When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 21 nominations total
Summary
Reviewers say 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' is a nostalgic sequel with mixed reactions. Fans love the original cast's return and franchise homage. Critics find it derivative, lacking originality, and overly reliant on fan service. New characters receive varied responses; some praise performances, others find them unengaging. Visual and practical effects are generally lauded, though some desire more spookiness. Pacing and plot structure draw mixed feedback, with some finding it engaging and others feeling it drags or rushes. Overall, it's an enjoyable yet flawed addition.
Featured reviews
How did they make ghostbusting so boring? Barely anything happens in this nostalgia-fuelled film, which doesn't introduce any original concepts or memorable characters.
The story is essentially kids messing around in a small town, discovering their grandfather's legacy (you'll be able to guess pretty quickly who that is) and fixing things when they go bad. I'm guessing the script may have been inspired by the success of titles like "It" and "Strange Things", so the story focuses on children.
It doesn't help the teenagers are written kinda annoyingly, although McKenna Grace and Logan Kim are both amazing and easily the highlight of this cast. Some actors are completely wasted, for example JK Simmons - why is he in this for 15 seconds? At least there is a couple of funny scenes, like Paul Rudd losing it in Walmart.
Disappointingly, there are only a few ghosts in this film, mostly creatures we're already familiar with (you're supposed to love all the throwbacks, remember?). The action is not particularly thrilling and there are just so many instances of lazy writing in the script, it's just laughable. For example, people mostly forgot about ghostbusters (never quite explained why), yet no one is even slightly shocked to see ghosts. When the ghosts wreak havoc around the town, nobody cares either, something as obvious as crowd reaction is missing. The whole thing just feels cheap and basic most of the time, except the last 15 minutes where the budget probably went.
Overall, it's like watching a safe, respectful tribute rather than a worthwhile, stand-alone film with something to say.
The story is essentially kids messing around in a small town, discovering their grandfather's legacy (you'll be able to guess pretty quickly who that is) and fixing things when they go bad. I'm guessing the script may have been inspired by the success of titles like "It" and "Strange Things", so the story focuses on children.
It doesn't help the teenagers are written kinda annoyingly, although McKenna Grace and Logan Kim are both amazing and easily the highlight of this cast. Some actors are completely wasted, for example JK Simmons - why is he in this for 15 seconds? At least there is a couple of funny scenes, like Paul Rudd losing it in Walmart.
Disappointingly, there are only a few ghosts in this film, mostly creatures we're already familiar with (you're supposed to love all the throwbacks, remember?). The action is not particularly thrilling and there are just so many instances of lazy writing in the script, it's just laughable. For example, people mostly forgot about ghostbusters (never quite explained why), yet no one is even slightly shocked to see ghosts. When the ghosts wreak havoc around the town, nobody cares either, something as obvious as crowd reaction is missing. The whole thing just feels cheap and basic most of the time, except the last 15 minutes where the budget probably went.
Overall, it's like watching a safe, respectful tribute rather than a worthwhile, stand-alone film with something to say.
Good movie, fun, interesting, and quirky, but, it doesn't use Paul Rudd nearly as much as it should, there were a lot of jokes that Paul could've brought and they missed the ball there, also, where are the ghosts? I mean, there should've been a lot more ghosts and some creepy and cool ghouls, but there are only a handful. Still, the movie is good, not great, but it's fun.
Just seen it a couple of hour ago and had enjoyed it all along.
If you liked the 1984 Ghostbusters, you'll probably like this one
Lots of fan services but that's what we asked for.
And don't be afraid, this one is way way better than the 2016 reboot (well actually, that wasn't too difficult. Even 1 is way better than zero...).
And yes, there are 1 thing or 2 that can be discussed but.nothing serious.
At least, nothing serious enough to hinder the pleasure you feel as you watch it.
I enjoyed it so much that at some point, I grew back to this 12 years old kid who sees "Ghostbusters" for the first time
A good story, interesting characters and lots of winks to the first movie.
And finally, a loving and respectful tribute to Harold Ramis.
