GHOSTBUSTERS AFTERLIFE!!!

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE

Where to begin.

Well we’ll get a lot of you out of here real fast. It’s good. It’s a quality film, a good send off and beginning of a film. It’s a worthy addition to a series that definitely had its ups and downs, and Bill Murray. The last one is not a positive. Believe me.

So the film itself?

Right off the bat it hits you with the fate of Egon Spangler. Which was handled rather well. It felt a lot like the start of the first film. Starting off with a scare and bit of story. Egon was visiting evil mountain on a wicked night. Fired off his proton pack at the sky creating his own ‘Old man shouts at the clouds” but he is firing off a proton beam. Which is better. Soon after he’s racing off in a beat up truck from an unseen entity taking chase. He makes way to his rundown farm house ready to take down whatever this is following him and. Well it proves unsuccessful. Sadly. He begins taking care of a few last minute things and awaits his fate.

Kicking off the movie. Which already, and sadly. Felt more like an actual ghostbusters film in just that opening alone, compared to the travesty that was released in 2016.

Don’t worry I’ll get into that and explain myself soon enough.

After the opening we are introduced to the estranged Spangler family. Apparently, and according to the mother of two children. Egon was an asshole and couldn’t give two shits about his daughter. So she grew up resenting him and being a bad mother. I’m just stating facts because believe me. This woman is not what I’d call good mother material. But she does what she can. Just. Badly.

So good fortune smiles on the poor family, as with Egon’s passing, the family now inherited his farm house, and they believe this will lead to some good fortune.

It does not. Egon was poor, indebted, seen as an apocalyptic dirt farmer. So poor mom is still poor, and kids aren’t happy. Sounds bad for a movie, especially where kids will rule the screen for the most part. But it’s really not.

The kids are actually really good in this. They’re believable in their roles, and they don’t toe the line of annoying little shits, and mildly entertaining. They legitimately are fun. Even our modern hip kid…Podcast. He steps up to the tight rope of that toed line. But never steps on it. Wisely never steps on it.

So the kids are beginning their life in this run down town. The eldest kid is working on his boner for a local hottie and finds himself a job as the local simp of a burger joint. Everyone kind of abuses him there but in a fun way. He realizes it but he’s happy. Its an old fashioned ‘We gotta troll you a bit before we like you’ kinda thing. It’s fun trust me. And the youngest, is the closest to Egon. They are a certified brainiac nerd. HOWEVER!!

HOW. EVER.

They again, are not annoyingly so. It’s enough you get that they are from his family. She inherited the brain bug that skipped her mother. She’s fully into science, hates school because it’s not a challenge, and is just awkward enough its fun. Much like Egon was in the first film.  It’s honestly worth mentioning because of the fact this normally. In every other scenario, is a recipe for annoying little shit stain trying too hard to be something they couldn’t.  Being awkward and brainy. She makes friends with an awkward and entertaining boy named Podcast.

She also makes friends with Antman, who serves as the kids summer school teacher. Who serves to flirt with the single mom, as well as secret fanboy of the Ghostbusters. Which is where we get some of the digs in this film toward those not happy with the 2016 travesty.

He’s a science nerd and seismologist. So the two quickly bond as apparently in this crap town none of these children are getting out alive or with more than a low income future.

These two setup what will be the entry to the next act in this film. The mystery of the earth shaker. Shortly after the family had moved in, they were greeted with a shaking shack of a home. But it wasn’t really an earthquake. It’s a MYSTERY!

Which Antman wants to try and solve himself. Because for some reason. Every day. The town is shaking and quaking. But no one knows for sure why where and how. Phoebe, the young scientist is curious to look into this, but she has something much more interesting to look into. Like ghost encounters. Most notably, though unspoken. With Grandpa Egon. Who shows himself to her by playing a bit of chess with her. She’s surprisingly cool about this, and that itself was a little jarring. I mean you would’ve thought she might be pissing herself. But no. She’s cool with it. She just has a very open mind. Also she likes to snoop around and begins taking ownership over all of Egon’s science equipment. I mean what’s he gonna do tell her no? He’s dead and gone, so finders keepers pal!

