Film review – Ghostbusters Afterlife
Ghostbusters Afterlife (M)
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon
Review by: Julian Wright
A long dormant IP is resurrected from the grave for a trip down memory lane for fans and an attempt to gain new ones.
Single mum Callie (Carrie Coon), who can barely cover the rent, inherits a dilapidated farm house in a small country so she moves her kids, awkward teen Trevor (Finn Woldhard) and the nerdy Phoebe (McKenna Grace) for a new life.
When they arrive, they begin to discover their link to the ghoul fighting Ghostbusters, who have not been in operation for many years, which for Phoebe’s science teacher Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd) who is old enough to remember them, is quite the nostalgia trip.
But an array of Ghostbusters gadgets under the house come in handy when spooks begin to emerge.
The bright young new generation cast breathes new life into Ghostbuster Afterlife. The fact this story is led by a nerdy young girl is a step in the right direction and a nice nod to the unfairly maligned 2016 remake.
Take that, toxic man-babies!
Paul Rudd is also a delightful addition offering the most experience with comic timing and effortless charm.
But while this drips in charm and nostalgia, there is one key element that is sorely lacking – ghosts.
There is plenty of story build up, nostalgia and easter eggs for the die-hard fans, but when it comes to mischievous monsters, frisky frights and ghastly ghouls, this comes up surprisingly short.
This could have been a great opportunity to wreak some state of the art CGI havoc.
And though the small town setting is a nice switch from the concrete jungle of the past films, it does limit the amount of scope of action and antics.
Though there is some spectacular scenery captured.
Ultimately, this is a delightful blockbuster that gives you the warm fuzzies and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
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