DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman
WRITERS: Dan Aykroyd, Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan
STARRING: Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Fin Wolfhard, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Annie Potts and JK Simmonds
For all you GHOSTBUSTER fans out there, you know, those of us who will stop whatever we are doing every time we see, or hear the 1984 original film playing on the small screen at home…this fabulous film is most definitely for you…as we find ourselves venturing into the lives of single Mom Callie (Carrie Coon), her son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), as they have no choice but to leave their happy home. When Callie’s father leaves her and her brood his farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, they decide it’s time to check out every nook and cranny, to see what Callie’s Father has been doing for years and years and years, cooped up all alone.
But when Phoebe uncovers the most amazing things, that apparently capture ghosts…it isn’t too long before Phoebe, and her new friend Podcast (Logan Kim) find themselves fact to face with a nasty little phantasm, but don’t worry, they’re not afraid of no ghosts…
And when Trevor and his friends find what seems to be an ancient temple, full of unexplained beings…it’s going to take everyone, including Phoebe’s summer school instructor Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), and some of grandpa’s long-lost buddies along the way too, to once again save our world from the hands of that nasty being with the very short haircut, and her sidekicks too 😉
a I give GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE a rating of 8/10 – A fun trip into yesteryear isn’t the half of this wonderful film, as Jason Reitman does not only his father proud, but Harold Ramis’ memory proud too, as I waited with bated breath to see everyone, and everything I loved from the 1984 classic, back on the big screen. The storyline is nearly perfect, as the way that they intertwined all the magic of the original film into every fiber of this one was fantastic. I truly couldn’t wait to see all the hidden gems from the original arrive at present day, leaving me at a couple moments in time while watching, with a slight tear in my eye. And as special as the old cast was, and still is, the newbies are pretty special this time around too, as seeing Mckenna Grace back on screen in this commanding role throughout was a dream come true, as I totally fell in love with her performance on screen in 2017’s GIFTED, playing opposite Chris Evans. Logan Kim…aka, Podcast, was pretty special along the way too, playing Phoebe’s one and only friend in this world, and the one that always has the line to make you chuckle, which totally keeps this film going. And once Dan Aykroyd appears on screen, the magic of this fabulous film intensifies, as the storyline continues to unfold into one of the best sequels, I’ve seen in quite some time. So, with all these fabulous reasons to go see this one, why not rate it a 10/10? Well…truth be told, as wonderfully crafted as this storyline was, there was a part of this one that didn’t quite work, involving JK Simmons, as this angle went totally nowhere, and it just left me scratching my head, wondering if it was a sideline of the story that we decided not to travel down, or if we let the editors leave that part of the film, and why JK Simmons was involved at all, all over the editing room floor. I also felt that in the homage of it all too, they should have given more screen time to the original cast, as I wanted to see more of everyone along the way once they arrived. But, with that said, maybe that’s part of “the plan” for a next installment, as mark my words, we’ve set the stage with this one, for the Ghostbusters franchise to just keep going from here…
8/10
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 