So as for the quake madness? Well we get a bit more of an idea what could be causing it, as Phoebe and Podcast go out to check out an abandoned site, which. Contained markings pertaining to. Gozer. Which for those fans of the first, you know who that is, and you would’ve also picked up on it during the beginning scenes of Egon fleeing evil mountain and the sign he runs through stating ‘Shandor Mining’, Shandor was a name brought up in the first film as Ray explained a bit of the history behind Gozer. We learn that he designed the high rise Sigourney Weavers character lived in and how it was some sort of portal to Gozer’s discord. Well you can already guess what he might be doing with a mine in this town, and the fact there is a wall marked with Gozer telling the story about them, their guardians. The gatekeeper and keymaster, and so on. So I’ll go ahead and confirm it for you. Yes. Shandor setup a date with Gozer in the 1920’s, and hoped one day she would return to this world and he’d be able to ask them out.

Well the wall discovery is cool and all, but we got bigger fish to fry and a dig I mentioned earlier to explain. During the adventures of Phoebe and Podcast, they stumble on, a ghost trap. In fact. The ghost trap Egon was using at the start of the film. So naturally, being kids. They bring this with them to school, because. And I love this. Antman in his not caring about these kids future, plays constant 80’s horror films for the kids. On VHS no less. But he’s drawn out of this when he notices Phoebe and Podcast trying to force open the ghost trap. His inner geek takes over and he explains to the kids what it is. Thinking they had a prop. Only to discover its real. Which scares him, and interest him at the same time. The kids have no idea what the ghostbusters were and what they did. So Paul explains to them and us. All about the New York ghost attack, how they saved the city, twice. And, forever cementing a personal dig in dialog at the 3016 ghostbusters by retconning it with the line “There hasn’t been a ghost siting in 30 years.”

30 years, no ghost. 2016 Ghostbusters never happened.

Again, we’ll get into that at the end of this review.

Now so far we’ve had Egon’s ghost. And an unseen ghost that attacked Egon. So we need more. Because this is Ghostbusters. So that ghost trap? The one Egon died hiding, and Phoebe found, and tried forcing open with Podcast? Well now with Antman they gotta open it. Because what could go wrong opening a trap that seems to openly indicate its full.

So with the power of jumper cables and the town school system. We get that trap open and oh how the ghost do fly.

But we will get back to that. First we need to follow Simping Trevor, the eldest Spangler. Finally earns the right to hang out with the girl he likes and the rest of the kitchen staff. As it so happens, they end up hanging out at Shandor’s Mine. Because the movie needs us too. It serves as a needed setup and light call back to the first film. While Trevor is hoping with all his might that the girl he likes will brush knees while staring at each other, another shakin quaking rock and roll tremble rumbles out the ground, and Trevor looks down the mine entrance only to see a fire cloud with a ghost face that grumbles out the name “Gozer”.

Yes the movie absolutely is a sequel, but also a subtle reboot. But. Again. Somehow? Done well enough it doesn’t come off like one, so much as a quiet callback. Honestly if you weren’t a fan of the originals or simply remembered seeing it once? You might not catch a lot of the subtle callbacks to dialog from the first film and some scenes.

This is where the fun begins. Because everything has been building up over the film, which runs at a few minutes over 2 hours. Which also means we are getting close to the worst thing about this movie.

So Phoebe, exploring the basement of Egons home, is guided by his spirit to discover. His proton pack. Which is funny considering the second film when a doorman who jokes about his kid brother wanting a proton pack. Egon tells him they’re highly dangerous and not meant for children.

So his ghost proceeds to show her how to repair the proton pack and make it once again operational. Which of course means she needs to try it out. In the name of science. So podcast sets up a few bottles. We get our fan service by hearing the pack turn on and begin humming. Which I mean yeah. It’s nice hearing that again. The fire it off and obliterate. Well. Pretty much everything they aimed it at. Further showing us, this is not something a kid should have.

So naturally they have to take it around town because. There is a ghost that needs busting.

A ghost which, is not slimer. But looks like slimer. Is bloated and sounds like slimer. But is a different color and eats metal not food. This is the first ghost these kids are going after, so yes. A not so subtle reboot moment. Of course it doesn’t go well. The two are clumsy, and unable to capture not-slimer. But have no fear. Trevor is here. Riding around in his summer project. He’s been working on and finally got running an old car in the garage. Which just so happens to be the Ecto-1. Coincidence? Well you figure it out.

