It is always a lot of fun to watch a long-awaited blockbuster on a Friday night with a large crowd and I definitely had a great time watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife last night! After Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis via archival footage and CGI) dies under mysterious circumstances, his estranged daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two children, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace), relocate to his creepy and isolated farmhouse near Summerville, Oklahoma. A series of unusual earthquakes are occurring in Summerville and Phoebe eventually learns that the imminent return of Grozer is causing them and that her grandfather was preparing for it. Phoebe, who is scientifically inclined, restores all of the ghost catching equipment and Trevor, who is mechanically inclined, restores the Ecto 1. They also enlist the help of Phoebe's science teacher Gary (Paul Rudd), Phoebe's friend Podcast (Logan Kim), and Trevor's crush Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) to fight Grozer when it finds a new Gatekeeper and Keymaster. This reminded me a lot of The Force Awakens in that it pays homage to the original characters, the aforementioned Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), and Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), while introducing audiences to a new generation who are taking up the mantle of catching ghosts with a story that follows the same beats as the original. It was also a very similar viewing experience to the one I had when I saw The Force Awakens the first time because the audience cheered when each original Ghostbuster, the Ecto 1, and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man appeared on screen. I didn't really mind all of the nostalgia because there are some great action sequences and a nice character arc for Phoebe, who finds an affinity with her grandfather after feeling like a misfit all of her life. If nothing else, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is certainly entertaining and fans of the franchise are sure to enjoy it.
Note: There is a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene setting up a possible sequel.
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