REVIEW: GHOSTBUSTERS - AFTERLIFE

4/5

There's Something Stranger In The Neighbourhood

124 Mins. Starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, Celeste O'Connor, Bokeem Woodbine & Paul Rudd. Director: Jason Reitman. 

I ain't afraid of no female reboot! Before we cross the streams and get into this, yeah, I said it. Who ya gonna call up on social media to cancel me? And now I've got the two biggest puns out of the way for the fellow Dad joke crowd, let's not make a mockery of the Saturday Night Live crew that were more than a skit. They were actually the s###! They deserve better than, "there hasn't been a ghost sighting in almost 30 years." Ouch! Paul Feig's 2026 proton pack reboot answered the call in a different way like the God of Thunder, Thor, Chris Hemsworth's scene slime stealing receptionist. Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and the electric licking Kate McKinnon were a band of boiler jumpsuit heroes that led the way for all 'Wonder Women' and 'Captain Marvel's' you see today in female fronted franchises like 'Oceans 8' and even 'The 355', spying, it's way to Japanese big screens this week too. The first one through the wall is always bloody. Especially when toxic masculinity like Trump has access to a smartphone and the Presidency. But for all the critical lasering this 'Ghostbusters' franchise got, there is an 'Afterlife' that will have you, hook and ladder. Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel limo-style endloader combination in an Ambulance conversion (or, simply put, the Ectomobile) driving back home like you in 'Planes Trains and Automobiles' this Christmas gone for a thanksgiving film (yeah, we know we're late, but this is Japan. If someone told me I'd be lost in translation in my dream home and the only problem was I'd be late for movie reviews and face social media scorn from those who write in emojis, I'd say "giddy up" like Kramer) that thankfully wasn't a turkey as it gobbled up the gross on its own Macy's Day Parade. Even if the infamous, 80's iconic, blown-up, 'Godzilla' sized Marshmallow Man has been 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids' reduced to the Minion size of the latest Baby Groot or Grogu (it's still Baby Yoda to us), too cute to not market as this seasons must have toy. Stay puft!

Call 555-2368 (it's always "555" as Dave Chappelle once said, "hello is Indiana Jones there? No motherf#####! He's fake. This isn't his number). This is busting with nostalgia to the expanding, microwavable marshmallow packet's plastic bursting seams. All for those who danced at many an 80's birthday party to Ray Parker's iconic catchphrased theme tune like Peter Griffin, 'Beverly Hills Cop' for this thriller. That's what you get when you have son of Ivan like Drago, Jason Reitman (a dab 'Thank You For Smoking', 'Juno' and 'Up In The Air' directing hand himself) to right the ship. Writing alongside original SNL and Ghostbuster and concept creator Dan Aykroyd, whilst he trades places with his dad who remains on proton production detail? So does this mean that in tribute to the late, great Harold Ramis we'll get some classic cameos (unlike the awkward, out of character 2016 ones) like everyone good times craves for in this movie multi-verse as some of your favourite ghosts are getting old? Coming out the shell of this ghost trap and back onto the big screen as Paul Rudd tentatively taps it in the trailer. Well just like the latest 'Spider-Man'. There's no way we'll tell like spoiling 'No Way Home'. Besides that's what a Google search is for. Even if everybody knows one way or another in this cat out of the bag time and trend of social media. Here's an alert for you, we won't tell. I didn't know...and it had been months. One person reading this review (it usually is one person) may have no idea...and until they take it to the classic cinema, we want to keep it that way. Let it just be a tease like the trailers Superman like closet of suits and the glimpse of that iconic logo on the car door as the tarp gets pulled and the flashlight on cue goes out. Feel the shiver down your spine yet? This kills it like ghostface. It's a scream, buster!  

Stranger things in the neighbourhood go full circle in this supernatural horror comedy classic. After donning the classic Ghostbuster outfit with his gang of goonies for Halloween in Season 2 of Netflix's 'Stranger Things', Finn Wolfhard brings those strange days back out the doors like he did with Chapter 2 of Stephen King's 'IT'. And this like Mike fellow suit-up is on a meta O'Shea Jackson Jr. holding his newborn self as he played pops as Ice Cube in the N.W.A. biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' level. This young wolf, going hard, driving the car like a Murakami Japanese adaptation is the face of this franchise. Although the mothership of TV's 'The Leftovers', 'Fargo' and movies from 'Gone Girl', to Proxima Midnight in 'Avengers: Infinity War', Carrie Coon, one of the hardest working in the industry gets top, deserved billing here as the heart of this family picture in a broken frame, dusted off the floor of this farmhouse. Still, the soul of this story from the soil is 'Gifted' young actress Mckenna Grace with exactly her last name. Gunning and riding sidecar to this Ectomobile, popping out like a Millennium Falcon. She's already solved math and family problems with Captain America ad nausea, climbing up his legs for a wonderful movie. And now going full Ramis in this frizzy spectacle she's the true north star of this show. Even providing some boom bap to the soundtrack, as this singer gifts us with a 'Haunted House' set to rock it like DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, doing her best Will Smith 'Man In Black' music and movies inspired impression. Those who thought they were rid of a 'Ghostbusters' led by girl proton power, back off man...she's a scientist too. Add podcast kid Logan Kim scene stealing with the cuteness and Celeste O'Connor making her own lane after 'Freaky' and 'Selah and the Spades' and we are really on to something. Not to mention her sheriff Dad played by character actor great Bokeem Woodbine (who really had that and more with his safe house cameo in the movie that you just have to see, 'Queen and Slim') and everybody's favourite actor and lovable Hollywood legend like Jeff Goldblum, Keanu Reeves and Bill Murray, 'Ant-Man' himself Paul Rudd (forget if Bill's here, how about Murray in a Marvel movie for 'Quantumania'?). All crossed together this shoots straight for the heart of matters and a beautiful tribute to Ramis that will have you taking off your glasses to wipe your eyes. And as for this franchise back and rendering the last one unlicensed with nuclear acceleration, why worry? There's still life in this old ghost yet. For Harold. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'Ghostbusters (1984)', 'Ghostbusters (2016)', 'Stranger Things'.