GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE – Review

What at first seems to be a nostalgic multiplex return trip to a much-beloved flick from decades ago, actually begs a somewhat interesting question. When a reboot (or “re-imagining”) doesn’t “take” at the box office, can the studios have a “do-over”? Well, it somewhat happened in 2003 with what was really a TV property based on a comic book property. Audiences didn’t embrace Ang Lee’s fairly artsy (and cerebral) take on the HULK, so many were skeptical when the then head of Marvel Avi Arad said they’d be back. And they were in 2008 with THE INCREDIBLE HULK which built on the fan base for IRON MAN and laid the groundwork for the MCU (Doc Banner’s a big “player” there to this day). Jump ahead to 2016 when a new “spin” on an iconic 1980’s fantasy/comedy incurred the “wraith of internet fan-boys” and did a B.O. nose-dive (and it really was undeserving of the vitriol). So Sony now wants to find out if part of the title rings true for its franchise as it goes back to the “drawing board” with GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.

Oh, but we’re not back in the Big Apple where the other series entries were set. Nope, we’re many miles east as a battered old truck careens through the sleepy streets of Summerville, OK as though something was on its tail. It dashes off the “hard-top” onto a dirt road leading to a ramshackle farmhouse. Leaping from the vehicle, its shadowy driver gathers up some strange, but somewhat familiar device, to battle this unseen force. But they’re of no help. Cut to a much larger city as single mother Callie (Carrie Coon) gets word that her long-absent father has passed and left her his home. Since they’re behind on the rent, she hits the road with teen son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and pre-teen “whiz kid” Phoebe (McKenna Grace). They’re underwhelmed by the Summerville estate, but since they’re locked out of their previous place (back rent), they’ve got to make the best of it. While Trevor applies for a job at the local burger drive-in, to be close to the cute server Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), Phoebe attends Summer school. There she befriends the energetic Podcast (Logan Kim) and bonds with her teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) over the sudden frequent seismic tremors. Back at the house, she discovers hidden labs full of old charts and intricate, though outdated, machines and data collectors. Meanwhile, Trevor starts tinkering with the vintage vehicle in the garage (and what’s with that logo on its side). The tremors appear to be emanating from a nearby closed mine. So what was Grandpa doing there? And what was his connection to a legendary supernational event back in 1084 NYC?

Though the film is dotted with familiar faces (yes, the OGs are present), its biggest strength comes from the excellent performance by young Ms. Grace. Though mainly known for playing the “child” versions of title characters (I, TONYA, and CAPTAIN MARVEL), she builds on the promise we saw in the “under the radar” gem GIFTED. As Phoebe, the coolest “kid brainiac” around, she’s got a sly snarky line delivery that shields her from the dangers of “evils beyond science”. She’s so cool that she’s never “out-cooled” by the always engaging Rudd, who turns the charm dial way up past 11. Who wouldn’t want a teacher so laid-back, popping 80s scare flicks into the ancient VHS player as the “daily lesson” (too bad he didn’t have MAC AND ME)? Plus he’s got an enthusiastic curiosity that matches the “new kids in town”, even ‘Phebe’s’ awkward “hormone-hyped” teen brother played with a smitten daze by Wolfhard. Sure he’s a more mature variation of his “Stranger Things” role, but he’s an endearingly clueless doofus, especially around O’Conner’s Lucky, his ultra-cool dreamgirl who befriends him. But one of the characters must deal with ghosts of the past along with the present. Coons as mom Callie still projects a tragic vibe even as she guides her kids with humor, though everything in their new home is a reminder of the father who was never there. After scene-stealing turns in GONE GIRL and THE NEST, it’s great to see this talented actress again on the big screen (though she was CGI-enhanced in the last two AVENGERS epics).

After the franchise fans were so “riled up” five years ago, this “retry’ feels almost like a “we’re sorry” cinematic greeting card as it almost bursts with nostalgic reverences for those earlier flicks. The new music score by Rick Simonsen presents several clever “riffs’ on Elmer Berstein’s iconic themes. And the film deals with the legacy of the first film even down to the man behind the camera, It’s Jason Reitman, son of the original director Ivan (he also co-wrote the script with Gil Kenan), quite a change from his more “down to Earth” fare like JUNO and UP IN THE AIR. He handles the big action set pieces well, though the interplay between the family (and Phoebe and Gary) resonate more, This “keys in” into the fairly radical approach to the series, in making it more “kid-friendly”, though it has the PG-13 rating, it may be more for the spooky stuff (there’s a couple of good “jump scares”). At times it recalls the “teen gang’ films like EXPLORERS and THE GOONIES that may have occupied the screens next to the first couple of entries. Unfortunately, it also recreates the often sluggish pace of those films, as it enters a “midway slump” which saps the energy and derails the flow. It then seems as though plot points and effects are being “checked off” a big “fan service”.clipboard. “Slimer”-style funny spectre-check. Demonic dogs-check. I will say that the twist on the first film’s towering threat is pretty clever and very well done. But after that bit of whimsy, the piece just trudges along to the mandatory “showdown” and “reconciliation” (which includes some off-putting CGI resurrection). Yes, the franchise’s fervent “base” will enjoy this one more, but it’s a pleasant “look back’ there’s not much to warrant a look forward (as the post-credits scene hints). GHOSTBUSTER: AFTERLIFE will “scare up” a few bucks, but it’s not enough to get new “recruits’ into the jumpsuit and strapping on the “proto-packs”.

2.5 Out of 4

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is now playing in theatres everywhere