Jason Reitmans Ghostbusters: Afterlife is awash in nostalgia for the past.
But it really comes alive when it makes proton packs exciting for a new generation.
When I first saw the originalGhostbusters, I didnt get it was a comedy.
After watchingGhostbusters: Afterlife, I wonder ifJason Reitmanhad a similar experience.
To be sure, the filmmakers relationship to that 1984 classic is much closer than my own.
Technically, that souped up Cadillac is a glorified hearse.
So, yes,Ghostbusters: Afterlifeis a more grandiloquent approach than the original flick.
Yet in its most graceful moments, it captures an unmistakable childhood magic.
And he wasnt the only one.
Single mother Callie (Carrie Coon) hasnt seen her own dad since she was an infant.
But dont mind him; the lads just bummed that he was forced to come to the sticks.
Luckily, his spirits soon lift because of the proverbial girl next door working at the local diner.
Bespectacled and introverted, shes aware that no one even acknowledges her dry wit.
At least no one alive.
Well,Afterlifedoesnt make that mistake.
Fortunately, it mostly works because of how winning thenew elementsare.
Wolfhard, whos trekked similar terrain before inStranger Things, thrives at playing the smartass here.
More winning still are Grace and Kim as the youngest Ghostbusters ever.
Yet its a virtue that whenGhostbusters: Afterlifeends, it leaves you wanting more.
Ghostbusters: Afterlifeopens on Nov. 19.
It debuted at New York Comic Con on Oct. 8.
Rating:
3.5 out of 5