So now, we have a young girl wearing an unlicensed nuclear reactor on her back, a 15 year old driving a car he can’t drive, and a town of innocent people. I ask you. What could possibly go wrong.

Well we learn the car had a few upgrades put into it. Like a gunner seat. Which Phoebe finds herself in, as her brother drives recklessly around town, chasing after not-slimer and firing the proton pack with glee. Yes they destroy property, and yes they destroy cars. BUT. They do eventually catch the ghost. So. Victory? I guess?

Well a victory for the young scientist. A crushing blow to the dead towns economy. Also they get arrested.

Because well. Lets see. You have a 15 year old driving a car without a license let alone a learners permit. Nearly crashing several times into other motorist. You have destruction of property, and they also began their joy ride through a field of corn

You have a younger sister scientist, wearing a high powered proton laser pack. Shooting care free at anything around the ghost. Destroying property and nearly destroying a mans truck, endangering lives.

And guilt by association, Mr Podcast. Documenting the entire ghost hunt and joy ride, while also operating a remote controlled ghost trap.

So Scientist phoebe call her mom? Hell no! She calls the ghostbusters phone number from the original film and talks to Ray. Which is genuinely a fun scene for a good deal of reasons. Mostly that we see Ray in his bookstore he opened in the second film. Somehow his occult bookstore has remained in business and good for him. He isn’t the most personable person, but he gives us a good bit of exposition and backstory. We learn that Egon left the city and his friends for the farm house. Began talking a great deal about doom and gloom. Reciting passages that Ray had in the first film about the worlds ending. But the damage between them all was done. Egon had taken all their equipment, the Ecto-1 and cut them all off. So Ray has no love loss for the man when she brings him up. But genuinely feels bad hearing he had died. What gets him even more though is her informing him that she’s the granddaughter of Egon. But she’s run out of time for her one call and it’s time to ask ourselves an important question. What could we need to ask?

And where. Is the mother?

Well she’s on a date. With Antman. Not saying the town is slim pickins on date material. But they’re both doing the best they can with what they got. Honestly the mom isn’t that bad, until she just lives and breaths every line with how much she hates her father. It’s really one note and a bit sad. Knowing movies and how they be sometimes. You know what her ark will be. She just seems built on selling it with nearly every line. It would’ve been nice to seen the character fleshed out more but alas. Antman is cool though. He doesn’t care. He’s in it to win it and he likes her kids, who seem to like him. I am saying these things because soon. Very soon these two characters will become a cringe upon film. We’ll get there.

But as nice a date as it was. Of course mom gets alerted her kids are in the slammer. The sheriff is pretty cool though. He seems intent on small town logic of let kids be kids, and worry once they grow up. So he’s willing to let the kids go with a warning. But also confiscating their ghostbusters car, and ghostbusters gear. Which Taylor is pretty okay with.

But Phoebe has zero chill and whips out the proton pack ready to fry the sheriff. This girl is hardcore and ride or die for ghostbusting in the name of science. Or on her way to becoming a ruthless killer. The jury is still out on that one.

But the sheriff gets to live. For now. And the family head home. Where Antman tries making the best of a bad situation. The mom feels ready to accept his resignation from the dating pool. But he tells her “Hey low hanging fruit is my specialty and there’s still some sugar on that peach.”  Actually and thankfully he doesn’t. but you get the picture. I hope. God I hope. Because here we come. To the worst part of the film. The beginning of the end.

Antman excuses himself from the family, so he can make a much needed important late night trip to Walmart. Which lets be fair. Living where you have a 24hr Walmart. If you are visiting Walmart after 1am. Either your bored and you do it to hang out. Your high af. Or you just came off a job that leaves you with a wad of one dollar bills. I’m not judging. I’m just saying we know our crowds.

If you somehow missed the constant scenes from the trailer, or clips on tv that show you what happens. I pray for you. Antman is getting himself some ice cream to wash down his kung pow chicken While browsing the offerings of Walmart. He comes upon, the terror. I don’t know if the writers were given cards from upstairs and gunpoint. Or if cocaine was back in fashion. But. Antman is visited by. Little mini stay puff marshmallow men. Which are played off as cute. This is a cash grab. Baby yoda was the surprise cash grab of cuteness, and since then. Studios have been desperately trying to milk their own cuteness toys. So yeah. Cute baby marshmallow men. Who do silly shit.