If you liked the 1984 Ghostbusters, you'll probably like this one
Lots of fan services but that's what we asked for.
And don't be afraid, this one is way way better than the 2016 reboot (well actually, that wasn't too difficult. Even 1 is way better than zero...).
And yes, there are 1 thing or 2 that can be discussed but.nothing serious.
At least, nothing serious enough to hinder the pleasure you feel as you watch it.
I enjoyed it so much that at some point, I grew back to this 12 years old kid who sees "Ghostbusters" for the first time
A good story, interesting characters and lots of winks to the first movie.
And finally, a loving and respectful tribute to Harold Ramis.
About ten months before the release of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife", and without any knowledge whatsoever that a belated sequel was in production, I re-watched the 1984 original for the first time in 25 years, and together with own kids (aged six and ten). Needless to say, my offspring wasn't the least bit impressed with special effects from the early eighties, and to be totally honest, I found that my childhood favorite had badly dated as well.
My biggest regret was that I couldn't pass on that magical feeling of "discovering" the world of horror, monsters, F/X, and ectoplasm! But when we saw publicity for the brand new "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" on television, it were my children who spontaneously asked if we could go and see it on the big screen. So, yes, with a slight delay they experienced how I felt when I saw "Ghostbusters" for the first time. And I felt 9 years old again, myself.
Undoubtedly the best thing that could have happened to the franchise, especially after the flopped 2016-remake, was a return to the roots. The story links straight back to the original, the beloved protagonists show up (albeit briefly) and the co-writer/director is none other than the son of Ivan Reitman; - Jason. "Afterlife" is chock-full of gimmicks references towards the original, varying from subtle to plain obvious. The young cast members are refreshing, and fit wonderfully well in the "Ghostbusters" universe, but it feels even better to reconnect with the old-fashioned familiar trumps, like the legendary Ghostbusters-vehicle and - of course - the Ray Parker Jr. Theme song. The homage to Harold Ramis, one of the creators of the original concept and the only cast member who passed away, is beautiful.
My biggest regret was that I couldn't pass on that magical feeling of "discovering" the world of horror, monsters, F/X, and ectoplasm! But when we saw publicity for the brand new "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" on television, it were my children who spontaneously asked if we could go and see it on the big screen. So, yes, with a slight delay they experienced how I felt when I saw "Ghostbusters" for the first time. And I felt 9 years old again, myself.
Undoubtedly the best thing that could have happened to the franchise, especially after the flopped 2016-remake, was a return to the roots. The story links straight back to the original, the beloved protagonists show up (albeit briefly) and the co-writer/director is none other than the son of Ivan Reitman; - Jason. "Afterlife" is chock-full of gimmicks references towards the original, varying from subtle to plain obvious. The young cast members are refreshing, and fit wonderfully well in the "Ghostbusters" universe, but it feels even better to reconnect with the old-fashioned familiar trumps, like the legendary Ghostbusters-vehicle and - of course - the Ray Parker Jr. Theme song. The homage to Harold Ramis, one of the creators of the original concept and the only cast member who passed away, is beautiful.
This reboot of sorts did it all right in terms of being respectful to the original, maintaining a plausible storyline, and having awesome cameos. The story was a bit slow to develop but had some cool moments and a lot of small laughs. All of this proudly sponsored by Walmart.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDedicated to Harold Ramis, who died in 2014.
- GoofsMr. Lube, a uniquely Canadian franchise, is visible in the background during the Walmart scene.
- Quotes
Janine Melnitz: Your father wasn't much of a homemaker. He could barely keep the power on.
Callie: You're saying he left us nothing?
Janine Melnitz: Well, I wouldn't say nothing... there is quite a bit of debt.
- Crazy creditsThere are a mid-credits and post-credits scenes.
- ConnectionsEdited from Ghostbusters (1984)
- SoundtracksGhostbusters Original Themes
By Elmer Bernstein
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Ghostbusters: El legado
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $75,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $129,471,867
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $44,008,406
- Nov 21, 2021
- Gross worldwide
- $204,445,747
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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