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How is it that Gary Grooberson is one of the few people who remembers the events of the original "Ghostbusters" movie and holds them in such high esteem when details on what happened are readily available on one of the internet's most frequently visited websites? I'll concede that there's a lot of nonsense on the internet that seems unbelievable, so maybe after so many decades this stuff feels like a hoax, even though I'm not sure anyone would forget the Statue of Liberty walking down the streets of New York. Anyway, Grooberson is curious as to why Summerville is experiencing daily seismic activity without any of the traditional causes, and he's shocked and pleased to have someone like Phoebe take an interest in his work.įirst of all, it's sloppy as hell that Phoebe's supernaturally inclined friend Podcast, a character name that feels like it came from someone who mistakenly belives they understand the youths, knows nothing about the Ghostbusters, especially when you find out that videos and information about the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984 are easily available on YouTube. Whenever movies like "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" are devoid of better comedy, it makes me wish someone like Patton Oswalt was on call for this kind of script doctoring all the time.
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That's not to say there aren't some greatly amusing bits throughout, but there are also some painfully unfunny moments that prove this script needed a pass by a full-on comedy writer. But we'll get to that later.Įnter Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson, the summer school teacher who's more concerned with his seismology research than educating kids.The cynicism with regards to the educational system in America, whether it's at the university or middle school level, is one of the more commendable comedic efforts in the script, mostly because there are fewer laughs here than in the original franchise.
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However, that inciting incident and the history that comes with it isn't nearly as strong as the film would have you believe. The simple answer is because that would upset the inciting incident that sets the entire movie in motion. The problem is that the overwhelmingly inflated sense of nostalgia, reverence, and sentimentality takes the place of coherent storytelling and completely betrays the original characters, while introducing a promising set of new ones who get caught up in a messy, misguided blockbuster.įirst up, Phoebe discovers the ghost trap that contains whatever spirit that Egon Spengler caught before his death at familiar hands that erupted out of his living room recliner in a sequence that calls back to Sigourney Weaver's possession in "Ghostbusters." Why this moment doesn't play out in the same way with Egon being possessed and used to dismantle his own makeshift, world-saving device that will be revealed in the second act is beyond me.
GHOST BUSTERS FULL
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is so chock full of nostalgia that it's basically a feature-length version of the now-meme-friendly moment in "The Avengers" where Captain America casually confirms, "I understood that reference." That's coming from the kind of "Ghostbusters" fan who has reveled in nostalgia, has been hoping for a proper "Ghostbusters" sequel for decades, and couldn't wait to see the old team in the jumpsuits and proton packs again. In the case of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," director Jason Reitman promised "the biggest Easter egg hunt of all time" as he rounded up every possible reference to "Ghostbusters" and, to a lesser extent, "Ghostbusters II." Unfortunately, an Easter egg hunt does not a great movie make. As Hollywood continues to revive old franchises for new generations, the road most traveled is the legacy-quel that brings back all the familiar story beats, characters, and winking references to their predecessors.