Ghostbusters Afterlife is Director and co-writer Jason Reitman’s homage to his father, Irvin Reitman–and his most famous movie, 1984’s Ghostbusters.
A struggling single mother named Callie (Carrie Coon) learns her estranged father had died and willed her a farmhouse outside Summerville, Oklahoma. Callie loads her few possessions and her two teenage kids–Trevor (Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things) and brilliant Phoebe (McKenna Grace). As soon as the family arrives at the isolated house, strange things start to happen: chess pieces move by themselves, weird noises and flashing lights appear out of nowhere.
The 2021 Sexiest Man Alive, Paul Rudd, provides some humor and a love interest for Callie. Tracey Letts (Coon’s real-life playwright/actor husband) gets a cameo as does Annie Potts.
Gozer, the Gatekeeper and the Keymaster return to prepare for the conquest of the Earth. The kids learn their grandfather was famed Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis) and he predicted an apocalyptic event for 2021. Only Trevor, Phoebe, and their friends can stop the cosmic destruction! Break out the ECTO-1 and proton packs! I loved the original Ghostbusters and this silly update captures a scintilla of the iconic film. Are you a fan of the Ghostbusters? GRADE: B-
The first Ghostbusters was okay. The second not so much and the last one was awful. I have little interest in seeing this. Maybe once it shows up on cable.
Steve, I totally agree with your assessment. I loved the first Ghostbusters movie and it was pretty much downhill from there. If you set the bar low, you’ll enjoy GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.
No thanks. I liked the first “Ghostbusters”—it was a new and funny approach to the supernatural—but I have absolutely no desire to see this. Even if I had a spark of interest in the movie, Paul Rudd’s presence would quickly have extinguished it. I guess I must be the only woman on the planet who finds Paul Rudd’s phony self-effacing “aw shucks” nice-guy routine both distinctly non-sexy and majorly irritating. Harrumph!
Deb, Paul Rudd’s ascension to THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE 2021 came as a shock. I enjoy Rudd’s performances in the ANT-MAN movies, but he will always be a figment of those Judd Apatow movies to me.
I don’t know who decides who is “the sexiest man” but it’s obviously someone or group with way too much time on hand. I’m surprised you follow such things. I had not heard of this Rudd guy before today. As for the movie, if I went to them, I don’t think I’d choose this one.
Go Ducks!
Rick, Diane wanted to see GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE so I went along for the ride. I found it mildly entertaining. Right now, there aren’t many movies I’d go to the AMC Theater to see. Fortunately, many of the movies I have an interest in are on Netflix, HULU, HBO Max, AMAZON Prime, and Disney+.
None of which, being extra cost, we have.
But Deb, he’s the “Sexiest Man on Earth”! I don’t actually mind Rudd, but if anything proved how ludicrous such designations are, his pick is it.
As for the movie, I have zero interest, but Jackie has some so we will probably watch it when it gets to cable. Yes, I did like the first one, the second not as much. There is zero chance I would watch the all-female BOMB version. It was pointless.
Jeff, the all-female GHOSTBUSTERS movie was one of those “concept” movies that sounds good on paper but completely BOMBED at the Box Office.
Deb and Jeff, Rudd was named the Sexiest Man Alive only after George refused the nomination.
Jerry, that insightful comment earned you some BONUS BOOKS in your LEM BOX!
The first one was one of those movies that nearly everyone saw, including me, and it was ok. I have no memory of the second one but probably saw it. Definitely not the third one, and don’t care about this one. I do love Carrie Coon and can’t understand why she’s not a big star.
Michael, I have the same affection for Carrie Coon (and Michelle Williams). Both are terrific actors and should be Big Stars!
Granted, most sequels are awful but the last two Ghostbusters movies seem especially ill-conceived. Given how New York centric the first two films were the notion of setting this one in Oklahoma seems reallt misguided. Adding kids and milquetoast Paul Rudd on top of that, utterly kills any desire I could have had to see it. Even the timing of the release was mishandled. Why didn’t this come out during Halloween?
Still, it can’t possibly be as bad as the Paul Feig version.
Byron, it’s hard to catch lightning in a bottle! The first GHOSTBUSTERS movie was a surprise hit. But each “sequel” failed to capture any of that movie magic the first movie had.
I’ll pass. The concept was a one-trick pony to begin with. George, does the underperforming 2016 Feig sequel receive any shout-out in this reboot?
Fred, I think the 2016 Feig sequel is pretty much ignored in GHOSTBUSTER: AFTERLIFE.
My comment is inserted above.
GHOSTBUSTERS was not great, but a mostly good way to spend a matinee in 1985 before going to my drug/hardware store job one afternoon (Dart Drug/Home Centers were a weird beast, as was Robert Haft, its dictator), as I was earning money for college. As a veteran fan of Ron Goulart’s Max Kearney stories at that point, that was the bar to shoot for. Original G didn’t make it. (Nor did the cartoon Alternate Take that followed on tv.)
GHOSTSBUSTERS II was hate-mail to NYC from guys from elsewhere who became national figures in NYC. It was a drag. Glad I eventually saw it on cable, rather than waste extra money.
GHOSTBUSTERS the remake wasn’t as terrible as people keep insisting, even as the original wasn’t as superb. It was certainly better than II. In both G films, the cast was better than scripts…in II, the cast wasn’t even trying.
Will not risk an auditorium to see AFTERLIFE. Probably wasn’t released on H’day for fear of “competing” with the HALLOWE’EN sequel bomb.
Memory slip…it was 1984, of course.
Todd, 1984 was a very good year…except for George Orwell.
Well, for Mr. Blair, it was 1948. Sonia Johnson (Citizens Party, came in fifth, I believe) was MY President in 1984, to be sure.
Todd, the original GHOSTBUSTERS movie seemed like an extended Saturday Night Live skit. NYC was as much a star in that movie as Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver.
Eric Idle, close paraphrase: The difference between life and an SNL sketch is that life will eventually end.
Todd, and sadly, the current SNL–aside from the great sarcastic sketches from the Trump years–falls far short in humor and creativity when compared to the early SNL. The cast today is also weak.
Well, Idle *was* referring to the 1970s SNL…I think the cast today has its moments, and I usually like the opening sketch and WEEKEND UPDATE. But, yes, there’s always been a tendency toward filler. And it’s hard a half-century in to be as innovative, much less fresh, as they were initially. THE SIMPSONS in a similar perplex. Two shows still missing Phil Hartman…
Todd, Phil Hartman was a comedic genius.
I suspect the new owners of PEOPLE managed to put the Sexy Guy notation even more blatantly up for sale/rent than Time/Warner had previously, and the studios pushing Rudd films bit most profitably.
Looks like ESQUIRE gave up on their similar annual cheesecake nonsense in 2018: https://www.esquire.com/sexiest-woman-alive/
Todd, I’m sure it was just by chance that Paul Rudd gets the 2021 SEXIEST MAN ALIVE “award” just as movies he’s starring in start to hit the theaters.
I can hear you winking from two states away…
There’s a model kit of the Ectomobile and if I get one that’ll be as close as I get to the franchise after the first one, which I saw!
Bob, I would think the Ectomobile would be a great model kit project!