GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
Cert 12A ★★★★
In cinemas now
It’s taken 37 years but we finally have a Ghostbusters sequel that honours the spirit of the original. A bit like Halloween 2018, Afterlife pretends that the meh 1989 sequel and the misfiring female-lead redo from five years ago never happened.
Original writer/director Ivan Reitman returns as producer alongside his filmmaker son Jason (Juno, Young Adult) and they bravely ditch the New York setting to introduce a new generation of ghostbusters.
Mckenna Grace is 12-year-old science nerd Phoebe, dragged from New York with her 15-year-old brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) to live in the rundown Oklahoma farmhouse where her ghostbuster grandfather Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis) lived out his last years.
When their struggling single mum Callie (Carrie Coon) sees the state of her inheritance, she’s in no mood to reminisce about her father’s 80s’ heyday.
Fans of the film may feel differently. This is an unashamed nostalgia trip as curious Phoebe discovers Egon’s gadgets hidden in the farmhouse and Trevor uncovers a rusty Ecto-1 in the garage.
As the reason for Egon’s mysterious move to Oklahoma is revealed, the Reitmans summon up retro spooks rendered in endearingly old-school effects.
The final act is perhaps a little too familiar but Paul Rudd nicely channels Bill Murray’s world-weary delivery as jaded teacher Mr Grooberson and little Logan Kim, as Phoebe’s new sidekick Podcast, delivers his lines with the timing of a seasoned pro.
Afterlife may trade on nostalgia but, like the original, its real power lies in sharp dialogue and the fizzing chemistry of its leads.