It largely feels out of place in the film. It genuinely feels like something you’d see in a kids show, or deleted scene. Because of how absolutely stupid it is. But there by the grace of Sony it is. But the movie needs to move its story on. So Antman comes across his destiny. One of Gozers doggos. Yep. Antman is the Key Master.

So who, oh who, could the Gate Keeper be?

Well back home. Mom has discovered the hidden basement of her father. Who also semi is leading her around it. In this small little space she reaches her ark. The mom, who has hated on her uncaring asshat of a dad, who left her and didn’t care what so ever about her. Not only has her picture on his desk. But pictures detailing her entire life. The birth of her kids. Her graduation. It’s almost a little creepy if you linger and begin asking yourself where and how did he get these photos if he wasn’t there. But it’s tender, she learns he did give a shit, and she now forgives him for all the crap she threw at him. Which happens just in time for another Gozer dog to leap out and possess her. And all without one goddamn marshmallow plush toy. Bravo.

Well, to end this nightmare we’ll get to its natural conclusion to end the cringefest. We find Antman sprawled on a rock. In torn shorts and shirt. While mom is….she flourishes out of her clothing and into a gold version of the dress Sigourney wore in the original. He hands her a single flower, telling her “I like your eyes” and she…talks in dog. To which he nods and the two kiss aaand thankfully that ends. That.

Again. It feels like a large stumble in an otherwise great so far film.

But we are now headed toward the land of final acts. And oh what an act it is.

So under the mine. Shandow has built a palace for Gozer. He’s filled it with things that symbolize her, tell her story. Depict her as a god, as well as her doggos. The guy was really trying to win huge bed points with her. He even designed the entire town, like he did The apartment building from the first, in her name. To top it off, he even found a way to, preserve himself. So he could be there to greet her, when she rises.

However, when Egon discovered this shrine, and of all things a well of souls at its center. He created a way to keep the spirits at bay, and stop Gozer from rising. It’s actually pretty cool, and also gives us an answer to an earlier question in the film. Any time the well of souls gets too high and they threaten to go free? 4 proton beams are set to trigger and fire, crossing streams directly over the well. Keeping the spirits down. Which causes the constant earth shaking around town. So spoilers! Gozer goes free, and we are ready for it. Well mostly. It’s not horrible. It’s handled pretty well.

The kids have discovered what Egon’s plans were from the beginning. So They have a plan. They have their gear back. Thanks to the releasing of not slimer and his appetite for metal. But they have some other matters that need solving. Like their mom now being a possessed dog lady, and Antman of course.

It’s surprisingly, after a few viewings of the movie, one of my favorite sequences into the ending. Don’t worry too much about Shandor as he does get to meet his dream lady, he gets to propose her with the two of them ruling the world. And she literally rips him in half. Goodbye Shandor.

So sitting on a throne idly, waiting for a sacrifice in her name. Gozer is greeted by Phoebe and her busting crew. Their plan? Is to trap the soul of the hell dog, and possibly gozer. Get their mom out of there and race back to the farm house. So they need to distract Gozer, and do so with, the best gift this film has. Phoebes horrible humor. She tells one bad nerd joke after the next, until they can put into action ‘get mom back’. Which works! They manage to free mom and begin heading literally for the hills.

Their mom is impressed with the fact her daughter is finally ‘living’, getting in trouble, blasting hell beast with a high powered proton beam, while her son illegally drives a car with expired tabs. She’s proud, further happy to have made peace with her dad, and blah blah back to the story.

So they make it to the farm house with Egon’s ultimate trap. The field around his property has been laid with ghost traps. The grain silo’s are huge generators. All meant to capture once and for all Gozer, her minions, and all the souls that were powering them from the beginning. Only. It fails. A second time.

Things are not looking good for the new ghost team and family. At all. Mom is once again a possessed doggo. Gozer is pissed off and fully formed. Cats and dogs are living together in peace. Its mass hysteria. So what now?

Now? Is the time of the Ghostbusters. Who show up, in full jumpsuit, and proton packs, with Bull Murray delivering the line, “Did you miss us?”.

