#REVIEW: “GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

I aint ‘fraid of no ghosts!  Director/Writer Jason Reitman carries on the legacy his father Ivan built, bringing us a third installment in the  famed original Ghostbusters franchise. Did anyone ask for a third Ghostbusters chapter? Not all of us. But anyone who is a fan of Action-Fantasy done right, will be over-the-moon with Ghostbusters: Afterlife! This Movie steps-up that nostalgia factor in a way that rekindles those fond feelings in long-time fans, but also bringing joy to a new generation.

The Film focuses on two separate storylines around one family consisting of Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Callie (Carrie Coon), as they are evicted from their home having missed on rent payments, being forced to move into their eccentric grandfather’s abandoned dirt farm. While everyone tries to get acquainted with their new life, Phoebe befriends Podcast (Logan Kim) and her teacher Mister Grooberson (Paul Rudd), while her brother Trevor befriends Lucky (Celeste O’Connor). Throughout the Film, there are hints of who Trevor, Phoebe, and Callie are all related to. When it is revealed finally as the one and only Egon (played in previous films by Harold Ramis), some strange things start happening, and everyone must band together to stop a ghost invasion from coming full circle.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a blast because it takes the things we love about its legacy and brings it all back again in an honourable way, some 30 years later. Jason Reitman manages to recapture the heart and soul of his father’s previous films in a way that is poignant, funny, and filled with heart. As well, there is something truly touching and heartbreaking in the Film that truly only a Reitman could have done right.

We are enamoured by some of the casting choices and there isn’t a weak link. This new generation is able to toe-to-toe with Aykroyd, Ramis, Murray and Hudson and being able to create that magical bond we’ve come to love of Ghostbusters is a real feat. Wolfhard, Grace, Rudd and Kim all bring their own uniqueness to their characters and create a dynamic that feels both warm and fun. Ghostbusters Afterlife is the movie we deserve, after everything the world has one through!

Sony Pictures Canada release GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE in theatres Friday, November 19, 2021.