The 80's love letter we needed

Are you troubled by a distinct lack of strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience a need for dread in your basement or attic? Do you or any of your family wish to see a spook, specter or ghost? If that’s the case, then it’s my pleasure to announce the Ghostbusters are truly back, and they are ready to believe you.

I will admit, I did have reservations about “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” initially, especially after the fiasco that was “Masters of the Universe: Revelations.” I had largely lost hope in reboots of the franchises I grew up with. That being said, this film immediately grabbed my attention from the very beginning and brought me right back to my childhood.

Much like the original movie, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” uses a delicate balance of comedic and darker tones while presenting its story. The start of the movie, much like the start of the original, is portrayed as a horror movie with the character Egon Spengler being attacked by a ghost. The audience is then taken through a wild, “Goonies”-like ride following Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Podcast (Logan Kim) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) as they learn what happened with Egon Spengler and eventually face off against the returning villain Gozer.

I should note that while this film is sort of passing the torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters, with Grace’s character Phoebe taking on Spengler’s mantle, the original characters of the franchise aren’t forgotten and the passing itself is done very naturally. Viewers catch pretty much every member of the cast on screen with the exception of Louis Tully, the Ghostbusters’ accountant in the original movies.

While there is much more I could say about my love for this film, I do have some quick grievances. First off, the soundtrack is amazing and all the songs are revamped versions of the classic orchestral pieces from the original film. However, I would have loved to have seen some 80’s pop songs sprinkled in, similar to the original film. Second, the film is paced just a bit too quick for my liking, which causes some problems with the final battle against Gozer as it feels just a tad anticlimactic for all the buildup. I feel like even just an extra thirty minutes of runtime would’ve really balanced the pacing out.

That being said, my grievances are overall pretty minor compared to just how much this movie got right for me. If you’re a fan of 80’s titles like I am, I recommend you go and see it for yourself. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is well worth it.