Ghostbusters are back.
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”It is a continuation of the original “Ghostbusters”(1984) “Ghostbusters II” (1989). Everything else related to the franchise, including the animated series. “The Real Ghostbusters,” to 2016’s female-led “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call,”has been abandoned. (It does contain a reference to a “bug-eye ghost”Toy inspired by animated series. Instead of four men with proton packs trying make it in the big town (and the accompanying “slobs versus snobs”Dynamic was so popular in the 1980s studio comedies). “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”We strive to make life sweeter and more emotional.
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”It centers on Callie (Carrie Coon), who leads a family. She is faced with financial insecurity as a single mom and decides to move her family to the old farmhouse that belonged to her eccentric scientist father. He’s recently died and left her the farm and not much else. Phoebe (Mckenna grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) are the two children who deal with their new environment differently. And together the family, along with Phoebe’s goofy science teacher Gary (Paul Rudd), is sucked into a mystery much more supernatural than any of them could have imagined. The film has many references to the original films which leads to an emotional and spectacular climax. What happens at the conclusion of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife?”Keep reading to find out more.
MAssive spoilers “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” follow. Seriously – turn back now!
Gozer Returns
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”is closely linked to the first “Ghostbusters,”So much so, that many of these supernatural entities are being faced by the characters in the new movie, just like Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. The kids are facing off against the forces that Gozer. Major characters are transformed into the Gatekeeper, and the Keymaster just as before. Spengler was actually in the middle of nowhere, having moved there to confront the ancient evil created by Ivo Sandor (a character who is more fully developed and layered in this film). The film was over. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,”Spengler’s containment unit, which was supposed to protect the evil from harm, has been compromised and all manner of evil is beginning to escape.
During the third act there are a few shocking reveals. First Shandor is revealed in person by Jason Reitman regular J.K. Simmons. He somehow extended his life while living in a glass grave near the epicenter. He is killed quickly, and it’s not surprising that he did so after introducing himself to Gozer. Gozer is an ageless demonic deity whom he had been worshiping for many decades. Olivia Wilde is the actress and filmmaker who plays Gozer. Gozer was the first film’s main character wearing one of the most iconic 1980s costumes. While our intrepid young ghostbusters zap her physical form, leaving only her ghostly essence behind (and return Carrie Coon to human form, rocking Sigourney Weaver’s gold dress from the original movie, after a brief transformation into a terror dog), she soon returns in full force. To put Gozer down permanently, it will take more than four jumpsuit-clad kids.
Ghostbusters Older than 50 are Back
Phoebe, along with the children, finds themselves in jail earlier in the movie. She requests her cell phone number. Bokeem woodbine, a great and underutilized Bokeem, is the sheriff. “Who ya gonna call?” So, of course, Phoebe puts in a call to Ray’s Occult Books and speaks to Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) himself. Phoebe gets across the barest of details – Spengler is dead, she is at his old creepy house, and he was fighting an ancient evil – before the sheriff disconnects her.
So, when the chips are down and the odds are no longer in our new ghostbusters favor (rounding out the crew are Trevor’s crush Lucky, played by Celeste O’Connor, and Phoebe’s friend Podcast, played by Logan Kim), the surviving legacy ghostbusters show up – Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman, Aykroyd’s Stanz, and Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore. It’s a great moment; the actors inhabit the roles that made them famous beautifully and their banter is spot on. (Murray’s whole shtick is that he and Gozer were dating but had to call it off.)
But it seems that Gozer’s power is even more than the elder ghostbusters can handle. That’s when the new recruits get their gear in working order and come back at the undead baddie. And while this is all very cool, it has an unexpectedly emotional component when Ramis’ Spengler, via computer generated wizardry. He holds Phoebe’s proton pack steady, as they set a giant trap for Gozer. They are finally able to stop this evil by involving the older ghostbusters. It’s a wonderfully thrilling moment (both times we saw the movie with an audience, the crowd erupted into applause) but also incredibly touching. There’s a moment when the older ghostbusters look over and there’s a moment of catharsis, of understanding and acceptance. This movie ends on a more humane, quieter scene than the original.
My Town
There is one more thing before the credits (and Ray Parker, Jr’s iconic, legally dubious theme song kicks in).
Callie gives her father a warm hug after Callie has shared a loving moment. The camera pans to the starry night sky over Oklahoma, where her father once lived. The screen is etched with two words: “For Harold.”The camera pans down. Instead of rural Oklahoma, it’s now modern-day Manhattan, and the ECTO-1 is driving over the bridge with its distinctive sirens blaring. Did Winston keep his promise to the old car that he would get her back and fix it up? What does this mean in terms of future franchise installments? It remains to be seen what the future holds.