"Somehow, a town that isn't anywhere near a tectonic plate, has no volcanic activity, that has no faultlines no fracking, no loud music even- is shaking on a daily basis."
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is out and quickly becoming an audience favorite. I can't say I'm a Ghostbusters fanatic. I enjoy the original and I didn't mind the 2016 reboot that most everyone hated. The one thing that intrigued me into wanting to see this was Jason Reitman in the director's chair. As the son of Ivan Reitman, the director of the original, I was interested to see if they had the same vision for something like this or something different. This is unlike the other Ghostbusters installments, but it's done in a way that brings nostalgia and an overall sense of joy. Jason Reitman also co-wrote the script alongside Gil Kenan bringing even more of himself into the script. You can tell which scenes were primarily wrote by him from the witty and dramatic dialogue. I found the dialogue to be a strong suit here. Almost all of the jokes landed, it's not trying to dumb things down for younger audiences, and plays out in a fairly realistic manner. There's a few scenes with the kids that worked well in capturing their own feelings. I liked how they made it into a coming-of-age story almost over a supernatural adventure. They captured the right tone for it. And the acting is pretty good. McKenna Grace stands out once again as brings great child actor, Finn Wolfhard does well, Paul Rudd is pretty funny, but Carrie Coon surprisingly steals the show. She's such an underrated actress and I love how she always gives the most no matter the role.
The overall story needed some work to it. I liked what it was trying to do, but not all of it worked. As hard as it tried to fit in with the original, it feel mainly separate. They throw in as many callbacks as they can, but it just doesn't feel the same. It works, but it's separate. The coming-of-age material does feel a bit overdone to start with. The characters are pretty cliche though we learn to like them more and more. A good comparison would be the first installment of Fear Street earlier this summer. The story and characters felt basic, but the way it's told almost forces us to like them. None of the twists, surprises, or plot devices surprised me. It's easy to tell where the movie is going. And it's for sure setting up a sequel or series, there's even two after credit scenes, so we don't have the full picture. Maybe in the future installment(s) the stakes will be heightened and we can get more out of the family and ghostbusters. Overall, Ghostbusters: Afterlife pleasantly surprised me. I can't say I was 100% with it, but there's quality entertainment here. With as well as it's doing with audiences around, this could be one to take friends or family out to for a night of fun.
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is out and quickly becoming an audience favorite. I can't say I'm a Ghostbusters fanatic. I enjoy the original and I didn't mind the 2016 reboot that most everyone hated. The one thing that intrigued me into wanting to see this was Jason Reitman in the director's chair. As the son of Ivan Reitman, the director of the original, I was interested to see if they had the same vision for something like this or something different. This is unlike the other Ghostbusters installments, but it's done in a way that brings nostalgia and an overall sense of joy. Jason Reitman also co-wrote the script alongside Gil Kenan bringing even more of himself into the script. You can tell which scenes were primarily wrote by him from the witty and dramatic dialogue. I found the dialogue to be a strong suit here. Almost all of the jokes landed, it's not trying to dumb things down for younger audiences, and plays out in a fairly realistic manner. There's a few scenes with the kids that worked well in capturing their own feelings. I liked how they made it into a coming-of-age story almost over a supernatural adventure. They captured the right tone for it. And the acting is pretty good. McKenna Grace stands out once again as brings great child actor, Finn Wolfhard does well, Paul Rudd is pretty funny, but Carrie Coon surprisingly steals the show. She's such an underrated actress and I love how she always gives the most no matter the role.
The overall story needed some work to it. I liked what it was trying to do, but not all of it worked. As hard as it tried to fit in with the original, it feel mainly separate. They throw in as many callbacks as they can, but it just doesn't feel the same. It works, but it's separate. The coming-of-age material does feel a bit overdone to start with. The characters are pretty cliche though we learn to like them more and more. A good comparison would be the first installment of Fear Street earlier this summer. The story and characters felt basic, but the way it's told almost forces us to like them. None of the twists, surprises, or plot devices surprised me. It's easy to tell where the movie is going. And it's for sure setting up a sequel or series, there's even two after credit scenes, so we don't have the full picture. Maybe in the future installment(s) the stakes will be heightened and we can get more out of the family and ghostbusters. Overall, Ghostbusters: Afterlife pleasantly surprised me. I can't say I was 100% with it, but there's quality entertainment here. With as well as it's doing with audiences around, this could be one to take friends or family out to for a night of fun.