Title - Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Production - Sony Pictures
Starring - Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Celeste O'Connor, JK Simmons, Bokeem Woodbine, Olivia Wilde, Tracy Letts, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts
Writer - Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
Director - Jason Reitman
Release - 19 November 2021
This was a great new cast for the franchise. But I'm appalled that Mckenna Grace's name was not the first to come out when the credits rolled, instead it was Finn Wolfhard, then Carrie Coon, then finally Grace. Something is really wrong here. Clearly Grace was the protagonist.
Not only that, this little lady can really act. I have been a fan since Gifted where her acting made Chris Evans looked amateurish. Here, with the hair and the personality, she was almost unrecognizable. And whenever she was onscreen she commanded presence. Wolfhard and Coon were clearly playing co-star.
Newcomer Logan Kim has quickly become a favourite in this movie with his comedic sidekick role. He was one of the best things in this movie.
The magic of this franchise really came together again in that first Ecto-1 car chase sequence as the kids made their first capture. The thrill of the chase that ended up with a crescendo as the ghost get sucked into the trap. The kid in me raised both hands into the air and cheered.
Jason Reitman got this movie right. He has breathed new life into the franchise as he captured the spirit of the original movie. But there were still somethings that baffled me. Every time we went into the town, be it the streets or in the Walmart, they always seemed deserted. Where were the people in this town? It's the kind of lazy decision making that skipped logic for the sake of convenience and, to me, this is what I call lazy movie making.
And finally, that third act - such a dilemma as I'm thinking about it even now. Was it great to see the original Ghostbusters back in action with their proton pack? Hell, yes. Was it great to see Harold Raimis? Hell, yes. But something was really off. The original cast had a different tone in their comedy and banter. And strangely enough, it didn't gel well with this tone. The lines that Bill Murray had to throw out, the sideway glances, it's as if they were from another universe and they stood out like three sore thumbs.
Unfortunately, as Reitman tried to include the original cast with more than just celebrity-type cameos, the film kind of suffered a little.
And I'm not a fan of how no one in that town knew who the heroes of the day were. I wished it could have ended differently.
No comments:
Post a Comment