Ok, I know this could be considered late. But here we go. Imagine a long weekend, when you’re searching for something to watch at night. We got a surprise from Red Box. Stumbling onto Ghostbusters-Afterlife was satisfyingly surprising.
While we were anticipating summer sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World: Dominion, we (me) somehow missed that Ghostbusters-Afterlife came out last November. So you could imagine my delight and surprise when I found this movie, with decent reviews to back it up. I want to add one more.
This Sequel Pays Off
This story is more than just ghosts. It’s about a down and out family who has a famous grandfather, who is kept a secret from his grandkids, from their angry mother and single mom, Elon’s daughter. The grandfather, is world famous Ghostbuster Elon Spengler. The story, seen through his older daughter’s eyes, shows how Elon abandoned his family to chase his ghosts, written off as a nut job by his daughter and the town.
When Elon dies, his broken down Oklahoma farm is left to his daughter and her curious kids.
The Farm Has Secrets
Soon after the family’s arrival, the youngest of the clan, brilliant nerdy kid #1 named Phoebe quickly discovers that this is not just a broken down farm, but a secret lab designed by her brilliant grandfather to catch the remaining ghosts that they missed in 1980’s New York. Upon the discovery of the lab, Phoebe soon understands why grandfather Elon gave up his life for this farm in the middle of no-where Oklahoma. The town’s mine was the portal to ghost-world central.
Stranger Things Feel
Like Stranger Things, this wonderful movie is driven mostly by kids, with their leader, Phoebe starring young actress McKenna Grace, who plays a nerdy female version of Alex P. Keaton (Family Ties.) It’s a kid that’s smarter than the adults in the room. This plays well with actor Paul Rudd, who is the Rick Moranis of the movie, and Phoebe’s mom, Callie, played by Carrie Coon, who takes on the Sigourney Weaver role.
Spoiler Alert!
One of the stars and writer of the original 80’s Ghostbusters joining Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd was Harold Ramis. Ramis played the original Elon Spengler. Harold died in 2014. I won’t TOTALLY spoil it for you, but this new version of Ghostbusters ties in the original beautifully, complete with ___________. Ok I said I won’t spoil it!
But as a fan of the original 1980’s version, Ghostbusters-Afterlife was satisfyingly surprising.
Maybe that’s why the sequel to the sequel is out NEXT YEAR!
Worcester native Jaybeau Jones can be heard weekdays from 2p-7p on 1057 WROR, 80’s and more!
Jaybeau’s afternoon show is the NUMBER ONE MUSIC SHOW in Boston!