Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a film built on nostalgia. Its construction is so heavily packed with references to the first films (the ones staring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson) that any non-Ghostbusters fans might have a hard time enjoying it. Those who do treat the ‘80s sci-fi property with reverence, however, will find a lot to love.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife builds on the continuity of the first two films, only with a time jump to the 21st century. Following the unexpected death of Egon Spangler (played by the late Harold Ramis in the earlier films), his daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) and grandchildren Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) travel to the sleepy town of Summerville, Oklahoma to settle his affairs. What they find is that Egon has built an air of mystery with the residents of Summerville, and it is very obviously connected to ghosts.
While Phoebe starts to connect with the invisible ghost of Egon, she also enrolls in summer school where she meets a precocious pre-teen named Podcast (Logan Kim). Podcast and Phoebe confide in their teacher, Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), some of the discoveries that Phoebe has made, and Grooberson explains the history of the Ghostbusters. Over time, Phoebe comes to realize that what her grandfather must have been doing in Summerville was significant and was worth neglecting his daughter and grandchildren.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife puts the focus on Phoebe and the discoveries she makes about Egon. Almost every scene is packed with Easter eggs for fans and the story itself has its roots in the first Ghostbusters film. To say that this film runs on nostalgia would be to put things mildly; it feels more soaked in the stuff. As a result, the narrative is usually made obvious to the audience before the characters ever start figuring things out. Still, their adventure is an enjoyable one, where a new generation gets to embrace the fun that is Ghostbusters.
The film is also extremely well cast, with all the main characters never playing into obvious tropes. Callie is a fun mom steeped in sarcasm, who never seems crippled by abandonment issues. Paul Rudd’s Grooberson is slightly off-brand for the comedic actor, and he is electric in every scene he’s in. But the real standout is Mckenna Grace. Her range is impeccable considering her age and she more or less carries the same type of story that required four leads.
Fans that have been waiting decades for a Ghostbusters film to satisfy their needs will find that Afterlife builds and evolves the franchise in some very clever ways. Yes, it can certainly crumble under the weight of a franchise with very particular fans, but ultimately its emotional payoff is worth giving it a chance. And if the future is to continue with this group in some form or another, the Ghostbusters franchise has a bright future.