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Nov 20, 2021 · The argument, of course, will be that the Ghostbusters fandom couldn’t possibly have an issue with women in their movies because the lead in Afterlife is a young girl. But Phoebe, despite the ...
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- Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review
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By Rosie Knight
Updated: Jan 5, 2022 6:02 pm
Posted: Oct 9, 2021 7:00 pm
This is a spoiler-free review of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which debuted in theaters on November 19, 2021, and on digital on January 4, 2022 (purchase) and February 4 (rental).
Before the critics' screening of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, director Jason Reitman delivered a video message: this is a film about a family made by a family. That couldn't be more true, and it's what makes the newest entry into the Ghostbusters canon feel so special. Reitman also encouraged viewers to keep Afterlife's secrets just that. Secret. He was right there, too, as this is the kind of movie that will awe and inspire if you let it. And in an age of reboots, remakes, and retreads, it manages to balance that fine -- and financially lucrative -- line between pleasing fans of the original and creating something accessible for new audiences.
As you'll likely have gathered from the trailers, the story follows a single mother, Callie (Carrie Coon). Her life has been defined by the absence of her father, and after his death she inherits his rural farmhouse in Summerville, Okla. It's a lucky break, as the family isn't exactly on stable footing. So, she picks up her life and two kids, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace,) and moves to the country. Their chemistry is the kind you rarely see in cinematic families. It's the glue that holds the film together and teases one of its greatest strengths: brilliant casting. Coon is her usual electric self as a harried mother of two who can't connect with her young insular daughter. Wolfhard shrugs off Stranger Things with an older and more assured classic big brother role. But Grace outshines them both.
Peter Venkman (Bill Murray)
Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd)
Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis)
Louis Tully (Rick Moranis)
Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver)
Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts)
From the moment the family enters Summerville, it's clear something is up. Make no mistake, this is a Ghostbusters movie through and through, so there are supernatural shenanigans galore. Afterlife even nicely echoes the first two films by beginning with a big paranormal moment before setting the stage of the story. And those spooky scares look good. A lot of the effects are practical, rather than computer animated, which is an electrifying choice and fits with the sun-drenched nostalgic summer look. There's even a sequence featuring an iconic Ghostbusters monster that was teased in the trailer that this reviewer thinks was brought to life by a real puppet or at least partial animatronics... in 2021! What a time to be alive. That summer holiday adventure tone is amped up by Rob Simonsen's magical score, which has a touch of John Williams influence and almost sparkles as Phoebe explores her new home and discovers its secrets.
Those secrets run deep and are at the heart of the movie. This is a film about family, forgiveness, and saving the world -- but along the way, of course, there are puzzles, mysteries, and haunted mine shafts aplenty. In this way, Afterlife harks back to the age of The Goonies, but with a thoroughly modern twist. As the burgeoning ghost hunters try to save their town and themselves, there are enough Easter eggs to make a grown man cry. But those who’ve never watched a Ghostbusters movie are still in for a very fun ride, filled with cool creature work, awesome action, and more.
Director Jason Reitman does his father and fans proud with a funny, sweet, and spooky family movie that proudly takes on the legacy of Ghostbusters, while also introducing something exciting and new. It helps that Mckenna Grace is the kind of talent that only comes around once in a generation: charming, authentic, and the beating heart of this alre...
EDITORS' CHOICE
Review scoring
amazing
A delightfully lovely movie that will satisfy those who grew up with Ramis, Hudson, Murray, and Aykroyd, Ghostbusters: Afterlife will make youngsters fall just as in love with the new generation.
- Rosie Knight
The movies are a different business to when Ghostbusters was released in 1984. Afterlife spans the gap admirably, and will satisfy old fans even as it tempts in new ones. Full Review | Original ...
Nov 19, 2021 · The prodigious talents of Carrie Coon, one of the most insightful and exciting actresses working today, go depressingly to waste as Callie, a single mother of two. Son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) is a sullen teen with a knack for mechanics. But 12-year-old daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) is a misfit science whiz, a gift she apparently inherited from ...
Nov 17, 2021 · 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' is, per director Jason Reitman, a love letter to the fans. It would have been nice if he'd made a movie as well. 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife': I Ain't 'Fraid of No Bad Fan ...
- David Fear
Oct 9, 2021 · In his brief onscreen introduction before Ghostbusters: Afterlife begins, director Jason Reitman calls it a movie “by a family about a family.” Picking up the baton from his father, Ivan ...
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Oct 9, 2021 · After the movie’s leisurely, kid-centric buildup, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” eventually reveals itself to be a rural, 21st-century rematch of what has come before: what remains of the ...
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