Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.

"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" has its moments - a majority of which are courtesy of breakout star McKenna Grace - but it's mostly a combination of an attempt at trying to draw "Stranger Things" fans and nostalgia pandering, including throwback after throwback for longtime fans of the franchise without adding much new to the series, other than some additional cast members.

The film opens with the death of a character from the original series, and while it takes some time to reveal which character it is, certain circumstances - both in the film and in real life - make it pretty clear who it is. The family of the deceased - which includes an estranged daughter, Callie, (Carrie Coon), her son, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, of "Stranger Things" and seemingly every horror movie with kids from the past five years), and a precocious, science-loving daughter, Phoebe (Grace) - move to a creepy old farm owned by the dead man and move in after they can no longer afford to pay rent on their apartment.

As if perusing a Ghostbusters museum, if such a thing existed, Phoebe, Trevor and a kid named Podcast (Logan Kim) - don't ask - who's in Phoebe's class dig around the defunct farm and find all manner of equipment - proton packs, ghost traps, old video clips from the 1984 movie and the Ghostbusters vehicle, gunner seat and all.

It's not long before Phoebe, Podcast and an eccentric teacher, Grooberson (Paul Rudd) - who's involved in a fairly amusing running joke in which he shows his class completely inappropriate 1980s horror movies rather than teaching them - accidentally release a ghost that travels to a nearby mountain, where some sort of portal is located, thereby explaining why the dead man who owned the farm decided to locate there.

From there on, it's fan service central. Occasionally, this provides for a smile - the reappearance of some cast members from the original film gradually throughout the picture is fun - but often it just feels as if the filmmakers didn't have much new to bring to the series and, therefore, decided to play the greatest hits over and over again.

By far, the best part of the new film is Grace, whose charmingly dorky portrayal of Phoebe suggests a breakout star in the making. The film's best running joke is her dry delivery of dad jokes to anyone she meets in the hope - and belief - that this is the best way to make new friends. Wolfhard, who's pretty good in "Stranger Things," is given little to do, other than fall for the daughter (Celeste O'Connor) of the local sheriff (Bokeem Woodbine), both of whom are given even less to do. 

While it's always great to see Bill Murray, Annie Potts, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and - very briefly - Sigourney Weaver back in action, the MVPs of "Afterlife" are Grace and Rudd. Otherwise, we have scenes and dialogue lifted directly from the original 1984 film - "there is no (insert name here), there is only Zuul," a number of mini Stay Puft Marshmallow men, the gatekeeper and the ringmaster's stairway from the netherworld and even a blast of Ray Parker Jr.

"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" isn't as much of a bust as some critics have contended - whereas others have liked it well enough - but it's merely a retread that leans very heavily on nostalgia, most likely in an attempt to reboot the series - again - and make some money in the process. It's never a bad thing to catch up with Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson and company, and Grace's charming Phoebe is a very welcome addition to this series - but let's hope next time, assuming there is one, that all of the callbacks have been exhausted and we get something a little more original.