Ray J's Review - "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"

Fun fact: While I have seen it in bits and pieces, I just watched the original "Ghostbusters" completely in full for the first time just a few weeks ago😅👻 I can confidently say that while I felt it was just a tad bit slow in the beginning, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is oozing with fun! I loved the refreshing rural setting compared to the big city, plus it's nostalgic in all the right ways! The intense third act will have fans of the original cheering, while at the same time possibly shedding a tear👍👍👻🎬

"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" takes place in present day, 2021...37 years after the events of the original 1984 "Ghostbusters" film. After being evicted, single mother Callie (played by Carrie Coon), also the estranged daughter of Dr. Egon Spangler (one of the original Ghostbusters) travels with her two kids, Phoebe (played fantastically by McKenna Grace), and Trevor (played by Finn Wolfhard) to the rural-farm town of Summerville, Oklahoma, where they move into the farm house that her late father has left them. Phoebe never got the chance to meet her grandfather, but has more in common with him than she realizes. She is socially awkward, highly intelligent, and super into science just as Egon was. Callie enrolls Phoebe into summer school where she meets a friend who goes by the name "Podcast" (played by Logan Kim), and is also intrigued to find out that her teacher, Gary Gruberson (played by Paul Rudd) is a bit of science nerd himself! In the meantime, Trevor gets a job at a local old school diner, after meeting a girl named Lucky (played by Celeste O'Connor) who he has a crush on, and who also works there. Fate soon begins to unfold as Phoebe finds a PKE meter, and is led by an unseen force to find a ghost trap, while Trevor discovers the iconic Ectomobile. After bringing in these devices she found into school one day, Gary soon informs her that these were used by the Ghostbusters in the 1980's. Now aware that her grandfather was a Ghostbuster, Phoebe is intrigued, and so is Podcast. So they start playing around with the devices😂 After a thrilling successful first ghost entrapment, with Trevor at the wheel of the Ectomobile, the kiddos make a chilling supernatural discovery, and all I'll say is it connects back to the original film😉 Now, Phoebe, Trevor, Podcast, (and also Lucky) must figure out to stop what (...who) is coming👻😬🤔 Who ya gonna call? (Ugh...it's not as easy as it used to be in the 80's😂)

"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is not only a nostalgic, and really fun time at the movies, but potentially an emotional and moving one for fans of the franchise as well👻🎬💚 I mean the whole movie is great, but the third act is what will really get you🙂🤐 It's as surprising, as it is beautiful!

As far as characters and performances, McKenna Grace as the lead (Phoebe) really knocked it out of the park! While it's not said, and I'm not completely positive, there were times that I thought to myself that maybe the character of Phoebe was on the autism spectrum, or has Asperger's, (which I have myself). It would make sense, because actor Dan Akroyd, one of the creators, and who also plays one of the original Ghostbusters (Dr. Raymond Stantz), is on the spectrum💚 I also really enjoyed Logan Kim (as Podcast)! He was very funny, and those facial expressions though😂

Consensus: "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is a nostalgic blast, with an intense, and moving third act filled with surprises😏👻💚🙏

The Ray J's Reviews rating is:

5 out of 5 lime green hearts

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