Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman, tells the tale of Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), a young, socially awkward bookworm who has a dysfunctional relationship with her brother Trevor (FInn Wolfhard) and mother Callie (Carrie Coon). As the family gets evicted from their home, Callie decides to move everyone into her absent father’s home in Summerville, Oklahoma after he died from natural causes. But as they try to settle in, Phoebe starts noticing something strange in the neighborhood as she uncovers her grandfather’s identity and what he was working on in this small town before he died.
The Ghostbusters franchise is a franchise I’m shocked is even a franchise. The first film in 1984 from director Ivan Reitman was a cultural icon beloved by many that just couldn’t be improved upon, but boy oh boy did they try. Ghostbusters II was an embarrassment to all those involved, and the 2016 remake featuring an all-female cast was needlessly controversial to say the least. Sony’s been trying to push out a Ghostbusters III for years to no avail as they hit speedbump after speedbump, ranging from Bill Murry’s reluctance to return to the franchise to Harold Ramis’s death in 2014.
Now, after many years and rewrites in development hell, we finally get a third Ghostbusters film from Ivan Reitman’s son Jason Reitman. How does it fare? It’s alright. Afterlife is a fun, competently made nostalgia-fueled joyride, EXTREME emphasis on the nostalgia however.
Jason Reitman’s directorial style is incredibly different from his father’s. Reitman’s style is actually noticeable compared to his father’s; a lot of Jason’s films have actual personality behind the lens while Ivan’s more by-the-books. As a result, Jason’s direction makes this film stand out a lot more than the others, arguably even more so than the 1984 film (gasp). There are a lot of competently framed shots throughout the film, the performances were all solid especially from the young actors, the editing is well paced, aesthetically speaking this fits right in with Jason Reitman’s other films like Juno and Up in the Air.
One caveat to this however is because it’s so different compared to the other Ghostbusters films, this film does not really feel like the third movie of the trilogy. Despite Ivan Reitman’s by-the-books direction in the original films, the first two Ghostbusters films were at least colorful as heck; the ghosts were bright and colorful, the New York setting made everything vibrant, the color palate complimented the first two films’ goofy and playful tone beautifully. Say what you want about the 2016 all-female remake from Paul Feig, even that film at least matched the original’s vibrant color palate, making it feel like a Ghostbusters movie.
This film is kind of dull. A lot of the colors are muted, the ghosts were either carbon copies of the first film’s ghosts or the EXACT SAME ghosts from the first film, and the film’s tone is everywhere; the film would have a scene, for example, that’s emotionally serious and resonant, and then all of the sudden you’re reminded that you’re watching a Ghostbusters movie when the scene suddenly transitions into 80’s comedy. Sometimes just because your father made a franchise doesn’t mean you’re fit to continue that franchise in your own way.
Speaking of being reminded that you’re watching a Ghostbusters movie, there’s fan service in this film…a LOT of fan service. The amount of fan service in this film pissed me off enormously; the film tends to remind you that the 1984 film exists literally every ten minutes by showing you a reference from the 1984 film and going, “Hey, remember this from the first film? We’re showing you this because it’s from the first film that you love so much! dOn’T yOu LoVe GhOsTbUsTeRs?!?!?!?” The third act of the film especially lost me with all the fan service it crammed on screen. I’ll try not to spoil everything, but I was digging this film up until we get to the climax where it basically turns into the 1984 film, complete with the same jokes they used from the 1984 film only done slightly different.
Overall despite the overabundance of forced fan service into the film I still enjoyed it for what it was. The performances were great, the writing was sharp, the ghost-busting was a lot of fun to watch, it’s a fun joyride to be had. People who are sick of being constantly reminded of the fact that what you’re watching is a reboot/remake/sequel of a prior film, chances are you’ll be annoyed be this film fairly quickly. Otherwise, if you enjoyed the 1984 film then you’ll enjoy this one just fine. Check it out and see for yourself.
Final Verdict: 6/10