It mind sound like a bit of a leap to say that I’ve been waiting for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” for more than 30 years – but, it’s true!
I grew up watching the first two flicks: Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989) and rather enjoyed the 2016 semi-reboot “Ghostbusters” (2016).
But, this is the perfect third movie for the franchise that brings everyone’s favorite characters back to life.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a supernatural comedy film directed by Jason Reitman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan.
The film stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, while Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts reprise their roles from the original films.
It is the sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), both directed by Reitman’s father and this film’s producer Ivan, and the fourth film overall in the Ghostbusters franchise.
The film is rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references and clocks in at 125 minutes long.
Decades after the Ghostbusters’ business went defunct because of the lack of supernatural crisis in New York City, the team’s founding member Egon Spengler has relocated to Summerville, Okla., where Gozerian cultist Ivo Shandor’s mining operations were located.
Egon captures a bestial entity from one of the mines, aiming to lure its master to his farm, where he has set a trap for it.
When the trap fails, he runs inside his farmhouse, hiding the ghost trap in a secret compartment located in the floor.
Egon sits in a chair calmly when a fog creeps in; he then has a fatal heart attack and dies when the diabolical entity assaults him.
Callie (Coon), Egon’s estranged daughter, and her two children, Trevor (Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace) are evicted from their home and forced to move into Egon’s farm in Summerville.
Once in town, Trevor meets Lucky (O’Connor) working in a diner, and Phoebe is enrolled in a summer science class at a local middle school under the care of eccentric teacher Gary Grooberson (Rudd).
Janine Melnitz (Potts) informs Callie that Egon left behind a mountain of debt and the land is worthless.
While sorting through Egon’s belongings, Phoebe finds the house is haunted and discovers a PKE Meter, and an unseen ghost leads her to a ghost trap, while Trevor finds the decrepit Ecto-1 in a barn and repairs its engine.
Lucky takes Trevor to an old mine atop a mountain, where something soon escapes.
Phoebe brings the ghost trap to school to show her new friend Podcast and Gary reveals himself as an aspiring Ghostbuster, unveiling his own investigation on Summerville.
Despite not sitting on an epicenter, it has been experiencing a string of strange earthquakes, which he suspects are caused by something supernatural.
Gary, Phoebe, and Podcast tamper with the ghost trap, and the bestial entity escapes into Shandor’s mine.
The ghost leads Phoebe to an underground lair where Egon kept his equipment.
Realizing the ghost is her grandfather, Phoebe repairs Egon’s proton pack under his direction and tests it the next day when encountering the metal-eating ghost Muncher.
It escapes capture and flees into Summerville, where Phoebe and Podcast meet with Trevor in Ecto-1.
After Phoebe explains to Trevor, they are descendants of a Ghostbuster, they chase and successfully capture Muncher.
The movie picks up quickly after the teens piece together the story and figure out what their grandfather was up to out on the dirt farm.
The car chase alone makes this film worth a trip to the theater and I recommend preparing for plenty of tears from laughing and heartwarming moments.
Also, don’t forget to stick around after the credits for two extra scenes to enjoy.
