entire franchise together by rather bold means. While the moral healthiness of certain decisions will remain subjective to individual audience members, the film does feel rather loving in its efforts, with Jason Reitman bringing a needed care and passion to the project that feels able to accomplish some surprisingly deep and ambitious goals.
This love and care is not just felt in the emotions of the picture but also in its technical aspects. While it is beyond easy to just use CGI to create realistic creatures and designs, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a refreshing love letter to the design and feeling of practical effects. While the CGI is honestly stunning at times, it also carefully designs various characters to feel as if they are limited by the limitations of practical designs to the point where it feels impossible to tell if some scenes are using CGI or practical effects. This is one of the most charming aspects of the original Ghostbusters, leading once again to the conclusion that Ghostbusters: Afterlife wants to do the franchise and its audience right.
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The performances sadly however lack this passion. While Carrie Coon is quite strong, and Paul Rudd is giving his traditional charisma that is effective even if far from revolutionary, the kid actors featured in the project leave a lot to be desired.
Finn Wolfhard often falls into playing third wheel, never quite finding his footing. While both Mckenna Grace and Logan Kim range from acceptable to miserable with every new scene acting like a roll of the dice. The biggest issue felt is a lack of energy. Like the actors are so focused on getting their jokes to land or sharing exposition that there is a real lack of wonder and magic. These characters are seeing ghosts for the first time and are fighting to save the world, yet they act all too casual and almost lethargic towards the concept.
While it is easy to point to the actors, this also largely could be a result of the genuinely horrific world-building found within the film. It never feels like the movie has a clear idea of how it wants its world to work creating a confusing dynamic. The appearance of ghosts has been documented, and it has been seen that individuals can make a living off catching them, yet to make the plot work no one can acknowledge or accept these events.
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Despite footage being on YouTube, individuals refer to the events in New York as rumors and a hoax with no real reason given as to why they would feel this way. Because of this convoluted history, no one can act truly shocked, but also shouldn’t be stale to the developments around them, leading to an almost performance purgatory where characters are stuck between emotions with a clear lack of guidance or direction.
It is these flaws that make Ghostbusters: Afterlife a somewhat frustrating viewing experience. While the film clearly has a good heart and lands both in its comedy and emotions, there are so many clear flaws that hold it back from being able to be called great. Still, it is clear that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is one of the stronger follow-ups to the original film and the project ends up not just being respectable, but also an overall positive viewing experience.
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