I didn’t want to say yes. But honestly maybe a little. It’s genuinely fun seeing the three surviving members together. But what makes it so, isn’t just seeing them in their jumpsuits and warming up the proton packs. It’s hearing Ray being Ray, and Venkman being, well himself. Yes they are anciently old, and they even make fun of that. Not in a “we’re too old for this” way, but in Ray’s little speech to Gozer, he even mentions the AARP. It’s great. Its very short lived though, which is understandable. But well worth it.

The ghostbusters do their best together to take down Gozer. But she’s far too powerful for them. Knocking them out of commission, much in the same way Vego the Carpathian did in the sequel. So it’s up to the kids, the ghostvusters and, of all people. Egon. To take down Gozer.

It’s been long enough so you’ve likely seen the movie, seen or read the spoilers if you hadn’t watched it, and it’s no surprise. Honestly I hate Yahoo news because their reporters are shit for one, but they also spoil movies with just their clickbait titles alone. It’s really something to accomplish. And they do it.

But yes. Egon, in his ghost form is there, beside his granddaughter, and he helps her take down Gozer. They power up and kick off the biggest trap of traps and it works. Gozer, their minions, the souls of their followers. All gone and trapped for good. But Egon lingers. He thankfully says nothing. But gives the remaining ghostbusters time to say a proper farewell and apology. He does the same for his daughter and grand kids before leaving as well.

The film ends on a hopeful note. The kids aren’t recruited as ghostbusters. In fact Phoebe funnily likes calling herself a scientist, not a ghostbuster. Venkman mildly hits on her mom till he learns who she is. And we get to see the family come together, embrace and pick up the pieces of their lives. Just before a nice shot of New York with the Ecto-1 zooming over Manhattan bridge, siren going lights flashing and credits.

But that’s not the end. We get two credit scenes. One of which is a fun scene with Venkman and Sigourney, playing around with his old shock tool and que cards from the first film. Hinting that these two are still very much together as they were at the end of the sequel long ago. There’s also another, and far better ending scene. We see a deleted scene from the first Ghostbusters film, were Egon is given a lucky state fair coin by Janine. Whom we fast forward to current time and see her toying with the coin while talking to Winston. Who as the film says, is a very rich man now. We learn from these two that Winston has been paying the rent on Rays bookstore, as well as the old firehouse they used to work out of. He also took back the Ecto-1 and all equipment. Explaining to Janine that He always wanted to hold onto it, just in case it was ever needed again, and when it would be. He’d be there to see it was put in good hands. The scene then ends with their old ghost containment unit blinking red and. End scene.

Now here’s the part I kept promising.

Yes this movie is a soft reboot, as said before. But its  done in the right way, and serves as a good bookend to the first two and original crew. While leaving open the hope, that we will see more ghost action, with new Ghostbusters. Who they will be? Is anyones guess.  But it leaves that door open and I genuinely hope they take it and continue with a new group.

Ghostbusters has had a long troubled past, far before the 2016 film ever came around. Originally they didn’t want to really do a sequel to the first. But people were hungry for it, there was a chance to make money, and….we got what we got. Which wasn’t much, and the cast itself felt that way about it as well.

So there was always the ‘redeemer’ story floating around. For years Reitman had been wanting to do another sequel. Aykroyd was on board and they came up with some good ideas. But Bill Murray was done. He felt the sequel was a big enough bomb he didn’t want to return. He also hit a time where he wanted to be taken seriously as an actor and moved away from comedy films. He wanted an academy award, bad. The man had a huge hard on for it, but never peaked. He even joked at one time when approached about doing a sequel with all the original members and said he’d do it, but only if he could be a ghost. Which was his polite way of saying no deal.

There was also another good idea that almost came to be. Which honestly I feel would have been great if they did it. As I remember the idea was to have some of the original Ghostbusters return as mentors to a new group. The new group would’ve included rising and familiar comedians like Chris Farley, Ben Stiller, and Chris Rock. There was also another version which had Murray no longer a ghostbuster, and Ben Stiller replacing his role as a new ghostbuster. There were a few different versions. Some sounded great. Even one that would’ve featured a ghost world.

But it wasn’t meant to be. Because of Aykroyds loyalty to not sell out the franchise, holding out for Murray. And Murray constantly snubbing his nose at the idea.

It took the 2016 Ghostbusters to finally unite them and Murray to stop being a dick and say ‘okay lets do it before I really die.’

And thus we get to the lava of Ghostbusters talk.

