Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released November 19, is an action-packed mystery and adventure film directed by Jason Reitman. The movie largely rose in popularity due to the nostalgia surrounding the original Ghosbusters plot and characters that have enthralled the public since the 1980s.
The film features many famous adult actors such as Paul Rudd, best known for his acting in Antman, Clueless, and Friends, starring as Mr. Grooberson. Olivia Wilde, who will be featured in Don’t Worry Darling, House, and is known from many other Hollywood shows and movies, also stars in this film. Ghostbusters: Afterlife has many actors from the original franchise, including the three surviving Ghostbusters: Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray. The movie even featured some well-known teen actors to appeal to a larger audience; teen actor Finn Wolfhard, best known for his horror roles such as Richie from It and Mike in the Netflix original series Stranger Things, plays one of the main characters, a boy named Trevor.
The movie follows a single mother Callie Spengler and her two kids Trevor and Phoebe moving into their grandfather’s old house. Shortly afterward, the family realizes they share a connection to the original Ghostbusters crew from New York. The plot thickens when the family stumbles upon a gateway to another dimension, which unleashes evil on NYC. The Ghostbusters now must reassemble and save the city from supernatural fiends.
By bringing back the original cast and using the similar storyline of tracking down and catching ghosts, the plot gave tribute to the classic film by retaining many key original elements, such as the asymmetrical book stack which was meant to mimic the ones found in the basement of the New York Public Library in the original film. The movie also makes the iconic reference to Twinkies which, in the first film, was used as a harbinger for the spectral threat on NYC. To make things even more reminiscent of the original, the movie included the ghost traps and cars from the original story. These factors induce a strong sense of nostalgia in the audience. Just like the original film, action-packed scenes offered a constant thrill for the audience throughout. Overall, both the original and remake share plenty of similarities in their plots and characters, and executed their respective storylines well.
Harrisites expressed different reasons for watching GhostBusters: Afterlife. Junior Georgia Salcau decided to watch the film because she was “familiar with the dynamic of the original, and was interested in how [the filmmaking crew] would connect the two stories.” Junior Maya Czerkas decided to give the movie a shot after seeing actors whom she was familiar with starring in lead roles.
With cinemas starting to reopen again, many felt that it was the perfect time to watch this film on the big screen. Maya specifically enjoyed the visual effects of the film and said, “they don’t feel forced, or too animated.”
Senior Raquel Mulakandov believes that Harrisites should watch this film because it “can be a fun blast from the past, and has a new plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
Artwork by Annie Park
