The original Ghostbusters is a comedy; this Ghostbusters is an adventure. If you can swallow that realization, I think we can all have a good time together. Following the 1984 dismissal from NYC, Gozer the Gozerian had their own trail of tears that led to Oklahoma. After which, they were chased by one Spengler which led to a theorem of Spenglers, and that’s where we begin Ghostbusters: Afterlife – rural Oklahoma, Gozer and Spenglers, with the key master, the gate keeper, and thee.
Evil is a brewin’ in the one-tractor town of Summerville, Oklahoma. The late owner of the Dirt Farm has angered the local specter and paid the price. Good thing we didn’t get to meet him … well, not in this film, at least. Turns out the fresh corpse is Dr. Egon Spengler, scientist, nutball, estranged family man, and apocalypse battler. His death causes his dirt-poor daughter and two dirt-poor grandchildren to up and move out of NYC to the Dirt Farm. Turns out, poor is poor, even in semi-rural Oklahoma … but it’s a tad easier to manage with no rent due.
While mom (Carrie Coon) is simply trying to piece their lives together, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) immediately discovers
his inner wolfhard and gets a job at the retro diner to hit on a girl; meanwhile, grandfather’s-grandchild Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) is sentenced to Summerville summer school – because she’s incredibly smart?!—I don’t quite get that.
Ah, but there’s method to this plotness – the reserved genius granddaughter of Dr. Egon Spengler gets to interact with the summer school babysitter / local seismologist (Paul Rudd) and acquire a documentarian comic relief friend, “Podcast” (Logan Kim). Podcast foreshadows the creepy ghost moments to come and lays the groundwork so Phoebe isn’t freaking out when she interacts directly with her late grandfather… this is a ghost story, after all.
Speaking of which, I enjoyed the ghost part of Afterlife more than the original. While Ghostbusters humor cannot be touched, Ghostbusters adventure left a little on the table. For instance, I never worried for Dan Aykroyd or Bill Murray in 1984. They’re grown-ups and comedians; I’m sure they can talk their way out of possession or whatever. In afterlife, the hunters are kids. Do I believe an ancient Sumerian God can mess up Finn Wolfhard or Mckenna Grace? You better believe it.
Knowledge
of the original enhanced viewing of Afterlife dramatically. There was a feel in 1984 that the writers were making it up as they went along. Umm, sure, a God we’ve never heard of has come to NYC to mess shit up … and you better play by the rules, because some exist. By contrast, now we know the whole Gozer shtick. We’re aware of the role the keymaster and gatekeeper play in this silliness. There’s no feel of fabrication because this story is simply an extension with similar villains. So now that we know what’s comin’, we can get cozy with Gozey, dig?
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is my popcorn film of the year. I love that this is a teen-protagonist film. I love that hair/make-up/costume so disguised Mckenna Grace to look like Harold Ramis that I couldn’t recognize Mckenna Grace. I love that Mckenna Grace quietly stole the show with investigation, intuition, and cricket-inducing jokes. I love that Phoebe confronted Gozer the Destroyer with dad humor. I love that there’s a running gag about Podcast’s podcast. I love that I’ve barely mentioned Paul Rudd, who is awesome. This is a fun film and I hope everybody willing to enjoy it gets a chance to do so.
The forces of evil were winning
Dr. Spengler’s life force was thinning
But in the Ghostbusting realm
There’s no overwhelm
Being dead is just the beginning
Rated PG-13, 124 Minutes
Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
Genre: The Return of Gen X
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Anyone in the mood for a popcorn film
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Critics, I take it
