Review of Ghostbusters Afterlife: A futile attempt to appease old fans instead of making something innovative


As a result of the 2016 Ghostbusters movie, the conversation around remakes and gender-swapped roles was renewed. In part because the film's makers were being trolled on social media and the film had been 'review bombed' by fans on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB before it even opened in theaters, commenters gave up trying to articulate a nuanced opinion.

You are almost neither here nor there regardless of whether you thought the film was good or not. It's the long-delayed 2021 sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which has placed itself (whether intentionally or unintentionally and through circumstance) as the antithesis of the 2016 film.

Jason Reitman is the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, and the new version focuses primarily on the grandchildren (Finn Wolfhard as Trevor and Mckenna Grace as Phoebe) of Egon Spengler, who inherit their grandfather's barn and find the wealth of ghost activity he was trying, on his own, to ward off.

In the afterlife, it's supposed to be about family and legacy, finding your place in the world, but the reality is that it feels more like the placating smile you have to wear when your drunk relative ruins the Christmas dinner. They are family so you suffer with them, but you do not necessarily enjoy it.

A diversity generator tool seems to have generated the characters, with a combination of box-ticking traits instead of organic character arcs that are genuine and purposeful. When done right, putting the emotional and narrative weight of a story on kids works; Ghostbusters Afterlife isn't one of them.

This is not the fault of the actors, but of a clunky script that only occasionally manages to elicit a chuckle, never a guffaw. Rudd tries his best to lighten the mood, but every gag drags on too long, each one an extended wink at the audience.
Sony picture 

The number of references to the original may please fans, but without a heart of its own, Ghostbusters: Afterlife struggles under the weight of its predecessor while desperately trying to emulate it.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be hailed as a film that repeated the beats of its progenitor (A New Hope) in defence. However, by repeating these beats it revealed the cyclical nature of humanity, power, and corruption. Ghostbusters: Afterlife has nothing to say beyond 'Hey, remember this?'

Similarly, Afterlife fails to entice new kids and remind audiences that anyone can be a ghostbuster. While it was refreshing to see a diverse cast on screen (something we can't believe we're still saying in 2021), casting diverse actors does not make a film progressive - just like casting women in ghostbusters does not make it feminist.

SONY PICTURES

Logan Kim brings charm to the (we can't believe we're writing this) character named Podcast, whose entire schtick is being into podcasts. Both O'Connor and Kim do their best to flesh out the entirely 2D 'love-interest / trapped townie' Lucky. Well, duh.

The original Ghostbusters film was for adults - the humour was raunchy in places and mature enough to stand the test of time, rewatch after rewatch. In addition, afterlife is too busy with a convoluted plot that tries to tie it to its previous legacy to let its story breathe while adults can find comfort and meaning in kids films (hello, Pixar).

As a preamble to the screening this journalist attended, Jason Reitman described working with his father over his shoulder, and made a joke about how it would be for one of you to take your parents to work. The writer I grew up with was a food critic, poet, and academic. I wouldn't want him to watch me work because the creative process is different even between father and son (or daughter), and the cliché about too many cooks in the kitchen is true, especially when the cooks are related.

Hence it's hard not to wonder if Jason Reitman was hampered by the reverence he paid to the original and to his father, a theme that also appears in the movie. The Afterlife is also haunted by ghosts, especially Ramis.

Although we can imagine you already know what's coming, the final beats are so transparently manipulative that even though they move you, it's against your will. As someone who cries a lot (particularly over topics surrounding the death of parents), I couldn't help but cry; but those tears weren't earned.

Despite some tears falling, the overwhelming feeling was anger at being forced to experience this, and a slight smattering of disgust that it was happening at all. Similarly, the film outstays its welcome - with two post-credits scenes that don't seem to have any bearing on the future or the film that just took place.

Hopefully there have been enough Ghostbusters reboots now to let sleeping hellhounds rest. Put that 1984 Ghostbusters on. Despite the cheesy animation and old CGI, at least the film knows what it is and will make you laugh.


Ghostbusters: Afterlife
2021 ‧ Fantasy/Comedy ‧ 2h 4m
When a single mother and her two children move to a new town, they soon discover they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
Release date: November 19, 2021 (USA)
Director: Jason Reitman
Adapted from: Ghostbusters
Production companies: Columbia Pictures; Bron Creative; Ghost Corps; The Montecito Picture Company; Right of Way Films

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