I’ll admit: I did not watch the first two Ghostbuster movies in theaters — I wasn’t even alive when they came out. However, when another installment to the Ghostbusters story released on November 19th, I was naturally excited. 

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” continues the storyline from the first two films. The story takes place in rural Oklahoma in the present day. Almost 40 years have passed since the ghostbusting in New York City, and the ghosts are back again. 

Jason Reitman — son of Ivan Reitman, the director of the original two Ghostbuster movies — directed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and he did not disappoint. 

The ghostbusting

Just like how Ivan Reitman handed the reins to his son, the original ghostbusters handed the reins to a newer generation of ghostbusters, featuring the daughter and grandchildren of Egon Spengler. Additionally, the movie features cameos from the three remaining original ghostbusters. 

The characters interact and play off each other well: they are all likable and relatable. This leads to many humorous moments throughout. 

The score deserved much praise; Rob Simonsen took from the work of Elmer Bernstein’s original score and built upon it. The result was an amazing blend of the initial themes with a natural expansion that did not seem forced. 

All of these aspects mark it as a continuation of the original storyline with its own modern twist. This movie contained many homages to the originals, referencing back to the initial versions often. 

The busts

However, there were a couple of points within the movie that I personally felt needed some improvements. 

Although in many ways the movie was a bridge that connected the previous films to potential future ones, I would have preferred a unique antagonist instead of a revived villain. However, this Ghostbusters movie may have attempted to wrap up loose ends, and it does so by reintroducing a previous villain. 

There were also some characters in the film like Paul Rudd’s Gary Grooberson who did not play a large role in the franchise yet. 

Conclusion

All in all, I enjoyed watching this film. The plot is interesting, the visuals are great, and it contains many Easter eggs — what else can you ask for?

The ending sets up for more sequels to come as well. Pick up your proton packs and start up your ECTO-1 because after all, who you gonna call?