Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

 

In every franchise, there are installments that don't quite work at continuing the story... and others that not only perfectly conclude one part of it, but open up a new chapter of possibility...

Callie Spengler and her children have been evicted from their home, and forced to move to her estranged father's "dirt farm".  As she struggles with her memories of his abandonment, her daughter Phoebe discovers a ghost trap that had been hidden by her deceased grandfather.  Soon, Phoebe, her brother Trevor, and new friend Podcast uncover a supernatural threat and the return of an old enemy of The Ghostbusters...

After the less than stellar performance and reception of "Ghostbusters: Answer the Call" (2016), fans of the franchise were cautiously optimistic about the announcement that there was to be a direct sequel to "Ghostbusters II" (1989).  Fortunately, this sequel proved to be everything they needed, and wanted from a "Ghostbusters" movie.

The story, for me, was a perfect blend of the fantastical elements of ghosts and the end of the world that the original film had, while also bringing a very grounded element in the personal plotlines for the characters.  Callie's thread brought the depth of emotion inherent in a character dealing with the conflict of love for her father battling with the pain of his abandoning her- and the emotions that come with being forced to confront all those things.  The theme of a child who's "different" trying to find her place in the world is a wonderful story element brought to the table by the character of Phoebe.  Finally, Trevor adds the story of a young man who's trying to be "the man of the house", while still trying to enjoy his childhood.  This thread isn't really elaborated on in this movie, and I hope it gets explored further in the next one.

All of the characters are great.  They are all very human and relatable in various ways- much less cartoony than the 2016 characters.  Each personality meshes nicely and contrasts well with the others.  You very much come to like, care about, and cheer on the characters.  I'm looking forward to seeing them develop in time.

The characters wouldn't be worth a damn if it wasn't for the excellent performers.  Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler brought humanity, charm, wit, and depth to her character that laid a nice family baseline for McKenna Grace's and Finn Wolfhard's roles as her children.  There was a nice realness to her interactions with Grace and Wolfhard that made you believe they were a family.  I also enjoyed the chemistry and charm that came with her interactions with Gary (Paul Rudd).  Finn Wolfhard was a great choice for the role of Trevor- brining a well grounded and relatable tone to the character and his interactions with McKenna Grace, and Celeste O'Connor as Lucky.

Of course though, the star performance was by McKenna Grace as the science minded Phoebe- who learns about her family's history, and discovers her place in the world.  Her performance is what ties and holds the movie together.  She brought a superb amount of depth, awkward charm and dry wit to the character.  It was really a pleasure to see her character grow during the course of the movie, and take the weight of bringing the franchise back to its roots.

Finally, we can't have a review of this film without discussing the return of the OG Ghostbusters, and how it paid tribute to "The Lost Buster", Harold Ramis.  It was great to see them return at the end, and I'm glad that they didn't overwhelm the rest of the movie.  The use of CGI to bring back Ramis was well done, and helped to bring a gentle, but still emotional conclusion to the original crew, while also paying a tender good-bye to Ramis.

When all is said and done, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is a wonderful addition to the franchise.  It created an opportunity for a new direction, while also paying respect and bringing the original films full circle.  I would absolutely recommend this for watching and owning.  It gets a "Good".