In the world of fandom reboots, remakes, and die-hard nostalgia, it can be very tough to move a much-loved franchise into the modern era. In this new film Ghostbusters: Afterlife the Ghostbusters franchise has made the perfect move forward.
This film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan, and is directed by Jason Reitman, and is the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe is separate from the 2016 reboot of the same name. The film is based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters by Ivan Reitman. The original film was written by and starred Dan Aykroyd (as Ray Stantz) and Harold Ramis (as Egon Spengler). In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the estranged daughter and grandchildren of the recently departed Egon Spengler have inherited a lot more than they realized.
There is an entire generation of adults who grew up watching the 1980s films and ran around pretending that they weren’t afraid of no ghost. This film brings us something that that generation always wanted to see: themselves as Ghostbusters. Having this film revolve around the grandchildren of Egon is genius because it gives us just that. Kids can look up at a movie screen and see themselves taking on ghosts while riding in the Ecto-1. It is the perfect family film. It’s the kind of film that kids will be re-watching over and over. I look forward to all the adorable Halloween costumes next year.
Having an A-list star like Paul Rudd, People’s Sexiest Man Alive, might be a big draw for audiences. However, I think that they will be happily surprised by how hilarious and perfectly cast the kids in this film star, in particular Logan Kim who plays Podcast, a friend of one of Egon’s grandchildren, Phoebe, played by Mckenna Grace. Then, you also have sci-fi veteran Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) who also plays one of Egon’s grandchildren.
There is plenty of star power and nostalgia to draw audiences to Ghostbusters on opening weekend. I think it is the kids in the film that will have audiences wanting more. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is funny, witty, and exciting and without giving away too much, the film perfectly steps up the possibility of a new era of Ghostbusters. I look forward to seeing what these kids get up to in the sequels to come.