After Egon Spengler passes away his daughter and grandchildren inherit his Oklahoma farmhouse.
'Ghostbusters Afterlife' is a tribute to the original movie with plenty of charm, but little originality.
It will likely depend what you look for in a sequel as to how much enjoyment you could take from this instalment of the franchise. If you are looking for fan service, nostalgia, and a great send-off for the character Egon you will absolutely love it.
Every scene that involves Egon's memory or that is connected to him is written with respect and love for Harold Ramis' character. This is for me the best aspect of the film and one scene near the end of the movie is quite emotional.
Ramis almost lives and breaths through the character Pheobe played so well by McKenna Grace. She leads the movie wonderfully for large periods and together with Finn Wolfhard's character they look and feel like Egon's grandchildren.
What makes the nostalgia cinematic are the props, costumes, vehicle, score and sound effects from the original movie. It is almost like going to a Hollywood studio museum and visiting a special Ghostbusters exhibition because of all the screen time allotted to PKE meters, traps, and various Easter eggs.
Entwined with Egon's past is a revisited plot and antagonist from the original movie. This for me is mildly amusing but way too many identical moments from the original are repackaged. It would have been far better to do something new or at least not repeat so much detail.
What I loved about the original was the humour centred around the main characters. Bill Murray only had to look a certain way at Ramis or Dan Ackroyd and it made me laugh. 99% of this movie is focussed on the new characters, mainly the children, and it is not as funny. This is not the fault of the actors as they do a good job with the material they have, but there is no substitute for that original chemistry that made it so special. When the surviving members of the original team take centre stage, that is when the magic truly feels to be happening. The best scene in the movie for me comes mid-credits with Sigourney Weaver's cameo.
Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd give strong performances, but their roles are largely supportive to the children and serve as contrivances to the plot.
Visually it is fantastic, with great cinematography and visual storytelling throughout. A lot of it is reminiscent of Spielberg in the 1980s and this heightens the nostalgia further. The visual effects and ghost horror is both thrilling and spectacular to look at, without being overdone.
'Ghostbusters Afterlife' is a tribute to the original movie with plenty of charm, but little originality.
It will likely depend what you look for in a sequel as to how much enjoyment you could take from this instalment of the franchise. If you are looking for fan service, nostalgia, and a great send-off for the character Egon you will absolutely love it.
Every scene that involves Egon's memory or that is connected to him is written with respect and love for Harold Ramis' character. This is for me the best aspect of the film and one scene near the end of the movie is quite emotional.
Ramis almost lives and breaths through the character Pheobe played so well by McKenna Grace. She leads the movie wonderfully for large periods and together with Finn Wolfhard's character they look and feel like Egon's grandchildren.
What makes the nostalgia cinematic are the props, costumes, vehicle, score and sound effects from the original movie. It is almost like going to a Hollywood studio museum and visiting a special Ghostbusters exhibition because of all the screen time allotted to PKE meters, traps, and various Easter eggs.
Entwined with Egon's past is a revisited plot and antagonist from the original movie. This for me is mildly amusing but way too many identical moments from the original are repackaged. It would have been far better to do something new or at least not repeat so much detail.
What I loved about the original was the humour centred around the main characters. Bill Murray only had to look a certain way at Ramis or Dan Ackroyd and it made me laugh. 99% of this movie is focussed on the new characters, mainly the children, and it is not as funny. This is not the fault of the actors as they do a good job with the material they have, but there is no substitute for that original chemistry that made it so special. When the surviving members of the original team take centre stage, that is when the magic truly feels to be happening. The best scene in the movie for me comes mid-credits with Sigourney Weaver's cameo.
Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd give strong performances, but their roles are largely supportive to the children and serve as contrivances to the plot.
Visually it is fantastic, with great cinematography and visual storytelling throughout. A lot of it is reminiscent of Spielberg in the 1980s and this heightens the nostalgia further. The visual effects and ghost horror is both thrilling and spectacular to look at, without being overdone.