Ghostbusters Afterlife (Jason Reitman)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118200279#Comment_118200279

No, it was awful. But in the current era, it seems we are disallowed to say that, certainly among the woke generation in my house

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118200541#Comment_118200541

I was thinking the same thing about the phone call - some more thought should have been put into why no one believed Egon. I think they could have had them gone their separate ways first and given Ray some reason to not believe Egon.

I disagree the reunion was shoehorned in - it was a nice way to have the old team come to the rescue without having outshine the kids.

If they had a scene of Ray reaching out to the others it would have ruined the surprise

Need a Username

The sound of the siren was great - been so long since I had seen the originals that I had forgot about it.

Is the siren a unique sound effect for the movies or is it real siren from an ambulance, etc in the US?

santana75

Saw it earlier today and after a really good first 20 minutes or so it just decended into meh after that. Its not a terrible film but not a good one either. Ghostbusters was lightning in a bottle, it had a magic you just can't reproduce and I'm thankful for that because it leaves film making in the realm of art and not manufacturing. Hollywood will always try to replicate previous successes but it rarely if ever works and here it just doesn't work. Personally I think it was a mistake having the new Ghostbusters be kids. The original cast were all grown men and its easy to get behind grown men as heroes saving the world. I just couldn't get on board with children being the heroes. The music score was good, I actually thought it was john Williams and it looks great. The acting is solid but it's all a bit flat and even the scenes that were meant to tug at the heartstrings left me feeling cold and slightly manipulated.

silverharp

its not a film I had any interest in seeing , on the face of it seems like trying to rope in Bond fans in to see Spykids (exaggerating) . I saw a tweet saying the film had the same opening as GB2016 , so if there is a lesson there its make the budgets smaller and you might end up with a tighter less bloated film. I dont think the film is expected to make a ton of money but it will get it money back anyway.

Skyknight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118203890#Comment_118203890

I think its a Jaguar/Leopard growl, increased in pitch and reversed and speed up.

I absolutely loved it.

Nice hit of nostalgia, some really good performances from the kids and family friendly without being too sanitised.

A nice film that isn't groundbreaking but a lovely couple of hours viewing

doney84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118203744#Comment_118203744

Oh I agree it was nice to have them back and help without outshining the kids but maybe a quick scene with Ray realising he may have been wrong and trying to get a hold off Peter & Winston but with little success as they are now leading busy lives. Show him panic a bit and leave us wondering can he get the band back together for one last tune ... Then when it looks like the kids have bitten off more than they can chew in steps the old guard.

To be honest it's fine the way it is and the newer generation won't care much the way it was done, just the fan in me that's waited 32 years to revisit these characters I would have liked to see a bit of interaction between them before going into battle one last time.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118207835#Comment_118207835

The way Ray softened when he heard Egon had died and discovering the kid on phone was the granddaughter was an indicator that Ray was going to arrive at the farm. I was expecting to be before the final showdown for a bit training the kids.

Once the fight was underway then I thought “okay Ray will arrive afterward” and there would a nice funeral for Egon.

I really wasn’t expecting Venkman and Winston - because Murray only does Wes Anderson movies and Hudson always seemed to be short changed in the movies. And Murray was always saying no to more Ghostbusters.

I now now that the trailers ruined the surprise for many people but not showing Ray after the sheriff cuts off the call make the trios entrance much better.

And I certainly didn’t expect Egon to be a part of the reunion :)

Sleepy

An absolute love-letter to the original and the fans. We took the kids on Friday, neither a big fan of the originals tbh but both Stranger Things fans and the 16 year old of pretty much everything 80's at the moment (I can't believe kids these days are now looking on the 80's in the same way I looked at the 60's in my own youth!). They absolutely loved it and so, I have to say, did I.

