The review will be kept spoiler free, as the official release is on November 19
We received a few iterations of the Ghostbusters franchise, such as the 2016 reboot and a few television series. The 2016 movie had women in the lead and while the new Ghostbuster: Afterlife also has one in the lead, it manages to get something right.
A family story
The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, director of the original movie and its 1989 sequel. Ivan was on board as the producer and was next to his son throughout the process. Jason, who grew up around the Ghostbusters legacy completely owns the movie with his reimagining.
The lead characters a group of kids, or rather, a 12-year-old named Phoebe (McKenna Grace). Phoebe, her mother Callie (Carrie Coon), and her 15-year-old brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) are evicted from their home. Callie takes her kids to an isolated part of Oklahoma to a run-down house. It belonged to Callie’s father, Dr. Egon Spengler (played by the late Harold Ramis).
Phoebe comes across her grandfather’s proton pack. This led to her, Trevor, and a local kid called Podcast (Logan Kim, who was a show stealer), to uncover new mysteries. Another prominent figure in their adventure is Mr. Grooberson, played by Paul Rudd. Mr. Grooberson has his own spooky experiences, and one with him in a supermarket will be memorable.
A worthy story
The rest of the story cannot be disclosed, but expect some hilarious cameos, that feels just right, and not forced. Grace is a terrific lead and the whole movie didn’t feel forced like the 2016 version. It doesn’t pretend to be woke, nor is the main focus on a group of Ghostbusters. This will be about a young girl carrying out her grandfather’s legacy.
But the real MVP is Jason Reitman without a doubt. He was able to deliver a movie that is warm, funny, and has plenty of nostalgia. This must be what people felt when they saw the 1984 classic.
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