Tag: Movies

Written by: “The Watchman”

This is the review that I’m sure you came here to read. How does the new “Ghostbusters” outing from 2020 compare to the original two movies that it is trying to add on to? I was skeptical going into this movie, because I had heard very mixed reviews about it. The general consensus seemed to be “It’s above average, but they tried really hard, so go and watch it for that reason.” If the movie was only that good, I would have accepted it, but still been a little disappointed after watching the first two back-to-back before it. Let me tell you a little secret, though. The movie is much better than that. I loved it!

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” has a very different feel than the original two “Ghostbusters” movies. This takes a little getting used to. It’s directed by the son of the director of the original movie, and has a little bit different aura about it. It was quite a while into the movie before I came to a conclusion about how I felt about it. There was even a point in the middle where I missed the energy of the first two movies, but that feeling would pass as I drew closer to the ending.

One notable reviewer I trust found the movie to be too full of “member berries”, callbacks to previous movies in the franchise, but I never found that to be the case. The movie has a lot of callbacks to Ghostbusters I because it has some of the same antagonists as that movie, and, in many ways, continues the plot of the original “Ghostbusters” more than it does “Ghostbusters II”. Taking that into account, I never found its use of “member berries” to be excessive, and I usually smiled at the callbacks the movie included, especially since they were all so fresh in my mind from the last twenty-four hours of my weekend.

Overall, the movie is fun, and the characters, while different and new, are very likeable. At first glance, the protagonist, Phoebe, is usually exactly the kind of modern-day movie hero that I hate – a know-it-all girl that seems to be able to do anything without help… except that’s not who Phoebe is at all! She has a lot of trouble socializing and fitting in even with her own family, and seems to lack a clear idea of who she is, and what she even wants to do with her life, compensating for this with her incredible knowledge and analytical skills. Honestly, coming straight off Ghostbusters I and II, I simply nodded every time she did something strange, saying to myself, “Yep, that’s exactly how Egon would have been as a kid.” All this when combined with the talent of the actress, McKenna Grace, made me really like Phoebe and never once question her as the movie’s protagonist.

I liked her friends and family, as well, especially Paul Rudd’s character, not really finding any of them annoying (to my surprise), although I think I liked Phoebe’s brother the least out of the main cast of characters. Either him, or his love interest. It’s hard to decide, as both were a bit bland, but still acceptable.

Now let’s talk about the best part of the movie. Without getting too much more into the plot, I just have to say that the ending of the movie was so genuinely emotional that I actually shed a few tears, which is immensely rare for me. It felt both powerful and satisfying, making all the awkwardness and insecurity of the lead-up to the end absolutely 100% worth it.

While it’s a little slow coming, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” ends as a truly successful “Ghostbusters” reboot/sequel, one which in no way violates the canon of the original two movies, but, instead, adds much to it, and extends the time period of the original “Ghostbusters” movies to the present in a way that feels very much like a single, coherent cycle, and not just an unneeded tacked-on addition as so many reboot/sequels do these days. Making the ending even better are the two “After Credits” scenes, which are both fabulous.

Unlike “Ghostbusters I”, which I already owned, and “Ghostbusters II”, which I rented for $4, I had to actually buy “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” to watch it, and I feel every dollar was worth it to support an interesting, thoughtful, and truly fan-honoring conclusion to such a beloved science fiction trilogy, one which was arguably spit on by the recent ‘Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” “reboot” and really needed a win to redeem its good name.

While not a perfect movie by any measure, nor comparatively as good even as “Ghostbusters II” (although close), “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” definitely succeeds as a win for the franchise, albeit in a way that has its own unique feel that no other “Ghostbusters” movie has quite come close to capturing. It’s not as fast or as flashy or as funny as the original two movies, but it certainly has the same heart as them, and, in the end, I think that’s all that really matters.

Final Score: 8/10

“A satisfying, fan-honoring sequel to the beloved ‘Ghostbusters’ science fiction trilogy, one which has its own unique story to tell, and a new style to match, but which every true lover of the original movies will be hard-pressed not to be brought to tears by as it turns the original films into a complete and coherent trilogy.”

What’s next? “Who you gonna call?”

BACK TO “THE EYE OF ZATARA”

GHOSTBUSTERS

GHOSTBUSTERS II

By: “The Watchman”

I don’t think I have ever seen “Ghostbusters II”. I had heard that it wasn’t as good as the original, and was never inclined to watch it for that reason. Watching it back-to-back with the original movie, I must say that it was, however, a very good sequel, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

No, it is not as good as the original, but is that a fair comparison? How many movies are? It continued with the characters and concepts of 1984’s original “Ghostbusters” in a fun and believable direction that always left me wondering what would happen next. It was funny, too. It made me genuinely laugh out loud, which is very hard to do, proving the cleverness and quality of writing that Aykroyd and Ramis employed while trying to reach the bar of their original movie.