I will note, for my own sake and sanity. I don’t like calling it the female lead ghostbusters, or female ghostbusters. Just 2016. Because it wasn’t their fault it failed. It wasn’t their fault it didn’t succeed in winning audiences over, or finding new fans.

Those women are legitimately good comedians, and actresses.

The movie was just shit. With a shitty agenda.

There’s a trend with certain films. Especially some which attempt to reboot a franchise. Where they mock the original, its fans, the cast, and its premise. Because snarky humor is, a thing.

When the movie was first being sold to fans and talked about. They assured fans it would be loyal to the original and respectful. They’d do it justice. Then began some troubling things. Like studio people and Paul Feig telling fans that, this is the start of Ghost Corps. Meaning that this ‘all female’ ghostbusters group? Was only one of a dozen. So don’t flip your shit! There’s still manly men being men being Manbusters. Somewhere.

But then things began happening that weren’t so good. The filmmakers began trying to change marketing tactics from, calming fans worries and making a film all could enjoy. To focusing solely on ‘this is a movement, a film staring women, made for women.’ They put out photos showing group shots of every woman involved with the making of the film at all levels of production. They began selling it in much the same way they did Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman. That if you are a woman, this movie is for you. You must see it. Which became a rallying cry later on where if you did not agree with the film, you were met with ‘It wasn’t made for you.’. Which honestly for anyone to say, is pretty shit. But also because, aside trying to divide your audience, you are treating it even more, as a one off. Which is very unfortunately a trend with female lead films.

Wonder Woman was a surprise success with audiences. DC had very little faith it would do well. But everyone loved it. So they scrambled and gave her more screen time in Batman V Superman, and Justice League. They pushed out a sequel and let the director write it.  They didn’t attempt to divide their audiences. They didn’t tell people this film isn’t for you. They weren’t telling women you are required to support this film. People went because it looked entertaining. It WAS entertaining, and you weren’t made to feel bad for having thoughts on it. Imagine that.

But the real harm from the filmmakers came in what was to be expected. But still was a shame to see.

1.       Their lack of understanding what made the original work

2.       Fucking Janine

3.       Shitting on the original

A lot of reboots forget what the original story was. In large part most production meetings go “What do we know about the first film” and they go around the room with quick notes. “There was a scientist, a misogynist, a nerd, and working man.” “They fought ghost and were funny” “There was a giant marshmallow guy” “A secretary who was angry.” “They saved the city”

It’s sadly and really not that hard to see things happening like this. So they go by these notes from round table discussions. Base their story off that, and go from there. Do not. Ever trust, or believe. Any studio that tells you they respect the originals and how much of a fan they are of them. They say these things to calm you, when in reality they may have seen it once or twice, if your lucky, or never and were told to say so, to keep people from worrying. If your really unlucky.

The original premise for ghostbusters was three guys in a university. They’re kicked out. Decide to run with the idea of going after the paranormal and put all their money into the equipment, building and business. They have no idea what they’re doing and learn as they go. It’s fun because you can see clearly who believes in all this and who doesn’t. Ray is fully ingrained in the paranormal. Egon uses science for confirmation of the presence of life after death. And Venkman is about making money and getting fame. Which works well between them all and gets funner once Winston joins up as a guy who’s solely looking for any work he can find, and becomes a believer.  He’s the audience essentially.

The 2016 characters were a jumbled mess. You had one who was teaching at a university and was fired for having written a book on the paranormal and appearing in a youtube video. She joins up with a woman who comically believes in ghost, and works with a lunatic scientist who acts like they came straight out of a cartoon versus a real human being. Then we get Patty. An everyday working lady full of sass who. Brings more sass, to a group already over flowing with sass. The problem is, you know who these women are supposed to be. But their personalities are so mashed together at times. It feels like your watching them all playing the same character. Which I don’t at all put on them. So much as Feig for his very famous.infamous remarks during filming.

For this, I must reference a film, I enjoy as a guilty pleasure, and is so horrible it just, entertains you in how absurdly stupid it is, and keeps going when it shouldn’t.

Talladega Nights.

This movie also promoted it would be respectful to Nascar and its drivers, and portray them in good faith. It also said it would be a comedy but also a race film which would treat it fairly and serious.

This film shit all over Nascar and its drivers. It had some genuinely fun moments, But what killed the film, and also for some made it amazing. Is the same plague that struck the 2016 Ghostbusters. Improvisation.

