Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review: A Fantastic Sequel Sets the Franchise Back on Track

Strap
on
your
proton
pack,
holster
the
PKE
meter,
and
rev
up
Ecto-1
for
a
rollicking
good
time
at
the
theater.
I
am
overjoyed
to
report
that



Ghostbusters:
Afterlife
is
a
fantastic
sequel
on
all
fronts.
It
brilliantly
captures
the
fun,
humor,
and
heart
of
the
original.
Director
Jason
Reitman
has
successfully
taken
the
reins
from
his
legendary
father.
He’s
crafted
an
amazing
new
adventure
that
will
delight
die-hard
fans
and
newbies
alike.
Cue
the
Ray
Parker
Jr.
theme
song.
Cut
to
Janine
Melnitz
(Annie
Potts), “Who
are
you
going
to
call?”

Ghostbusters:
Afterlife
takes
place
in
the
middle
of
nowhere.
Callie
(Carrie
Coon),
a
broke
and
frustrated
single
mother,
moves
her
two
children
to
Summerville,
Oklahoma.
She
recently
inherited
a
remote
farm
from
a
father
who
mysteriously
abandoned
her
as
a
child.
Her
teenage
son,
Trevor
(Finn
Wolfhard),
freaks
out
when
he
sees
the
dilapidated
state
of
their
new
home.
But
her
brainy
and
socially
awkward
daughter,
Phoebe
(McKenna
Grace),
is
fascinated
by
the
bizarre
gadgets
that
litter
the
sprawling
property.

Summerville
suffers
from
periodic
earthquakes
even
though
it’s
nowhere
near
a
fault
line.
Phoebe
learns
that
her
science
teacher
(Paul
Rudd)
has
been
investigating
the
strange
phenomena.
And
makes
a
friend
(Logan
Kim)
for
the
first
time
in
her
young
life.
Events
on
the
farm
take
an
ominous
turn
when
Phoebe
finds
a
PKE
meter.
It
leads
her
to
something
that
shouldn’t
be
possible.
Phoebe
quickly
realizes
that
the
farm
is
not
what
it
seems.
Her
grandfather
went
there
to
prevent
the
end
of
the
world.
A
task
that
unfortunately
falls
to
her
family,
but
they
are
not
alone
in
the
fight.

Ghostbusters:
Afterlife
reminded
me
of
the

classic
adventure
film
The
Goonies,
albeit
with
a
supernatural
element.
A
bunch
of
kids
and
goofy
adults
have
to
come
together
to
solve
an
epic
predicament.
Half
the
fun
is
watching
them
figure
out
how
to
use
the
apparition
zapping
gear.
Proton
packs
are
freaking
awesome,
but
they’re
not
for
laser
toasting
bread.
The
script
by
Gil
Kenan
and
Jason
Reitman
uses
Phoebe’s
hilarious
tests
to
bring
everyone
up
to
speed
on
the
source
material.
It’s
a

Ghostbusters
101
that
cleverly
preps
the
cast
and
audience
for
an
action-packed
third
act.

Ghostbusters:
Afterlife
is
a

loving
tribute
to
Harold
Ramis.
The
concept
of
uber
nerd
Egon
Spengler
as
an
absent
father
drives
the
intriguing
narrative.
Why
did
he
leave
his
family
and
dear
friends
behind
to
be
a “dirt
farmer”
in
Oklahoma?
The
answers
are
pretty
darn
interesting.
The
film
doesn’t
succumb
to
fawning
memories
or
fan
service.
The
plot
is
highly
detailed
with
a
few
unexpected
twists
and
turns.
Let’s
just
say
the
baddie
is
no
pushover.

The
2016

Ghostbusters
reboot
was

an
unmitigated
disaster.
The
stench
of
that
film
has
been
gloriously
washed
away.
Jason
Reitman
puts
the
franchise
back
on
track
for
a
bright
future.
The
new
characters
are
easy
to
root
for.

Ghostbusters:
Afterlife
establishes
a
new
generation,
but
still
respects
and
logically
incorporates
the
original
cast.
There
will
be
cheers
and
tears
in
the
finale.
Stick
around
during
and
after
the
credits.

Ghostbusters:
Afterlife
is
produced
by
Columbia
Pictures,
Bron
Creative,
and
Ghost
Corps.
It
will
be
released
exclusively
in
theaters
on
November
19th
from
Sony
Pictures.