The throwbacks to the original weren't overly jarring imo: finding the ghost-busting gear was always going to be necessary for the next generation (it stretched credulity having Phoebe repair a proton pack - albeit with assistance from the ghost of her grandfather - re-inventing one would have been ridiculous, particularly when the family were shown to be broke). The most egregious case of "memberberries" was the Stay Puft man and given that there were cheers when they appeared in our screening, it was well done fan-service.

The Mark Kermode review is more a response to his perceived unfairness of the drubbing the 2016 got than a balanced review of this film. The 2016 reboot was ill-conceived (having nothing more than a gender swap to offer is never going to deliver real results) and while it was unfailry derided online before it even hit the screens: crucially, it did nothing to rebut the criticism: it was a sexist, beat-for-beat remake that was ultimately a waste of a good cast.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118188157#Comment_118188157

For Harold 😢

BlitzKrieg

Finally had time to go myself tonight. Went in with fairly low expectations and it came out a small bit better then expected, mostly for the first act which kind of works I feel. To the extent that it kept my attention, there was a bit more humor then I was expecting which was good. Maybe a few too many characters (honestly the brother and love interest are almost pointless) but if it's going somewhere it's a solid footing.

Then the first ghost chase happened and the film peaked and it was all downhill pretty much after that. I was somewhat confident who the film was made for in the first half, in the second half I honestly couldn't tell, there's dropping nostalgia beats and then there's going through the some plot motions of the original with none of the charm. So is it for people who dont know the original film and all these plot details are new? Or is it fans who just like the idea of knowing whats going to happen in advance?

I'm not as harsh as Johnny Ultimate overall but he is right on the film's third act being a trainwreck. Though I am probably not as harsh because I was well prepared in advance for the 'reveal' of a specific character. But it just becomes all so boring and not just because it's repeating plot points, it's also just not very well shot or exciting in the last third.

Which made me realize this ironically has the same problem as Ghostbusters 2016

the actual ghostbusting is not very interesting or well done in either film. I didnt find the action set pieces very exciting in either film and to be fair neither director is known for shooting action so that might explain that.

so it's a 5/10 or 6/10 film, I liked Mckenna Grace and a fair bit of the first half, but I was bored when it became clear they were rinsing and repeating*

*on a side note

Spoiler Warning

The Ivo Shandor tease must really hurt fans of the ghostbusters game and the rumored discarded ghostbusters 3 script and any hope I had for this film to do something interesting in the 3rd act.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118211015#Comment_118211015

Ths is a wonderful review, thank you. Kind of what i was expecting from the film, tbh.

I don't know when or if I'll get to see it in the cinema, my life is somewhat fraught at the moment, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118211015#Comment_118211015

I wonder if anyone has pointed out to Kermode that he is one the one being unfair this time :p

johnny_ultimate

Kermode’s absolutely bang on with this one IMO.

py2006

Saw it yesterday and have to say I enjoyed it and it wasn't as bad as I thought it may have been. It did drag on a bit in places and I think they could have done so much more with the original cast.

The kids performances were really good, especially that of Pheobe Spengler and the other kid she befriended (can't think of his name).

The post initial end credits scene was excellent too.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118217138#Comment_118217138

Podcast, he was great

El Gato De Negocios

Saw it last night. Im a massive fan of the original and its something I watch at least once a year. Afterlife, its something I will probably watch again at some point in the future when my own kids are old enough but other than that, Id have no real inclination to revisit. Some subtle and not so subtle nods to the original, its certainly geared towards fans of the original but will it resonate with a new audience in 2021 the way it did in 1984? I doubt it. Twas a grand, passable, relatively enjoyable way to spend 2 hours. It was also a nice tribute to Harold and I'll admit to having a small lump in my throat at the end. 6/10.

AMKC

I went and scene this Monday evening. I must say I thought the beginning dragged on and if you cut that first 20 to 30 mins out of the film it would be no worse for it. I did not think Phoebs jokes were great. They were very dry. Podcast what a stupid name for someone. I found him annoying. I loved the subtle and not so subtle nods to the original and loved all the end scenes. Loved the music too it was all perfect.

