Longtime fans of the franchise have been patiently biding their time for over 30 years waiting for a direct sequel to the first two paranormal adventures, so a few months more shouldn’t be too much trouble for those desperate to see Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Jason Reitman keeps it all in the family by following in father Ivan’s footsteps, hoping to erase the wildly polarizing reception to Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot, which wound up becoming one of the most controversial and divisive blockbusters ever made. The first trailer promised a deft blend of nostalgia and new characters, and if Afterlife manages to straddle that divide successfully, then we could have a real winner on our hands.
The plot appears to hinge on Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, a fitting tribute to the only member of the original quartet to have passed away, with his family moving to a small town farm left behind in his will, only to discover that he was an integral part of the famed supernatural investigators and local New York City celebrities.
It’s a smart hook that roots the project firmly in the established mythology, while leaving the door wide open for both cameos from the legacy players and continued adventures built out from whatever direction the story winds up heading in. Not only that, but unsurprisingly, the MPAA has now officially rated Ghostbusters: Afterlife as PG-13 for containing ‘supernatural action and suggestive material.’
The canonical third installment is currently scheduled to hit the big screen in November, having been delayed a handful of times already from the original July 2020 date. And at the very least, it promises to be a vast upgrade from the last time we saw the titular team on the big screen, one that’ll hopefully send the fans home happy.