‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ takes a ‘Stranger’ approach
It plays more like an extended episode of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” than a “Ghostbusters” movie, at least for a while.
That’s why “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” feels like such a smart idea, even if it’s not the smartest of flicks.
This first “Ghostbusters” entry since the ill-fated (and horribly written) female-powered “Ghostbusters” reboot of 2016, “Afterlife” is a follow-up to the two “Ghostbusters” entries of the 1980s, most importantly the beloved 1984 original starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis.
Those were supernatural comedies. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” — directed by Jason Reitman, son of “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman — is something different, more of a fantastical actioncomedy.
And it’s not just because “Stranger Things” star Finn Wolfhard has a primary role in the film. It’s that its tone feels so similar to the highly enjoyable mega-hit show that will see its much-anticipated fourth season arrive on the streaming platform in 2022.
And the movie is similarly entertaining — that is at least until its climactic third act of “Afterlife,” an over-the-top stretch that pretty much runs off the rails in a manner very similar to the original movie.
But, hey, ghost-busting is a messy business.
“Afterlife” is set in present-day, decades since that business was in any demand thanks to the seeming disappearance of all those trouble-causing spirits. In fact, a whole generation is, at best, only vaguely aware of the heroic acts of the Ghostbusters in New York all those years ago.
That generation includes 15-year-old Trevor (Wolfhard) and his 12-year-old sister, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, “Annabelle Comes Home”). Their single mom, Callie (Carrie Coon, “Widows”), is having money troubles, which helps to explain why when we meet them, she is giving Trevor a haircut and brainiac Phoebe is monkeying with the electricity in their Chicago apartment.
After they’re evicted, they head for Oklahoma, where Callie’s estranged, recently deceased father has left them a ramshackle farmhouse and some land.
“Come on — not a single bar,” Trevor says as he looks for reception on his phone as the family gets close to their not-so-exciting destination.
“There’d BETTER be a bar,” Callie quips.
It soon will become clear to Phoebe, as she makes key discoveries in the house, that her grandfather was Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Ramis). She sees that, like her, Granddad was incredibly smart and had a real appreciation for science.
She also finds that quality in summer school teacher Gary (Paul Rudd, “Ant-Man”), whose interest in seismology has brought him to this part of Oklahoma. For no identifiable reason, this area has been home to frequent earthquakes in recent years.
Phoebe also makes a friend in Podcast (newcomer Logan Kim), an amiable, ever-recording lad who insists his audio show really finds its voice in its 46th episode.
Meanwhile, Trevor — who discovers the Ghostbusters’s signature vehicle, the Ectomobile, under a tarp and tries to get her running — has eyes for local girl Lucky (Celeste O’Connor, “Selah and the Spaces”). She is on the lookout for adventure and seems to find him oddly amusing.
In this foursome, you can see the beginnings of a young team of Ghostbusters with very loose parallels to the early quartet of Egon, Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz, Murray’s Peter Venkman and Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore.
Also, Gary takes an interest in Callie, and as the movie progresses, their story arc will tie to one from the original.
As you’d expect, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is chock full of references to the 1984 movie — too many callbacks, truthfully.
However, we can forgive, say, what happens when Gary visits the grocery section of a Walmart because unlike another 2021 sequel to a decadesold comedy, “Coming 2 America,” this movie’s first concern is telling an original story.
That’s a credit to Reitman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan (the upcoming Netflix movie “A Boy Called Christmas”). The story could use a bit more focus — ultimately, there are too many characters for any of them to see much development and there are some mildly dull patches — but it’s easy to see the challenge of crafting these movies that try to do something new while also honoring the past.
And how could Reitman, who’s best known for acclaimed independent films including 2007’s “Juno” and 2009’s “Up in the Air,” not honor the past? He recalls in the film’s production notes how his father brought the then 6-year-old to the set of the original movie, where he watched a stuntman “get pelted with shaving cream as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man” exploded.
“I went home with a little piece of marshmallow man that sat on my shelf all the way through high school,” he says.
Now, “Ghostbusters”-ing is a family business, Reitman saying in a video message shown to critics before a recent advanced screening that his father — a producer on the new film — sat in a chair next to his while he made “Afterlife.” Pretty cool.
The point of that video was to ask us not to spoil any key moments of the movie, so you’ll just have to wait (cough) to see whether any of your old friends — and other special guests — pop in for cameos.
As for the film’s aforementioned overly busy final act, it also includes a component designed to tug at your emotions. Without saying too much about it, either, know that it’s a tough-to-execute concept, and the younger Reitman and his technical team pull it off reasonably well.
A new “Ghostbusters” that lots of folks will enjoy? We’ve seen stranger things.
‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’
Where: Theaters. When: Nov. 19. Rated: PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references.
Runtime: 2 hours, 4 minutes.