Ok so if you're a 90s baby like me then Ghostbusters was something
that you probably saw in all aspects of your childhood. Whether it was the films, the cartoon
tv show or even just the weird and wonderful toys, the franchise had a massive impact.
Growing up I was obsessed with it and I remember as a kid being terrified of Vigo in Ghostbusters
2. Just something about a painting of a man looking menacing was absolutely horrifying and
it's something that made me wet the..sorry...stay up late at night unable to sleep.
Unfortunately after the first two movies released the franchise just seemed to fizzle out and though
I didn't really know why this was as a kid, there were a lot of things going on behind the scenes.
Ghostbusters 3 was pretty much stuck in development hell for several years
and though we got a video game that was supposed to work as a continuation of the story,
things just didn't feel the same.
In 2014 Harold Ramis sadly passed away and when we got the Ghostbusters reboot in 2016,
it felt like that was it in terms of a true sequel ever being created.
That movie was pretty much completely disconnected from the previous two films and though it had some
of the actors from the originals appear in cameo roles, they were completely different characters.
It felt like that was it and that Ghostbusters would remain as a product of it's time.
The original 1984 film is still a classic but after seeing the dismal 2016 reboot I
thought that it was the final nail in the coffin.
However there was still some hope after death...or afterlife of the franchise...look
I dunno, the puns ain't what they used to be.
This came when Sony announced that they were creating a sequel to the
original two movies and that a movie would follow Egon's daughter and her children.
Stranger Things clearly took a lot of inspiration from Ghostbusters and when
Finn Wolfhard was announced it seemed like perfect casting. Add to that Mckenna Grace,
who's one of the best child actors working right now, Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon and it did seem
like they were attempting to do something beyond just rehashing what we'd seen before.
Now Ghostbusters Afterlife is definitely from the school of Force Awakens when it
comes to basically remaking major elements of the first film but I think the casting
and characters does help to differentiate it. The film clearly leans into nostalgia
and though it is a bit member berries I think that movie does enough things with it's core
cast where it doesn't feel like you're just rewatching the first film all over again.
Now because of these new casting announcements, different story settings and of course the
death of Ramis, it did feel like we wouldn't really get a true reunion on screen. However
the movie actually ends with the group reuniting in order to take down Gozer
and save us from the evil ghosts that the entity was about to unleash on the world.
It's such a powerful scene and seeing the four standing together on screen again
brings every emotion flooding back from your childhood.
Now it's something that I never though we'd get even when watching the movie.
In the opening of the film we see Egon fleeing from Shandor Mining Co
and though it's a cool little tribute on my first watch I felt like they clearly had to hold back.
Egon is heavily basked in shadow, obscured from view and though it was a nice way to start the
movie, I thought that it was the closest we'd get to seeing him appear in the film.
Throughout his ghost somewhat acts as a guide to his granddaughter Pheobe
but it's clear that they're just implying he's there rather than actually showing him.
This is understandable as well. Over the last decade or so we've had several
characters return from the dead through the use of CGI. Whether it's Peter Cushing in Rogue One,
Carrie Fisher in Rise Of Skywalker or even Paul Walker in Fast And The Furious,
though these have helped with the story, something about them always felt a bit off.
More times than not, bringing a character back to life
is distracting and in the words of Malcolm from Jurassic park.
Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could,
they didn’t stop to think if they should.
Thus when I watched Afterlife for the first time I could understand why the opening was the way that
it was. It at least set things up for the future and the PKE meter that was dropped on the floor
would be somewhat of a passing of the torch from the old to the new.
Now the film culminates much in the same way that the events in the opening happened.
Gozer travels to Egon's farmhouse and the heroes attempt to trap it.
Things don't go easy and the vengeful spirit easily overpowers the family.
However at the last second Ray, Peter and Winston arrive. Seeing the three united on screen was one
of the biggest moments that I think I've had in a theatre over the last couple of years
and that's not just because the pandemic basically killed the cinema. Had Tobey and Andrew not shown
up a couple of months later then I think that this would've been the biggest moment for characters
returning this year and it's difficult not to well up when seeing them come back.
Well not me mate, I'm not crying you're crying.
Just hearing that bass note drop in as the proton packs power up is enough to shake your TV
and it's easily one of the best sound effects we've ever seen in cinema.
You really felt like the good guys had returned and
that they were gonna finally put an end to Gozer.
However, Gozer easily beats the trio and then all that was left was Pheobe to fight it off.
Standing their blasting the proton pack at Gozer it started to slowly walk towards the young girl
completely overpowering her. But you should never give up hope and when all felt lost
a ghostly hand came in and help Pheobe to steady her aim.
The music and sound effects cut out and there standing alongside his daughter was Egon,
back in his old Ghostbuster overalls.
This gave the other original members time to fire their weapons too and the scene culminates with
all four finally standing side by side in the reunion that we never thoughh was gonna happen.
I dunno how they managed to perfect the CG to this point that Ramis looks flawless
but it's difficult to even tell that this is an effect. Over the years Ramis sadly
had health issues and he contracted a disease that left him unable to walk.
However what the scene does is that it imagines Raimis as how the character Egon would've aged
but it also brings back the actor in somewhat his prime.
When we imagine the afterlife and being reunited with those we love
we often think about them at their best and not how we knew them before we said goodbye.
Having Raimis back from the Afterlife not only tied into the title
but it also gave the actors a chance to say goodbye.
In real life Ramis and Murray fell out during Groundhog day which the former directed. The
pair didn't speak for more than 20 years but just before his death, Murray ended up reaching out to
him and the pair buried the hatchet. Ramis was unable to talk through most of their
conversation and over several hours the pair went back and forth recounting their happy memories.
Murray ended up paying tribute to the actor at the 86th Academy Awards
and it is nice knowing that the two reconciled before Ramis passed away.
When someone passes away, we often regret the things we said and way that we acted with
them and I feel that this is somewhat reflected in the final things that the actors say to his ghost.
Winston says he should've called and that he misses him which I think is
a sentiment we can all relate to when thinking of those that have passed on.
Wisely the creative team chose not to have Egon speak either and this
somewhat stops the scene from feeling like there are any elements that could
take away from the sincerity of what's on-screen.
In the end the characters say goodbye to Raimis which is something that we must all
learn to do and he finally gets to build a bridge with the daughter that he left behind
and grandchildren he didn't get to spend time with. Callie hugs him as he fades into the ether
and we see the other characters crying which ey if this doesn't set you off I dunno what will.
I cried about 5 times when writing this script.
he vanishes into the starry night and the scene ends with the words For Harold,
making this one of the best send offs that we coudl've got.
We close out on Ecto-1 cruising through the streets which ends the film.
Now I'd of course love to hear your thoughts so make sure you comment below and let me know.
We're running a competition right now and giving away 3 copies of an MCU Boxset of your choice on
the 30th of January. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is like the video,
make sure you subscribe with notifications on and drop a comment below with your thoughts on
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If you want something else to watch then make sure you check out our
breakdown of perfect scene in Spider-Man Homecoming. We break down the entire thing
so it's definitely worth checking out if you wanna know more.
With that out the way thank you for sitting through the video,
I’ve been Paul and I’ll see you next time. Take care, Peace