Eleven more days untilGhostbusters: Afterlifehits the theaters, and we finally get just a tiny taste of the return of the group of guys who started it all! The kids need some answers. When Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) picks up the phone, who’s she gonna call? You know it!
The film stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Paul Rudd, whileBill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts reprise their rolesfrom the original films. Set thirty years after the events of the second movie, a single mother and her two children move to a small town in Oklahoma, where they discover their connection to the originalGhostbustersand their grandfather’s secret legacy.
We have waited approximately 1 gazillion years for this. After a very long wait throughout a global pandemic,Ghostbusters: Afterlife is thisclose, and with every poster, trailer, teaser and tidbit released, the fans of the franchise are at the ready with their proton packs in tow, on the off chance they need our help. I made a little squeak in the theater this weekend when the trailer hit the big screen. I wasn’t the only one transported. Who’s pumped Jason Reitman felt the same way?
Director Jason Reitman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan, has been living in theGhostbustersworld created by father Ivan Reitman since he was seven years old. He knows the lore; he knows that it’s a precious treasure to the audience, and he is ready to not only wow us, but especially give it all he’s got for his dad and daughter. I feel confident that the next installment of our demon destroyers is in the perfect set of hands.
He know the audience, because he was the audience. Reitman says, “I wanted to make a movie for my father. And I wanted to make a movie for my daughter…Ghostbustersis one of those rare franchises, where it doesn’t belong to the filmmakers anymore. Unlike any other movie I’ve ever made, it doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t belong to my father. Technically it belongs to Sony, but really it belongs to all of you. …We wanted to make a movie that had mystery, had laughs, had you singing the theme song as you walked out of the movie theater. A film you could bring your families to.”
These last few months we have have been reintroduced to our childhood memories. We’ve seen ourTerror Dogs scrambling through Walmartto devour ourpoor Mr. Grooberson(Paul Rudd). We’ve watched in delight as Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) pulls off the tarp to reveal the Ecto-1. We’ve giggled at the displays of viciousness as those Mini Stay Puft pals take each other out with surprising originality. The equipment has been dusted off, and it looks like Mr. Grooberson has helped in unleashing the residents of Hell. The stage is set.
I asked a friend if I could pull off wearing my ‘busters gear to the theater. She thought the only downside was that I would be hard to pick out of the crowd in the sea of costumes. I’m doing it! SeeGhostbusters: AfterlifeNovember 19. Who ya go on a call?
