Sometimes you have to be patient to see the rest of a movie. In 1989, we were finally entitled to Ghostbusters II, five years after the first. This second chapter has disappointed expectations compared to its predecessor, which has become cult. Columbia Pictures therefore took its time before recounting the rest of the adventures of the ghost hunters. Note that the all-female version of 2016 – unfairly denigrated by some – is not part of the continuity of the story.
So, 32 years later, the Ghostbusters are no longer active, but Egon Spengler’s predictions are about to come true. He spent the last years of his life in seclusion in the village of Summerville, Oklahoma, preparing for the return of the ectoplasms. He bequeathed his home and vast land to his daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) who, with no other options, reluctantly moved in with her two teenage children. While Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) is a rather typical 15-year-old boy, his sister Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) is the portrait of his grandfather, even if she doesn’t know anything about him.
The 15-year-old actress is a revelation in the role of the tongue-in-cheek science enthusiast. The character of the lonely gifted child is frequent in the cinema, but she plays it with finesse and originality. The whole young cast – here we include Paul Rudd, who seems to have ceased to age 20 years ago – is particularly endearing and sets the film apart from its predecessors. Because, in addition to the places and the family history at the center of the story, the rest of the work is only a series of references and nods to the 1984 feature film.
This is not entirely a bad thing. Most make you smile or even give you chills. The sound of the proton pack and its laser, the siren of Ecto-1, the breath of the ghost trap… the mythical sound effects of Ghostbusters are in the same category as those of Star Wars. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Ghostbusters: the afterlife in French) is a success for the eyes as well as the ears.
The power of longing is great. Unconsciously, we create in our head a list of what we hope to see during the film. Once they appear on the screen, these renewed memories cause intense joy, which quickly fades. You quickly get used to a familiar emotion. The last act suffers for this reason. We understand that Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Tully) wanted to pay tribute to the work of his father Ivan and the late Harold Ramis in addition to making the fans happy. In doing so, he also reached the limits of what nostalgia can accomplish.
Note for parents: know that a boy of almost 6 years, who courageously saw the first two parts of Ghostbusters a few weeks ago, found Afterlife “More frightening and longer”. And he’s right !
Indoors
Consult the film schedule
Horror comedy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Jason reitman
With Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon
2 h 04