In just over a month Ghostbusters: Afterlife will hit theaters to take moviegoers on a long-awaited trip to paranormal Oklahoma but as the first wave of screenings is rolling out, it appears that Egon Spengler’s family are not everyone’s cup of tea.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is yet another one of those summer blockbusters that got delayed for over a year, however, unlike the likes of Shang-Chi and James Bond, early reviews have not been as kind to Jason Reitman’s reboot. Contrary to 2016’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot, Afterlife has the right family DNA as Reitman’s vision for the film had already met the standards of his father and original Ghostbusters director, Ivan Reitman, plus having most of the original cast from the 80s.
Nevertheless, family and nostalgia on their own are not enough to make Ghostbusters: Afterlife push through, with early impressions ranging from terrible to amazing. For example, IGN’s Rosie Knight writes that the movie “proudly takes on the legacy of Ghostbusters, while also introducing something exciting and new”; while on the opposite end The Guardian calls it “a slimy, stinking corpse of a sequel”; whereas The Hollywood Reporter’s Sheri Linden fall somewhere in the model saying the fan service aspects in the movie will remind many that “Nostalgia is a double-edged sword”.
Over at IndieWire, the new Ghostbusters gets a C for breathing “a little spirit back into a failing franchise”, though not without warning that the journey feels “busted”; similarly, The Wrap states that the movie might be enough to keep the Ghostbusters alive “Not because ghosts need to be busted, but because rich people simply refuse to let it die. Although, none of this should be a letdown for those with high hopes for Afterlife as positive reviews claim the Ghostbusters reboot only suffers from excessive fan service at times.
Again, the key point to establish here is the split sentiment around Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was exclusively screened early at New York Comic Con, where a panel involving the Reitman father and son also took place. If Afterlife is indeed overreliant on fan service, then that’s certainly not something one could spot in the trailers as even the younger Reitman called his Ghostbusters a family movie.
One cast member who does consistently get a lot of praise from reviewers is Mckenna Grace, as the 15-year-old star continues to insert herself into beloved franchises like Scooby-Doo and Captain Marvel. Those looking for a fun ride aboard the Ecto-1, ghostbusting, and plenty of special effects will probably find tons of things to love in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, just maybe keep those expectations in check until next month.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is scheduled for release on November 11, 2021.
Sources: THR, IGN, IndieWire, The Wrap, The Guardian