Ghostbusters Afterlife (12A): Simply Spooktacular!

Ghostbusters Afterlife delivers in terms of homages to the original and enjoyment, but does it abuse the nostalgia factor?

Emily Kelso
30th November 2021
Image Credit: IMDB
The 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife marks a continuation in the Ghostbuster franchise, seemingly overwriting the 2016 reboot. Unlike the reboot, this film has all of the spooks, both the blatantly obvious and more subtle homages and the enjoyment factor. It does, however, raise questions regarding how much films can play the nostalgia card without becoming a pointless rehashing.

I must state from the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Unlike the 2016 reboot, this Ghostbusters film felt like it introduced something new. The film had decent pacing and a decent enough storyline. I enjoyed meeting the characters; Paul Rudd was a particular delight, playing a loveable-if-slightly-bonkers character in which he excels but also could become typecast as. The ending was also particularly poignant, and the post-credit scenes (yes, the plural is deliberate) are a delightful nod to the past as well as setting the stage for the future.

However, I especially appreciated the decision to reuse the initial soundtrack - not just the iconic Ray Parker Jr hit - but also Elmer Bernstein's own theme

The film certainly has its drawbacks. I failed to understand why some people in this universe failed to believe in ghosts, especially considering this is set only 20-30 years after the events of Ghostbusters I and II. The plot and the antagonist also seemed too recycled from Ghostbusters lore, which raises questions as to what extent new films like Ghostbusters: Afterlife can rely on nostalgia.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife certainly doesn't shy away from its past, dropping both small and large hints, sometimes to the point of littering. However, I especially appreciated the decision to reuse the initial soundtrack - not just the iconic Ray Parker Jr hit - but also Elmer Bernstein's own theme from the original 1984 film. This is to be expected considering the film’s director is Jason Reitman, the son of the original director of the Ghostbusters films.

Paul Rudd is a treat... Image credit: IMDB

But does the film rely too heavily on nostalgia to draw fans in? To an extent I would agree, since so much of the plot is centred around previous characters and events, I fear that viewers new to the Ghostbusters films would not understand half of what is going on. For someone who has watched the originals, however, I find Ghostbusters: Afterlife to be an enjoyable jaunt with a mix of the new and old.

So what if it plays the nostalgia card? If anything, it empowers the viewer who understands all the references, whereas other franchises (cough Marvel cough) sometimes leave their viewers scratching their heads.

AUTHOR: Emily Kelso
Third year History and Archaeology student. Also a Comment Sub-Editor.

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