Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) - McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd

[AlbertV]

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/jason-reitman-ghostbusters-director-1203109264/

Jason Reitman, son of the original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, will co-write and direct the long developed official third installment of the original franchise, not counting the 2016 all-female reboot. His father is producing the film. Plot details unknown as whether they plan to bring back any of the original cast (minus the late Harold Ramis, who died in 2014).

Edited July 28, 2021 by AlbertV

[Drunken Monk]

 

[DragonClaws]

 

A trailer already, or has this been announced for some time?, I know there's been almost constant rumours of a third movie, over the years.

[AlbertV]

59 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

 

A trailer already, or has this been announced for some time?, I know there's been almost constant rumours of a third movie, over the years.

it was in developmental hell for the longest time but I'm guessing with the failed 2016 all-female reboot, Sony decided it was time to make an official threequel. I heard one rumor years ago that one idea was to have Dan Aykroyd's Ray Stantz become a mentor to a new generation and there is a rumor that Jason Reitman was looking at older teens for four mysterious roles. But it is all spec as of now so just take it with a grain of, make that the whole bag of salt.

[whitesnake]

Production on Ghostbusters 3 begins this summer.  It has a theatrical release date of July 10, 2020.  From  https://deadline.com/2019/01/morbius-ghostbusters-movie-release-dates-2020-1202542336/

[AlbertV]

it is rumored that Carrie Coon's character may in fact be the daughter of one of the original Ghostbusters (spec according to Critical Hit is she may be Egon Spengler's daughter; after all, Harold Ramis died in 2014). Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard and Captain Marvel co-star McKenna Grace will play Coon's kids.

Edited April 4, 2019 by AlbertV

[AlbertV]

Sigourney Weaver had stated that she with many of the original cast members were returning, but Jason Reitman clarified that they haven't been officially cast as of yet, However, they were given the script in case they want to join the film.

However, considering McKenna Grace's look in the film, speculation is getting stronger that the family in question could be in fact the family of Egon Spengler, with Carrie Coon as his daughter and Finn Wolfhard and Grace as the grandkids, who will don the packs to become the new Ghostbusters.

 

[AlbertV]

 

This pretty much confirmed the possible theory that has been rumored about who the family is...

[AlbertV]

New trailer:

Set in the universe of the first two Ivan Reitman films from the 1980s, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" tells the story of Callie, a single mom struggling to survive in Chicago with her two kids, 12-year-old Phoebe and 15-year-old Trevor. When Callie receives news of her long-estranged father's passing - a father she never even knew - she and the kids pack up the Subaru and move to the small midwestern town of Summerville. As the family settles into their "inheritance," a rotting, worthless dirt farm, they soon discover that they have mysterious ties to a team of paranormal investigators called the Ghostbusters, the specter-catching team who saved New York City from supernatural destruction 35 years ago.

Edited July 28, 2021 by AlbertV

[Drunken Monk]

I could have done without the mini Stay Puft Marshmallow Men but everything else looks pretty great. The trailer really delivers the nostalgia as well as a nice sense of updating the material. Looks like loads of fun.

[laagi]

There seems to be a rather rising desperation among big Hollywood studios when it come to their properties. Whether it's trying to establish a new one or simply dust off an old one. It can end up being a thin line of failure or success.

Disney has proven with the MCU if successful there's sheer endless possibilietis to earn from such property. Think movies, series, theme parks, merchandise, collaborations and what not.

With Ghostbusters it's a bit of a different story while they tried a complete remake with an all female cast in 2016, it ended up being shunned by both critics and fans. To be fair while I don't remember much of it, I never thought it was all that bad.

It would take another 4 years or 5 thanks to COVID for another attempt at the Ghostbusters property. This time however whith a soft reboot and somewhat direct tie-in to the old movies from the 80's.

Now, I have to anticipate that as a Kid I was a HUGE Ghostbusters fan. This was my world and I literally "absorbed" anything related to it. Me and my friends went as far as having our own little outfits, using vacuum cleaners on our backs and our self made traps (cardboard) to go on our ghost bustin' missions. So to say I was quite excited about this is a bit of an understatement.

From the start this is a fun adventure on the backdrop of small town america. With an outstanding cast of young actors. They do the heavy lifting here and it is thanks to the performances of McKenna Grace (Phoebe) and Logan Kim (Podcast) it works so well. The both of them share such a great dynamic as this funny duo of outcasts. Which thru all circumstances have come together with a common denominator science and the interest in the supernatural.

So it's probably not a surprise that the adults just pale in comparison. Above all Carrie Coon (Callie) as the somewhat bitter mother. Which at times is just overly mean. There's also Paul Rudd (Mr. Grooberson) as her direct counterpart which does and OK job. He is pretty funny especially when he's having his fanboy moments. And that's really about it as far as adults in this movie goes. Which as mentioned beforehand is not a bad thing.

As for the story it serves its purpose while at the beginning they're taking their time the closer we get to the final showdown it does feel increasingly rushed. Especially because they try to squeeze in one too many sub-stories. Which could've been interesting in their own way. The entire town history comes to mind here.

Other things that I found a bit disappointing there's barely any (new) ghosts in the movie. Most of them you already seen in the trailer. However that's a minor gripe. Overall it is a well balanced fun adventure for it's 2 hours running time. And as a fan this comes with an easy recommendation!

Last but not least I need to point out that the tribute to Harold Ramis was done very suttle and most importantly respectful. For that I applaud the production.

All right, let's talk about the elephant in the room. I honestly did enjoy the movie. HOWEVER, I couldn't help but wonder if it's simply the fanboy in me mixed with nostalgia. Because if I start to scratch beneath the surface. It's a bit Star Wars: The Force Awakens all over again. I'm aware it's difficult to find the right balance between old and potentially new fanbase. I'm just puzzled at times why this can't be done without re-hashing something we already had before. Unfortunately deep down I feel Ghostbusters: Afterlife falls into the same trap.

Given the circumstances it doesn't come as a total surprise though. As they plan to have their own cinematic universe with movies, spin-offs, series etc. IF this reboot proves a success. Something I'm not really sure how to feel about. Although from an executive point of view it makes total sense. Just imagine the potential the little marshmallow men have in terms of marketing. Think minions all over again. Or maybe I'm just giving way too much thought to this all rather than just accept it as entertainment. I'll let you be your own judge in the end.

 

[laagi]

I forgot to add... Stay until the very end of the movie. There's two after credit scenes. Also one character was prominently absent. Fans will know whom I'm talking about. Hope more will get to see this and share their thoughts on here.

[DarthKato]

Nothing I've seen from the trailers and whatnot make me want to see this movie. I'm just really tired of most remakes, reboots, spin-offs, and sequels, due to most of them just ending up bad. I know that you cannot really make anything totally new, but they could at least try to make something inspired by something old. Like, instead of calling this movie Ghostbusters, just use the same basic idea and call it something else. Like:  "Summerville" or "Afterlife in Summerville" or something like that. I'm also not taking money as the end all excuse, since most of these movies end up flopping in the end. So I think they would actually have a better chance of having a hit on their hands making something, somewhat, new. 

[nectarsis]

just finished, it's def not perfect, but still... FUCK YES!!!

[AlbertV]

Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan are currently writing a script for a follow-up, which they confirm will brings back Ernie Hudson's Winston Zeddemore

https://www.darkhorizons.com/another-ghostbusters-film-on-the-way/

There's also a Ghostbusters animated movie, comic book series which will bridge between Afterlife and the new film, and a VR simulator game in the works.