Some improving is fine in films and actually helps them in creating memorable scenes. I mean jesus Harrison Ford Improvised the gun vs sword scene in Raiders, and his “I know” line in Empire. But when you tell your entire cast. Fuck the script. Just keep saying funny stuff. It’s not a good look.

During the commentary and making of, for the 2016 film. Feig admitted to constantly saying “Be funny, keep going” and doing takes that lasted well over 45 minutes. For a scene meant to last 2 minutes. Because he just wanted improve.

That creates gross comedy.

Or as I believe Red Letter Media coined, a Nomedy.

When you have three comedians. Trying to constantly out do the last, and carrying a joke well past its expiration. But no one calls cut. It isn’t funny so much as a Monty Python “GET ON WITH IT!” scene. That was one of the bigger upsets for the film. The first film you cast comedians. But they weren’t constantly trying to out do one another. They wrote a funny script. Went with it, and it worked. But grabbing comedians and telling them to make a thing funny. It’s not really fair and it can really ruin things. As it did in this case because the characters, though you were shown and told who they are and what they do. They again just meld into the same beast. When they begin improving.  Which brings us to another thing that shit the bed with this film as they didn’t get the character…

Janine. Janine was pure New York. She was sassy, take no bullshit, pay me for my job, and ‘this is my happy face’ person. Which was great. She never gave into any of Venkmans shit and threw it right back. She tried flirting with Egon and it made him feel awkward.  She held her own and it was great. She wasn’t the usual caricature of a sexy office worker. She was fun and grumpy. It was a fun character. The sequel not…..so much fun.

This film, sad itself. They wanted someone different for the Janine role, that wouldn’t be like the original as they felt, and I shit you not. That Janine was sexualized and ditsy. So we got Thor. Playing a mentally handicapped man child. Who doesn’t know if he owns a dog, or a fish. Who’s meant as pure eye candy, with no brain. Which the ladies outright say they hired him, because he’s pretty to look at, and dumb as shit. Which isn’t fair. This man has no brain what so ever. It’s just. Sad. If they had said they wanted to make a caricature of all the ditsy dumb clerical bimbos from movies made in the 60’s-80’s. Sure that makes sense. But when you take a character who wasn’t any of those things. And purposely make them dumb as dog shit. I mean sure why not.  It just felt oddly out of place to be honest. But a lot did in that film. Not going to touch on the dance sequence but. It’s a thing, that exist.

And finally. Shitting on the original they had said would be treated with respect. There was a deleted scene with Murray, which I believe may appear in the directors cut. But moments after his character, a skeptic is killed by a ghost, the character Patty says “Well I guess he wasn’t ghostbuster material.”, Aykroyd appears in the film as a cab driver who says one of the originals famous lines from the song, I ain’t afraid of no ghost. Which he’s corrected on that, that means you are afraid. The only person semi treated with respect is Winston. Who turns out to be a relative of Patty’s and gets them a car to use for the business.

The fans didn’t appreciate this, and audiences got it. They didn’t seem to much care for it as a lot mentioned it in their reviews. And not just the bad ones either.

What sucked is the fact, you have. For once. Bill Murray agreeing to be in a ghostbusters film, AND Aykroyd. Why not have them just play themselves as retired. Why treat them like this, for having done the film you are now trying to redo. It’s just. Bad form.

I’m not saying you have to kiss their ass, because in all honesty Bill Murray does not deserve one inch of his ass kissed, but for very very different reasons, which we will not go into here.

Because of these things, and more. Aykroyd talked to Murray and Hudson. Then to Sony and said we want to do a ghostbusters film. Without hesitation Sony said do it.

The point where Sony went wrong. Is the same point I fear Disney will soon be headed as well.

It’s one thing to pretend a film didn’t happen, or that its continuity doesn’t exist in another film. I mean that’s happened many times with other sequel series, where entire events and people are washed out of the next films plot. But its another thing entirely. To openly deny a films existence in including it as part of a franchise.