Is this Vigo character and his strange foreign henchman as intimidating as the hell hounds and glowing temple of Gozer the Gozerian from Ghostbusters I? No, not quite, but the… instrument… that the Ghostbusters used to help them reach Vigo in the final act made me genuinely smile with delight.

Seeing the interactions between Bill Murray’s character (Peter Venkman) and Sigourney Weaver’s character (Dana Barrett) once again, I was surprised by how much the addition of a baby added to the novelty of their strange “Will they? Won’t they?” romance. I also liked the addition of Rick Moranis’ character as a compliment to the Ghostbusters’ business, albeit still in the comic relief role we saw him fill from the first movie. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he put a giant “Dark Helmet” on his head, and started rambling about someone named “Lone Starr”. (Go watch “Spaceballs” if you don’t get that one. Another classic.)

As I said before, it’s true that “Ghostbusters II” is not as good as the original 1984 entry, but I’ve come to believe that focusing on that point is a red herring argument. “Ghostbusters II” is a very good movie that is worth watching. There are no qualifications that need to be added to the end of that sentence. Any franchise would be lucky to have a sequel of this quality, especially considering the kind of awkward place that Ghostbusters I ended, storywise, creating a difficult starting point for this sequel to work from.

All the main characters from the original movie are in this one, and are acting in character for themselves, although I guess you could also say that none of them really grew as a result of the first movie in a way that changed their characters all that much, if you really want to find something negative to say about this movie. That, and it is also a little hard to believe that all of New York simply forgot about ghosts after the events of the first movie and ruled the Ghostbusters off as charlatans, but the movie still manages to make it more or less believable.

Beyond all that, I really have nothing bad to say about this movie. It’s a solid 8.5/10.

Final Score: 8.5/10

“A solid sequel that brings us back to the world of the original ‘Ghostbusters’ in a way that feels exciting and interesting. All the characters you loved are back and ready to make you laugh out loud again, albeit one or two less times.”

What’s next? “Who you gonna call?”

BACK TO “THE EYE OF ZATARA”

GHOSTBUSTERS

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE

By: “The Watchman”

I’d forgotten how good the original Ghostbusters is. Or, rather, I don’t think I’ve ever really noticed. Not having gotten into Ghostbusters much as a kid (it released a year before I was born), it was just this weekend when I sat down with a critical eye to watch it that I realized just how perfectly crafted and clever it is.

The pacing is excellent. The jokes are funny. The characters are all memorable, while being very distinct from one another. Even the special effects don’t look too bad after all these years. I almost wish I had realized sooner how wonderful a movie this is, except that it would have taken from the joy I felt this weekend watching it for, what felt like, the first time.

The movie was genuinely funny. Several times, I repeated scenes to watch them again, especially the final scene in the mayor’s office, because they made me laugh and I wanted to go over them one more time before continuing the movie. Every scene has a point, and every plot point has a purpose. It laid the groundwork for an excellent science fiction universe.

While, admittedly, it didn’t easily lend itself to sequels, as the cast and crew had no idea, at the time they were making it, that the show would be such a standalone hit, it still has a lot of interesting ideas that I wanted to see more of after the movie ended. Hence, my continuation to the next entries in the trilogy.

Bill Murray really steals the show in many of the scenes. While Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are excellent (and wrote the script), Bill Murray’s charisma shines brightly throughout its most memorable moments, and his interactions with Sigourney Weaver were both genuinely engaging and also quite a bit odd. Rick Moranis’ character was a bit strange, but never really bothered me. Somehow, he always stayed believable, even while the unbelievable happened all around him.

I could continue rambling on about this movie for a while, but that would miss the point of a comparative three part review! I’ll just go ahead and grade this movie with the incredible 9.5/10 that it deserves, and let you go on to the next movies in sequence, now that the benchmark has been set by this irreplaceable piece of science fiction history. Let’s see how well the next two movies in the universe hold up to the original.

Final Score: 9.5/10

“Perfect in nearly every way, this movie’s greatest fault is making it difficult for writers to expand upon the narrative of its universe, and even more difficult for them to try to surpass it.”

What’s next? “Who you gonna call?”

BACK TO “THE EYE OF ZATARA”

GHOSTBUSTERS II

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE