"Take a little advice, don’t go chasing ghosts."
Ghostbusters: Afterlife has been criticised in some quarters for being too dedicated to fan service and nostalgia. My showing seemed to be full of some quite young kids, the majority of whom probably haven't seen the original films. They seemed to be enjoying it and I concluded that actually the film probably balances things pretty well. Yes, it's full of fan service and nostalgia but I think there's still plenty to like here and it's a solid family film.
The legacy characters actually appear fairly infrequently. Instead, the focus is on Egon's daughter and his kids who inherit his house in rural Oklahoma after his death. Phoebe is a nerd obsessed with science and befriends fellow oddball Podcast. She starts to find Ghostbusters equipment in the house and suddenly finds herself facing a world-threatening adversary. She's also aided by teenager brother Trevor, his love-interest Lucky and teacher Mr. Grooberson who is interested in dating her mother.
I quite liked the new characters. Trevor isn't especially fleshed out but still comes across as a likeable awkward teenager. Phoebe is a character I really enjoyed, a confident science nerd who is super-intelligent without being particularly socially awkward. I like to think the little girls in screening left wanted to be like her. Paul Rudd is always entertaining and is great as Mr. Grooberson, a fun irresponsible teacher but also a charming love interest for Callie.
The plot sees Phoebe and her friends learn that Gozer is once again due to return to Earth. Along the way though they discover that ghosts exist and there's a really fun sequence as they chase down a Slimer-esque ghost they dub Muncher. I think the plot would have been better served with a different threat to the original film but it works well enough.
My feeling is that the film actually balances the nostalgia and the new stuff and acts as a generational bridge. It certainly doesn't harm the original but it also introduces a new generation to the mythology of Ghostbusters, both on screen and in the audience. I think it's aimed more at children than the original but that feels like a shrewd mood- the nostalgic adults will likely keep watching but to establish Ghostbusters as a 21st century franchise it needs to bring in a new audience.
Afterlife is a lot of fun for fans of the original Ghostbusters but actually I don't think that's who it's really for at all. This is a fun family film which many kids are going to watch and fall utterly in love with.
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