Disney behind the scenes is a horror show. Rise of Skywalker was a fucking mess. On multiple levels. It also is the result of what happens when you try to course correct a ship already sailing to its finale and you scrub out all the elements from the previous film and insert new ones. Now that it’s over, and some of the people responsible have been. Dealt with. Disney has new plans. The veil of the force. The idea of, well like MARVEL. Multiverses. The idea that, they can erase the newest trilogy. Ray, Fin, Poe, Kylo. Erase those films entirely. And start anew, with something actually planned out from beginning to end. But they believe it’ll work, cancelling the previous trilogy. By simply telling people “Oh it totally exist, just…not in this verse”, Sony attempted this twice now with its 2016 Ghostbusters. Once by writing out with carefully selected dialog all the events from that film, declaring this film to be the true followup and worthy addition to the franchise. And also more brazenly with their new “Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection” an 8 disk super deluxe 48 set with multiple versions of the first and second film, as well as hours of bonus and deleted scenes, and the same for Ghostbusters Afterlife. 3 films, 8 disk. $100.

Which did not include the 2016 Ghostbusters.

That’s pretty ballsy.

And they are just further staking the “This film never happened, fuck it’ flag out there, trying to please the ‘real’ fans. Whats worse, and also kind of hilarious. Is they got called out on it, so Sony decided. Okay. We will correct this, we are so sorry. So now the box set will include a code for the digital copy of the 2016 Ghostbusters. Your welcome?

I really am waiting to see how Disney will handle the backlash when fans of the new trilogy find out all their favorite characters, and Luke sucking green titty milk. Never happened. I mean I’m no fan of The Last Jedi, I still have some issues with it. But Rise of Skywalker was a partially completed abortion put out in the delivery room without further explanation. But I will stop my Star Wars rant there as that. Is a story for another time.

The main criticism I came away with, between Ghostbusters Afterlife, and Ghostbusters Answer The Call. Is this.

Afterlife while not perfect. Managed to do what Answer the Call didn’t. It managed to be its own Ghostbusters film, while leaving an open door for the possibility of more ghostbusting, more teams of ghostbusters. It felt like a ghostbusters film. It had a solid female lead, defined believable characters. It pulled off being a soft rebooted sequel well.

In fact, if you take out the appearance of the original Ghostbusters at the end. Just left it all up to this group of kids and their adult counterparts. You’ve got a solid Ghostbusters movie.

Afterlife did what the 2016 film should have aimed to do, and instead lost site of itself once other people took over and couldn’t decide what it was doing, outside 45 minutes of improve and looking at you weirdly when you ask what the story is. You don’t need to nostalgia bait people into loving a thing, to enjoy it. You had fresh faces, a vaguely similar plot to the first film, but told in a very different way. That could’ve worked and been incredibly funny, and likely well received. But they went off the rails. So Afterlife comes along. It’s hated on by the cast from 2016 and fans of that film. Because they felt fragile fans were grumpy, so they needed manly men with big wands in their hands and not a single queef joke.

Had Sony handled that better? Instead of trying their hardest to distance as far as possible from Feig and Answer The Call. It could’ve been a different story.

They could have mentioned the new team. It’s not that difficult.

Phoebe is surfing the net, Antman is showing her youtube clips from the original New York attack,and bits from the new team fighting it out in New York as well. Acknowledge they existed, they aren’t in this film, because it revolves around Egon’s daughter and grandchildren. Neither the new or old team have to appear. For the love of fuck, mention in film GHOST CORP!! Start your damn free party system of multiple ghost teams.

I mean if you REALLY wanted a groaner of a scene, you could take the end where the old ghostbusters are trying to take on Gozer and fail. Then four proton streams shoot out beside them. OMG it’s the 2016 team! Have one of them, Patty say “We thought you boys could use some help so. Here we are”, Shit Winston could’ve called them in! Yes it would make some people groan but fuck. At least you’d made both sides happy seeing yes you acknowledge the film existed for good or ill. They’re part of Ghost Corp. But writing them off entirely? Yeah that’s not a fun mess to handle there pal.

Ghostbusters Afterlife isn’t perfect. But it’s a solid film. It’s fun, the actors are great. Mom not so much. Yes there’s nostalgia driven up your nose. But it’s still a solid film. It’s not horrible, by any means. And anyone that says it’s the worst thing ever? Needs to revisit Ghostbusters 2.

Seriously. Watch this film and tell me it’s worse than emotional ectoplasm and the Statue of Liberty moving thanks to cheerful music.

Tell. Me. That.

Check this one out and never blow an Aztec death whistle.