Some might feel this is too much of a mix bag. For one, it presents itself as a direct sequel to the two pre-2000 Ghostbusters (1984, 1989) movies. On the other hand, it’s very much a tween-adventure more reminiscent of that period with the tenuous of links to the original movies from which it derives its name. Part of it is likely meant to appeal to fans of the old while introducing all that to the next generation… or more likely appeal to fans of the original who might want to share some of that nostalgia with their kids or grandkids.
After all, the story does take place in present day and is two generations removed from the original Despite being overshadowed in the credits by more popular names, the movie belongs more to McKenna Grace’s Phoebe who is very much embodying the spirit of original Ghostbuster (and her in-story grandfather) Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis).
Following a reasonably spooky prologue, the movie follows Callie (Carrie Coon) as she is evicted from her apartment and subsequently moves to a very out of the way little town somewhere in Oklahoma (I think) with her kids, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace). The somewhat dilapidated house and farmland was left to her by her recently deceased dad, whom the townsfolk refer to as “The Dirt Farmer.”
It’s mostly Phoebe poking around due to her natural curiosity that we ultimately learn that her grandfather was Egon, although fans of the original would have known that from the opening. Take it as it is, however, and it’s very much her adventure as she discovers her grandfather, the mysteries of the little town’s odd earthquakes, and the ties to, and reprise of, the original’s plot. She is aided first by her fellow oddball classmate, ‘Podcast’ (Logan Kim), then her summer school teacher and part time seismologist, Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd) who takes a shine to Callie.
Meanwhile, Trevor connects with he local kids by taking a job at the local diner and befriends ‘Lucky’ (Celeste O’Conner), and he discovers the original Ecto-1 in the barn and proceeds to fix it. Everyone gets a little piece of the puzzle and it all comes together in a conveniently (story-wise) organic way. In that, the movie does take its time to build the new characters, town, situation and little drips of info in the first hour before things kick up a gear.
In that, as mentioned above, it’s like a tween adventure of the period it’s trying to emulate. If it doesn’t call back Ghostbusters, it may do a little callback to The Goonies (1985) instead; kids trying to get things done while the adults… well, you know how that goes.
And also because it’’s tying things back to the original 1984 flick, there’s a kind of rehash in how some things play out, and some cutesy (or annoying, depending on mood) little callbacks like the “Are you a God?” moment.
Still, Grace carries much of the movie very ably and she gets very solid support from primarily Kim and Rudd. From the tussled hair and the glasses to Phoebe’s scientific curiosity and know-how, she very much carries the spirit of Harold Ramis, and director Jason Reitman plays into that as best as he can.
Reitman also downplays the CGI effects, using it only judiciously as needed (only two major effects houses in the credits? How rare for such a major release) quite likely relying on the same practical effects used in the original. He manages to balance the drama, humour, and the action very well, with a keen eye to how capable the kids can be within the story. In that, his greatest resource is his fellow screenwriter Gil Kenan, who wrote that solid kiddie horror adventure, Monster House (2006).
As a whole, and taken as it is, this is very much a light adventure story with some very real dangers for the kids in the story. They are the ones driving the story and the adventure more than the few grown-ups around. The call-backs and tributes are nice, and even without the reference, they do work for the most part. There is a little silly scene post titles with a late cameo, and a post titles scene that makes use of an original deleted scene and sets up a little something for a potential sequel.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 /4
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan
Stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Conner, with Bokeem Woodbine, Annie Potts, Dan Ackroyd, JK Simmons
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[…] illustrated forms. The first cinematic reboot wasn’t well received that a revival was mooted. The second attempt took a slightly different tack and played on nostalgia bringing enough success to bring us this […]
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