Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Now with context 🌝 this film is actually pretty good! I think continuing an already established franchise with a new generation was the right move, especially when there’s still so much history to build on. That said, I’m still holding out hope that we’ll see the all-female Ghostbusters again. Dare I say it’s the best Ghostbusters film 🌝. Anyways!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is genuinely pretty sweet and heartfelt, and I think it’s a lovely way to honor Harold Ramis and Egon Spengler while still allowing the franchise to move forward. Egon’s story gives the film an emotional core that I honestly appreciated a lot more this time around, especially knowing how much his absence means to the original team and now his family. It’s a nice passing of the torch that gives the new generation a reason to exist beyond simply rebooting the same story with younger characters.

That said, this is still Ghostbusters, so the film has its childish moments, and it doesn’t exactly do the best job of exploring its villain. Like, why put all this effort into building up the threat just to have it defeated within the last 15 minutes? 🌝 All that buildup for THAT? But y’know what, it’s OKAY. I can give it a pass because I don’t think the villain was ever the real priority here. The film is more interested in introducing the new generation, reconnecting with the original story, and giving Egon a proper send-off than it is in creating some groundbreaking new antagonist.

Which brings me to a side note: bringing back the same villain from the first Ghostbusters was both kind of dumb and kind of genius. On one hand, seriously? We’re doing this AGAIN? 🌝 There are so many directions this franchise could go in, and reusing an old villain feels a little uninspired. On the other hand, considering Egon’s death and the fact that his final years were spent trying to stop that very same threat from returning, it makes sense thematically. It ties his story to the original film and gives his family a reason to finish what he started. So, honestly, I can’t be too mad about it.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this more on a rewatch, now that I have the proper context and can appreciate what the film is trying to do. Is it the best Ghostbusters film? Absolutely not. (That title is still up for debate, and I will continue campaigning for the 2016 girlies 🌝.) But it’s entertaining, surprisingly heartfelt, and a perfectly fine kids’ movie that does a decent job of honoring the past while making room for the future.