Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) – J. Reitman

The original was one of my favourite films in high school.  Still, I wasn’t sure.  But when Aito was at a friend’s birthday party (and Amon was sad), I decided on the spur of the moment to catch a Sunday arvo matinee with Amon.  He was very impressed with the special effects – and indeed, they were pretty good (especially knowing that there were a lot of practical effects and not just CGI). But, of course, the film really rises and falls on the basis of its story, not really the effects.  Wisely, director Jason Reitman (son of Ivan, the original director who died last week) did not bring back Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Ernie Hudson to star as aging ghostbusters (they make glorified cameos only). Instead, the film stars a bunch of kids who take over the job of busting ghosts.  They are, however, guided or looked after by Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) who had moved to the middle of Oklahoma, breaking ties with his old mates, and becoming a virtual recluse. His estranged daughter moves her family out to his haunted mansion when he dies (spoiler: at the hands of Zuul!).  Ramis actually appears at the end of the film – fully CGI since he died in 2014.  Paul Rudd plays the high school science teacher who takes the kids under his wing (and adds most of the comic relief). In the end, it is a fun adventure film for kids (yes, with special effects), with a few nods to the earlier film for us oldies.  Probably Amon will remember this fondly like I remember some of those Jodie Foster films from Disney in the 1970s (or you younger folks remember The Goonies). But for adults, it was good but not great – although certainly a fine Sunday matinee!