I would give the film a 7 out of 10 rating.

py2006

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118223962#Comment_118223962

I thought Podcast was like a modern day version of Data from the Goonies!

ThePott

Realised I hadn't shared my thoughts on the film yet. I really liked the film overall more so in the first half than the second.

That being said I had a sort of guilty fun with the second half reboot elements while acknowledging it was pretty lazy and unoriginal. It was great seeing the Ghostbusters suit up again but would have loved to see more of them outside of the action in the finale. The film was totally carried by McKenna Grace who did a fantastic job. Finn Wolfhard was fine but don't think his character was all that interesting. Was surprised at how little Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd were in it. I enjoyed it even though it was a lot of nostalgia bait at points and hope it means for a sequel that goes somewhere new.

As always I did a video review if people are interested to hear my thoughts in more detail.

https://youtu.be/aL1LoQs85Kw

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118223962#Comment_118223962

Pheobe’s jokes were not supposed to be funny. That was the point. They even brought it up very early in in the movie. Callie is trying to get the kid to be something she is not in order to fit in. And Pheobe’s real sense of humour is dry.

You are not the first person to complain about Podcast’s name and it is a complaint that I don’t understand - what is it about the Podcast that is stupid? Are people offend that the movie is mocking “podcast culture”?

I find these two things to be very odd points to base an opinion on.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118228063#Comment_118228063

I did get Goonies vibes from the film

Need a Username

Can we have a Goonies 2 now like?

:p

Sudden Valley

I enjoyed the movie but thought the first half of the movie was so slow. It felt like the pilot episode of a tv show slow. I actually didn't enjoy the cameos too much felt like in the Star Wars awakens that it took away from the new characters to have the more interesting old characters pop up. Hopefully they let the ghostbusters franchise die now.

pixelburp

A pretty limited international release meant the Box Office so far on this has been $115 million worldwide - with $87 million from US audiences, so not bad Domestic, but relatively poor international takings.

I wonder why it hasn't had such a wide release as other films; whether it's simply yet to come out in those places - or if Ghostbusters isn't actually a thing outside the US.

BlitzKrieg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118240481#Comment_118240481

As a franchise no, ghostbusters is not big property outside the USA.

China is an obvious no no, neither the 2016 version or this version have released in China.

And full on hollywood 'comedies' which the original ghostbusters (and the sequel and 2016 version) are tend to rely more strongly on the domestic market for example look at the hangover's box office: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl643204609/ the sequels had slightly higher international takes primarily from the UK & Europe

Might be partly why Afterlife tried to sell itself less as a comedy and more of an 'stranger things' adventure as shows like stranger things have enjoyed success both at home and internationally.

ozmo

Saw it last night on IMax - the sound was incredible with the seats shaking pretty much most of the movie - make sure to watch somewhere with decent sound!

When it comes to TV - make sure to try these big films with headphones! (I watch Netflix through XBox with cheap earphones and you get almost free 3D Dolby Atmos surround sound - which adds so much depth to the movies)

I thought it very good - like a mix of Goonies and the First Ghostbusters - I avoided all trailers, so lots of surprises -

just watched now the trailers ones posted here - and some scenes from the first and second trailers never make it to the movie (eg. "only one with an engine" and lots more like ground breaking up under the car)

I missed the last end scenes - cinema shut off projector mid-credits... boo.

Adam Savage (Mythbusters/Tested etc) got to make the Death Whistle - and it was shoehorned into the movie - he did a video on youtube about making these and has lots other videos about the making of the props used (the backpacks etc) - I thought it interesting..

link

mdwexford

Saw it tonight and loved it.

Im a huge Ghostbusters fan and enjoyed every second.

py2006

Is anyone putting any significance into the ending scene with [SPOILER] car heading back across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan? [/SPOILER]